FIRST LOOK

Berghaus Pravitale Hybrid Jacket

The thing about mid layers is that you don’t often see them. Sure, while in milder months it’s not unheard of to wear a fleece as an outer layer to stave off a subtle evening chill, in winter mid layers tend to be just that – a middle layer between your base layer t-shirt and your outer hard shell. And the better they are, the less exposure they get. While a less effective fleece might require you to repeatedly open and close your shell’s main zip to vent or trap air as required, the perfect mid layer manages to regulate your temperature and humidity without too much intervention.

It’s for this reason the Berghaus’ Pravitale fleeces have been much loved. And now there’s a new mid in town, the Pravitale Hybrid. Using a mixture of fabrics and materials, the new mid layer is part fleece, part synthetic insulation – hence the ‘Hybrid’ – and clearly has its sights set on being the perfect winter mid layer. There is one fairly major drawback, though: there’s no female version. Berghaus’ existing Women’s Hybrid Insulated Jacket is about as close a match as any, but it’s not the same. That’s a pity, because the Pravitale Hybrid looks like it may well meet its own high expectations. So, for the benefit of the boys anyway, let’s take a close look at the Pravitale Hybrid…