Berghaus Vs Craghoppers - Which Is Better?

Berghaus and Craghoppers are both high quality brands that many hikers, walkers, campers and those who enjoy the outdoors buy from and wear often. We have owned both brands in a number of formats and wondered which is better.

Though Berghaus and Craghoppers make similar products they are very different in terms of quality, production values and technologies used on the fabrics and garments. Neither is better than the other, Craghoppers is more fashion based and Berghaus is more practicality based.

In this article we are going to look into each brand, what they do and their company values along with which is better and best for you.

Who Are Berghaus?

Berghaus is an outdoor clothing and equipment manufacturer based in the North East of England. Although they have their headquarters in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, UK, they produce and distribute products worldwide.

Both company founders: Gordon Davison and Peter Lockey, were mountaineers and climbers, so they started the company in 1966 based on products they had a lot of experience with and knew well.

Berghaus initially had the name LD Mountain Center, and it was a company that focused on the distribution of outdoor products. By 1972, the Berghaus we know and love today were already designing and producing their products. Berghaus started with rucksacks, and their design is generally considered as the first with an internal frame.

Today their many products include jackets & coats, fleeces, shirts and trousers for outdoor activities with separate lines for men and women. They also produce footwear such as boots and regular shoes for hiking, climbing, or any outdoor activity you find yourself involved in.

Who Are Craghoppers?

Craghoppers are an outdoor British clothing brand that manufactures and supply different kinds of wear. Roy Holmes and Brian Gaskin founded Craghoppers in 1965. You probably know the name Craghoppers by their most notable item – the walking gear Kiwi range.

The founders were approached by the mountaineering expedition team of Chris Bonington and designed their weather gear for the 1975 Everest Expedition. Gaskin took the task and designed them himself, and the Everest Collection was an enormous success for the brand.

It pushed the company to new heights, and they’ve been celebrating several milestones since then.

Craghoppers became the exclusive National Geographic apparel partner for North America. Their products include trousers, accessories, footwear, and other clothing materials for men and women. They also have a dedicated clothing line for kids and special collections.

What Is The Difference Between Berghaus And Craghoppers?

To highlight the significant differences between the two brands, we will discuss everything you need to know about each of them, including materials, style, etc.

All You Need To Know About The Berghaus Brand

Like other clothing brands, Berghaus use nylon and polyester as the main base fabrics for their products. However, where they differ is that they source their polyester from recycled plastic, which is very eco-friendly and produces excellent results.

The downs used in their manufacture are carefully sourced and 100% traceable to ensure the birds they came from are healthy and thriving. This way, you can be sure the down used for their products is gotten from a high-quality source.

Berghaus offers a variety of price points, with their waterproof designs having the most varying prices. Some of their waterproof products start at $300. However, their products are all worth the price and will give you top-notch quality.

They also sponsor some athletes, including, but not limited to the following:

Mick Fowler (Mountaineer)
Karen Darke (Hand biker)
Leo Houlding (Climber).

Some of their most popular jacket designs are the Barkley 2.0 and Stormcloud designs. The Stormcloud is a waterproof jacket that will give you adequate protection from outdoor elements. The design ensures it stays dry no matter the weather, and it has a hood with two side pockets and zipper closures.

Their Hydroshell technology comes into play here to make the jacket resistant to rain and wind while still maintaining its durability.

The Barkley 2.0 is a polyester jacket for women with the Hydro down insulation technology, making the jacket half-part polyester and down. This makes it excellent at resisting moisture and works to keep you warm throughout the day. The design is generally Minimalist, but it features a zipper and a snap button closure.

They have developed some technologies for their products to help improve the overall quality.

Let’s check out some of the categories of these technologies:

Insulation

Through all of the weather changes from hot to cold or vice versa, it is essential to keep yourself safe, and Berghaus ensures that with their innovative technologies. The Hydrodown technology keeps you and your kit warm and comfortable for any hurdles ahead. Other technologies to keep you insulated and safe include Primaloft and Polartec.

