GEAR REVIEW: Berghaus VapourLight Hyper Smock 2.0

By Will Rietveld

This hyperlight smock is the lightest rain top in the world, it’s flawless, and lands on my list of favorite gear for ultralight backpacking.

This is the lightest rain jacket in the world. It’s even lighter than a breathable Cuben Fiber rain jacket, which weighs around 6 ounces (and costs twice as much).

The new Berghaus VapourLight Hyper Smock 2.0, at 2.65 ounces for size men's medium, is the lightest rain top in the world. Its available in men's and women's versions. (Berghaus photo)

 The original VapourLight Hyper Smock, a pullover style, came out in 2014. Only a year later it was replaced with the Hyper Smock 2.0 in 2015. Berghaus redesigned it and made it lighter yet. According to Berghaus, the weight dropped from 100 grams to 75 grams (3.5 ounces to 2.65 ounces for a size Medium).

Now it is also available as a jacket (with a full height front zipper) weighing 3.5 ounces (size Large).

Obviously the fabric on this rain jacket is very thin, so the key questions to address in this review are whether this jacket provides sufficient rain protection, breathability, and durability.

Specifications and Features

Manufacturer	Berghaus (http://usa.berghaus.com/)
Product	VapourLight Hyper Smock 2.0 (men’s and women’s versions)
Fabric	Hydroshell™ Hyper; 10,000 MVTR, 15,000 mm waterproofness
Weight	Manufacturer spec 2.65 oz (men’s Medium; measured weight 3.2 oz (men’s XL)
Features	Attached fitted hood; elastic binding on hood, cuffs, and hem; tie-back on hood; 16 in front zipper; 1 front pocket; dropped tail; stuff sack included
MSRP	$150 (pullover style), $155 (jacket style)

Description

I had the opportunity to test both the original Hyper Smock and the latest version 2.0, and I definitely prefer version 2.0. The most obvious difference is the location of the pocket; it was on the left sleeve on the original, and now it is just below the front zipper. Berghaus cleverly uses one zipper with two pulls and added a bar tack to create two openings: one for the pullover entry and one for the pocket. The lower pocket is more convenient and larger than the original sleeve pocket. It's 9.5 inches deep at the top tapering to 7.5 inches deep at the bottom, which is large enough for small clothing items or a camera.

However, the weight savings goes deeper than the pocket. Version 2.0 drops two mini-cordlock hood adjusters, uses thinner seam tape, uses a different panel design to reduce seams, uses lighter weight elastic bindings, and shortened the zipper one inch – a lot of subtle changes throughout the garment.

An important detail that you need to know about the Hyper Smock is that it runs about one size small. I tested the original in size Large (my usual size) and found it fit more like a Medium – the body is a trim fit that barely layers over an ultralight down jacket, but the sleeves are adequately long. So, I got version 2.0 in size XL and I am much happier with the fit – it is easier to donn and layers nicely over a lightweight down jacket. Bottom line, you need to go up one size for a good fit. If you do that, the pullover style is not that hard to put on.

In version 2.0 a drawcord on the front of the hood and two adjusters were dropped in favor of a fitted hood and simple elastic binding. I prefer to wear the hood over a billed cap so it doesn't block my vision.

 Some hikers will prefer the jacket version of the VapourLight (with a full-height front zipper) because it’s easier to put on and provides more ventilation by adjusting the zipper. However, note that the jacket version does not have a pocket.

Field Testing

I tested the two versions of the Hyper Smock on 15 backpacking trips in mountain and canyon terrains and wore it in different ways on every trip: in the rain as needed, as a windshirt while hiking, and as an outer shell layer in camp and in my sleeping bag.

 Berghaus’s Hydroshell™ Hyper waterproof-breathable fabric technology was developed in their own Mountain House Design and Development Center. Its waterproofness rating of 15,000 mm is adequate. The breathability rating of 10,000 MVTR is at the lower end for a waterproof-breathable rain jacket, equivalent to a typical polyurethane laminate rain jacket. What is remarkable is that they achieved these properties in a very thin nylon fabric construction.

