Hydroshell Explained
In brief: Hydroshell is Berghaus's in-house waterproof, windproof and breathable technology, used across much of its outerwear. It comes in tiers, from everyday protection up to high-specification versions, with the top builds rated around 20,000mm of hydrostatic head. It lets Berghaus deliver reliable waterproofing across a range of price points.
What Hydroshell is
Hydroshell is the waterproof-breathable technology that Berghaus, the British outdoor brand owned by Pentland, builds into a large part of its own range. Rather than relying solely on bought-in membranes, Berghaus developed Hydroshell so it could offer dependable waterproofing across many price points while keeping control of performance. A Hydroshell garment is waterproof, windproof and breathable, with taped seams to seal the stitching.
Berghaus introduced Hydroshell technology around 2014, bringing it to retail from about 2015, and has used the name as an umbrella for several performance tiers since.
The performance tiers
Hydroshell is not a single specification but a family. Berghaus has used tiered versions so the right level of protection can be matched to the right product. Higher-specification builds such as Hydroshell Elite Pro have been rated around 20,000mm of hydrostatic head, with strong breathability, for serious mountain use. Mid versions such as Hydroshell Elite have been framed around 15,000mm of waterproofing with around 20,000 breathability, while lighter or more lifestyle-oriented builds sit lower again. The Hydroshell name tells you Berghaus waterproofing; the tier tells you how hard it is built to work.
How to place those numbers
For context, the outdoor trade loosely treats around 1,500mm of hydrostatic head as the point where a fabric counts as waterproof, so a 20,000mm Elite Pro figure is comfortably into serious-protection territory, suitable for sustained mountain rain. The breathability figures sit in the range expected of a capable modern shell. As always, check the specific Berghaus product for its exact rating, since the tier and construction determine the numbers.
Why a brand builds its own membrane
Owning a technology like Hydroshell lets Berghaus tune cost and performance together. It can put a robust, high-spec version into a flagship mountain jacket and a lighter, more affordable version into an everyday waterproof, all under one recognisable name and all backed by the brand's own testing. For the buyer, that means Berghaus waterproofing is available from approachable prices up to genuinely technical kit, which is the main appeal of an in-house system.
Caring for Hydroshell
Hydroshell relies on the outer DWR finish like any waterproof-breathable shell. When the face fabric stops beading water and starts to wet out, wash and re-proof the jacket and reactivate the repellency with gentle heat. Keeping the outer clean and water-shedding maintains both the waterproofing experience and the breathability.
Hydroshell at OD's Designer Clothing
Hydroshell gives you Berghaus reliability across a span of uses and budgets. If you are comparing a Hydroshell jacket against a third-party membrane like Gore-Tex, the team can explain where each Berghaus tier sits so you match the protection to your weather and spend.