Protection

Outdoor activities could get hectic, and you might need to protect yourself to stay comfortable and dry. Regardless of if you’re going for a climb or a short run outside, the safety technologies will ensure you stay protected and comfortable. Some of these technologies are GoreTex, Wino Stopper, AQ2, HydroShell, and DWR.

Comfort

Irritations or discomfort in your clothing or gear can shorten your outdoor time drastically. Berghaus has developed remarkable technologies to ensure that you can enjoy your time outdoors without worrying about any discomforts and have an incredible adventure outside. These technologies are called Argentium and Ecowoven.

Footwear

While you’re outside, the foot does a lot of the work, and if you’re not comfortable there, your time outside will not be comfortable. Their technologies have been expertly developed to give your footwear excellent comfort and durability. These technologies are Brasher, Opti-Stud, and GoreTex.

All You Need to Know About Craghoppers Brand

Craghoppers produce two catalogs of clothing products in a year. The Spring/Summer line and the Autumn/Winter have become a staple for their brand, with people looking forward to seeing what they bring each year. Each catalog has a unique theme, with its own photoshoot in various places. The catalogs are presented as a small travel guide and a clothing catalog.

Since 2020, Craghoppers has increasingly put sustainability as an essential requirement of their products. They announced that 70% of their wears for Winter 2020 would be made of recycled materials which is a noticeable increase of 12% from the previous year.

Craghoppers products are more expensive than other regular outdoor apparel brands, but they deliver. All of their clothing and gear are of excellent quality, sometimes offering various colors for variety on the male and female line.

They also have an eco fabric called Colourkind, which helps conserve water and uses up to 63% fewer chemicals while dyeing. It also ensures that the fabric stays colorfast and still looks good even after you have used it several times. Craghoppers do not neglect style in their pursuit of functionality and comfortability, their designs are excellent, and you can tell Craghoppers put a lot of thought into them.

One of their popular products is the Classic Kiwi trousers. These outdoor trousers are great for traveling because five out of the nine pockets have a zipper for additional security. You don’t have to worry about pickpocketers, which makes you feel more secure in public places.

The trousers also come with all the classic features of Craghoppers clothing, including the following:

Bacteria
Insect and dust repellant
Quick-drying
Climate control features
Quality durability.

Craghoppers have formulated the following technologies:

Nosi

This is a cloth with an insect repellant finish that stays even after 70 washes. NosiLife products have superseded this feature.

SolarDry Fabrics

These give the clothes excellent UV protection with an Ultraviolet Protection Factor index of +50. It is also claimed to block up to 985 ultraviolet radiation from their clothes.

AquaDry and AquaDry Stretch

Clothes with this technology are breathable and waterproof fabrics that can stretch comfortably to reasonable limits.

NosiLife

Clothes with the Nosilife technology have a strong, non-toxic, and permanent insect repellant finish. This finish has undergone a series of tests and shown to retain up to 98% of its original effectiveness even after 100 washes.

Wash and Wear Fabrics

These fabrics are easy to wash and do not require a lot of ironing for you to put them on. They’re great for travel clothes that you need to dry overnight.

Other technologies include Breathable Fabrics, Stretch fabrics, and Lightweight clothing.

Which Is Better?

Both Craghoppers and Berghaus are excellent brands that deliver quality outdoor clothing and gear for people. There is no single brand that is better than the other, and your choice will depend on your preferences and where each brand stands out.

Berghaus clothes and gear offer more affordable options compared to Craghoppers. If you’re looking for outdoor items for just their functionality and not much else, it’ll be an excellent choice for you. Although they offer various options, if you are more concerned about options for several colors and models, Craghoppers will be a great alternative.

Craghoppers offer more fashionable choices, and you have more options to mix and match when making your selections. It also doesn’t hurt that they have a dedicated line for kids, so your children can join in on the outdoor fun experiences too.

Both brands seem to be eco-friendly and take steps in their manufacturing process to make sure they don’t harm the earth.

The bottom line: Berghaus products are for people who value getting practicality at an affordable price, while Craghoppers are for those who would like to look good and add a little bit of style to their clothing when they’re outdoors.

However, they both offer excellent technologies to make any choice a safe bet. If you don’t need to meet a specific need, feel free to go with any of the two brands.