As rainwear, its intended use, the Hyper Smock does the job just fine. I live in the Southwestern US, where rain usually comes as showers rather than an all-day rain. The longest I wore it in the rain was a steady drizzle for a half day in the Grand Canyon, and it kept me dry.

The Hyper Smock is thin enough that it performs quite well as a windshirt. Because it’s coated on the inside, it’s not as comfortable as a dedicated windshirt, but it suffices as long as it’s cool and windy.

 

One thing I noticed is the jacket’s thin fabric is less insulating compared to a heavier rain jacket, so I am more likely to wear a midlayer under it to stay warm. Here I am wearing a microfleece midlayer under the Hyper Smock.

I also wear my rainwear as a shell layer over my insulating layer in camp and in my sleeping bag. Its remarkable how well an outer shell holds the heat in to keep me warm and comfortable with less total weight. The Berghaus VapourLight Hyper Smock works very well for that purpose, and it doesn’t feel clammy inside in camp or in my sleeping bag because I am inactive.

Because it’s made of very thin fabric, the Hyper Smock can be expected to be less durable than heavier rainwear. However, nylon is very strong and surprisingly resistant to damage. Even so, all ultralight gear requires extra care, and if you treat it right it will last a long time.

Assessment

There are two contrasting situations requiring different types of rainwear: 1) for wetter climates, choose highly breathable air permeable rainwear for maximum comfort in prolonged rain, and 2) for drier climates, choose the lightest reliable rainwear you can find and wear it as needed. In the former situation, these jackets are heavier, expensive, and require maintenance to sustain their performance. In the latter situation, the rainwear is much lighter weight and less expensive, requires little or no maintenance, and breathability is less of a need because you typically wear the rainwear for a short time.

Besides this, an inconvenient truth about rainwear is that all rainwear will steam up inside if you are hiking uphill carrying a pack in warm temperatures. The difference is that air-permeable rainwear will allow you to hike further before it steams up. The end result in every case is you will gradually get wet from the inside.

The Berghaus VapourLight Hyper Smock fits in the second situation. It adds very little weight to your pack, and it performs admirably when it’s needed. If you are a lightweight or ultralight backpacker, this is my recommendation for rainwear.

Overall I have nothing but praise for the Berghaus VapourLight Hyper Smock, meaning it’s all good and I don’t have any reservations at all. It performs just fine as a rain jacket, especially in shorter duration showers, as good as any other polyurethane-laminate rain jacket, and it does it with minimal weight. Its extreme light weight also makes it more versatile – it’s more packable, doubles as a windshirt, and it’s an effective outer shell layer to keep you warm in camp.

In my 12 years of gear testing I have found very few perfect pieces of gear, and this is one of them. I suppose one negative is that it runs one size small, so you need to size up to get a good fit. That adds a smidgeon of weight, but it’s still the lightest rain jacket in the world.

GEAR REVIEW: Six Moon Designs Deschutes Cuben Fiber Tarp Shelter

By Will Rietveld

Six Moon Designs calls it a tarp, which may deter some hikers because they don’t want a tarp, they want an enclosed shelter. But this is an enclosed shelter, albeit floorless like a tarp. Some call it an enclosed tarp or shaped tarp. And it is also similar to a Mid (short for pyramid), but it’s six-sided rather than four-sided. Confused? Just look at the photos below.

Deschutes Tarp at 12,500 feet in the Southwestern Colorado Mountains.

The beauty of the Cuben Fiber version of this shelter is it provides reliable shelter for one person and weighs just 7 ounces. Just think of the weight savings compared to any other 1-person shelter! It’s also available in silnylon (13 ounces, $165) and silnylon with perimeter netting (16 ounces, $175, formerly the Wild Oasis), and as a two-person version called the Haven Tarp (10 ounces, $475).

