I'm not about to profess to be a keen walker or an expert mountain climber, which you may expect fall into the more intended target market of this product. I've had neck gaiters for years, and have always marvelled at just how much warmer I've felt wearing them. The only issue I've had at times has been when the weather gets wet and also how the gaiter stays up, but not with the Berghaus.

The Berghaus Spectrum Neck Gaiter essentially does what other neck gaiters are designed to. It covers the neck and tucks into your top in order to maintain the warmth you may otherwise lose there. It's a fleece tube that goes on over your head, and is adjustable with a drawstring at the top to make sure it sits snugly against your neck. I like this, as it means it's suitable for everyone and doesn't have to be for one sized person.

The gaiter is longer than your neck, but you don't have to fight with lengths of material - it's just long enough to keep your neck and under your chin warm and stretch down to under whatever top you may be wearing. There's no drawstring at the bottom, but this is a good thing and means that it's not snug against your skin. There's a small pocket of air that gets kept warm, allowing your body heat from your neck to sit there giving you a really nice sense of warmth. The fleece is a 200 midweight fleece, which doesn't mean a great deal to me other than it's designed not necessarily for walking in the Arctic, but certainly for coping with the frosty and snowy winters we've been having of late.

The best part though is when it rains. Fleeces aren't designed to be waterproof and let the rain run off it, but they should maintain their warmth when wet, and that's exactly what this one does. I've spent many a cold evening just out caught in a shower wearing this, and my neck has stayed warm despite the gaiter getting wet. You can feel the wet to a certain extent depending on how heavy and constant the rain is and how wet the gaiter gets of course, but ultimately it does the job very well in this respect.

You can't underestimate the amount of comfort and psychological warmth you can get from this as well. There's something comforting about putting this on when I know it's cold outside, and when combined with quality headgear I find that this makes me feel just as warm as the rightly chosen trousers and top or coat, etc. The Spectrum also maintains its shape very well. I have had a few products that have thinned out or lost their shape over the years, but this has lasted me well and I have no issues with it whatsoever.

At just over the £10 mark, this is a bargain buy and an investment I highly recommend for when it gets cold. The main thing is that it's very functional and does what it's supposed to - it keeps your neck warm. Whether I've been cycling in the rain, walking along in windy freezing conditions, and even when I was in the Alps, it really helps keep your neck warm. It's machine washable and comes out good after use unlike some products which are good until you wash them. It's a middle of the range item, so you're not buying cheap rubbish and you're not forking out for a top item that costs more than it's actually worth. This does the job just perfectly. Recommended.