JAMES FORREST writer and outdoor adventurer

STAR KIT: Berghaus Changste waterproof jacket HAS LASTED: A round of the Munros – and more

Back in 2019, I climbed all 282 Munros over six months with my girlfriend Nic. We hiked more than 2000 kilometres (1240 miles) and ascended a whopping 150,000 metres, exploring every hidden corner and remote tract of Scotland’s stunning mountains. It was a brilliant adventure – living out of a car like trail dirtbags, sleeping in leaky bothies and damp tents, battling swarms of bloodthirsty midges, and (of course) struggling against all manner of atrocious Scottish weather. It felt like we spent months being battered by torrential rain, gusting winds, unseasonal snow blizzards and whatever else Mother Nature wanted to throw at us.

A good waterproof was essential, therefore. I wore a Berghaus Changste jacket for the vast majority of the expedition, a slim-fitting but robust waterproof with Gore-Tex technology. Under such extreme and constant use, it naturally required careful maintenance, and I became a little obsessed with looking after the jacket.

Every week or two, I washed it with Nikwax Tech Wash (at

30C with a low spin speed), and then re-proofed it with Nikwax TX.Direct Wash-In. Without fail this would reinvigorate the breathability and restore the DWR excellently, and I credit this diligent process for prolonging the jacket’s life and ensuring it saw me through to summit 282.