There is no question that the Deschutes Tarp is very, very lightweight, but how livable is it, does it provide adequate protection from weather, and how much protection from bugs does it provide? I will address those questions in this review.

Specifications and Features

Manufacturer	Six Moon Designs (sixmoondesigns.com)
Model	Deschutes Tarp (Cuben Fiber)
Materials	Cuben Fiber 0.74 oz/sq yd
Included	Shelter, guylines, stuff sack (stakes not included, requires 6)
Protected Area	44 sq ft
MSRP	$330

Description

The Deschutes Tarp is 6-sided (the backside is one panel, but it divides into two sides when the shelter is staked out; and the entry doors each comprise one side) and requires one trekking pole and six stakes to set up. The trekking pole can set between 45 to 49 inches; the shorter height provides more protection but less headroom, and the taller height provides more headroom and raises the edges of the shelter above the ground for more ventilation.

The Deschutes Tarp is fast and easy to set up: lay it on the ground in the desired location, stake the four side corners, insert the trekking pole’s handle into the tent’s pole pocket at the peak, stake the backside, and stake the vestibuled entry side. I use four titanium hook stakes for the sides and two aluminum tubular stakes for the front and back.

Entry is through a zippered vestibule that is now nearly full height for easy entry/exit. My test shelter in the photos is an earlier model with a shorter zipper that required more stooping over, so the longer zipper is a good improvement. The updated current shelter also has a vent at the peak.

The back side is one panel that divides into two sides when it is staked out

Since the shelter is floorless, you also need to carry a lightweight groundsheet fitted to the tent; I use one made of thin cross-linked plastic. The complete shelter, with groundsheet and stakes, weighs 10.5 ounces.

Field Testing

My testing consisted of several summer backpacking trips in the Southwest Colorado Mountains, and fall backpacking trips in Canyonlands and Grand Canyon National Parks.

These were very diverse conditions. Camping above 12,000 feet is often cool and breezy at night, so I often pinned the edges of the shelter to the ground for more protection. For warm calm nights I raised the edges of the shelter above the ground for more ventilation. For calm rainy nights or afternoon bivouacs I pitched the shelter higher to provide more room inside and lessen contact with condensation on the inside of the shelter. When camping on sand I put rocks on top of the stakes to make them hold, and at one campsite in the Grand Canyon I had to put rocks on top of the guylines to secure the tent because I couldn’t get a stake into the ground.

Livability  

I’m right at 6 feet tall, and found that entry/exit required me to stoop way down and crawl into or out of the tent, which was cumbersome. Fortunately that issue is now overcome with the lengthened zipper on the vestibule. With the edges of the shelter raised up, interior roominess is no problem; 44 square feet of protected is a lot for a 1-person shelter. A typical 1-person tent has only about 18 square feet of floor space for comparison. However, when the edges of the shelter are pinned to the ground for more weather/bug protection, headroom and footroom actually depend on how thick my sleeping pad is. The orange pad in the photos is 2.5 inches thick, which results in brushing my head on the sidewall of the tent when rising up, and headroom is limited too. Using a thinner sleeping pad makes a noticeable difference under the same conditions.

That said, note in the photos that there are tie loops on the two sides of the tent, so you can attach a guyline to the sidewall and connect it to your second trekking pole to pull out the end of the tent where your head will be. Simply run the guyline from the shelter to your trekking pole and then to the ground. That feature provides enough interior room so my head doesn’t brush against the sidewall when I sit up. Overall, I still wished for a little more interior room.

Each side of the shelter has an attachment point (black square) where a guyline can be attached to extend the sidewall above the sleeper's head to provide more clearance. It is shown tied out in the second photo.

The entry vestibule is a really nice feature. It prevents wind-driven rain from entering the shelter and is big enough to store all of my gear and keep it dry. Note the short zipper on my test shelter; the zipper on the current version is 10 inches longer and the peak has a vent.

Weather Protection 

Many people fret about the adequacy of such a minimalist shelter in stormy or windy conditions. It all gets down to experience. I have previously tested Six Moon Designs’ Gatewood Cape and Wild Oasis shelter in the rain on many occasions, and was impressed with their stormworthiness. The Deschutes Tarp is basically the same design and is just as secure. So, I didn’t begin this review with any skepticism; I already knew from past experience that the Deschutes Tarp would do the job. It kept me dry through all night rains and wind-driven rain and hail from thunderstorms.

It’s always best to orient the back of the shelter to the direction that storms are most likely to come from, but of course you don’t always guess right. Calm rains are no problem, and you can even use a high pitch if you like. But for wind-driven rain, or just wind, it’s important to stake the bottom edge of the shelter to the ground. In that situation I don’t use the guylines, I stake directly to the loops on the shelter.

Bug Protection 

This is where my review of the Deschutes Tarp is less definitive. Bugs are usually not a big issue in the Southwestern US. In the few occasions over the years where I did have a bug issue, I noticed that mosquitoes and flies do not readily come in under the bottom edge of a floorless shelter. It doesn’t absolutely keep them out, but not enough of them get in to make it a problem. Also, I note that the mosquitoes usually go away when the temperature drops under about 40F, so the bugs are gone by bedtime in the mountains. So, for me, I get by quite well with a floorless shelter.

However, I realize that is not the case everywhere. For situations where bugs, mice, and other creepy crawlers are a real problem, SMD has their Serenity NetTent (11 ounces/$175) which fits inside the Deschutes Tarp to make it a double-wall shelter weighing 18 ounces. The combination provides a lot of versatility.

Assessment

It would be hard to find a fully enclosed shelter as light as the Deschutes Tarp. Weighing just 7 ounces (about 10.5 ounces with groundsheet and stakes), the Deschutes eliminates a huge amount of weight from one’s gear kit.

It also provides plenty of rain and wind protection to enable a good night’s sleep, which is important on strenuous backpacks. I personally don’t care to sleep under a regular tarp anymore because nighttime breezes go right through it and it’s hard to get a good night’s sleep. The Deschutes is more like a tent, it’s fully enclosed and you can keep breezes out.

For locations where bugs are an important issue, the SMD Deschutes Tarp pairs with the SMD NetTent to create a bugproof double wall tent weighing just 18 ounces, which is still a weight that is hard to beat.

As mentioned above, overall I found the Deschutes to have adequate interior space for minimalist backpacking, but I often wished for a little extra interior volume so I could avoid brushing against the sidewalls when they had condensation. That was especially true when I used a thicker sleeping pad and had the shelter pinned to the ground. Another option that will appeal to many hikers (including me) is to move up to the SMD Haven Cuben Fiber Tarp. The Haven is a 2-person version of this shelter that uses two trekking poles for support, has 2 doors, and weighs only 10 ounces. That’s right, just 3 ounces more. The Haven would be a delightfully roomy shelter for one person, and accommodates two when you camp with a partner. It would also be a great choice if you hike with a dog. However, at $475 it costs $145 more.

Overall the Deschutes is a perfect shelter for a super-ultralight gear kit for backpacking in the mountains, where more protection is needed. It is well designed and constructed, and fairly priced for a Cuben shelter. The only drawback I found is the tight quarters inside under certain conditions, but moving up to the Haven easily solves that issue, and provides more versatility to boot.

It sure would be nice if the cost of Cuben Fiber (now Dyneema Composite Materials) would finally come down. It has proven itself (in terms of durability and longevity) for lightweight backpacking to reduce weight, but it comes at a big price. The Deschutes is $330 and the Serenity is $475, which is the typical cost for a Cuben Fiber shelter. Only a select few avid backpackers are willing to plunk down the money to buy a Cuben Fiber shelter, and that’s unfortunate.