| Berghaus Infinity Light Gilet |
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 Average Rating: 4 out of 5 No. of Reviews: 1 RRP: £63 Year: 2005 Description: - Compressible, lightweight insulation
- Offers excellent protection from the wind, with a good DWR finish
- Small pack size make it an ideal warmth layer as a belay piece or when out on the hill
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 | | Posted: 15/06/07 |
| 'TINY LITTLE BUNDLE OF WARMTH' | | Strengths:
Very light weight, very small pack size, good wind protection, survives a soaking, simple design | | Weaknesses:
None of importance – it does what it is supposed to. Not the most attractive item and a little expensive at its RRP of £60. | | Overall:
This is a great little performer. It isn’t the toughest item out there – but it wasn’t intended to be. What it does offer is excellent protection from heat loss in a minimal and extremely light package. I had been wanting to try one since they came out but thought the price tag a bit inflated for a light gilet. Then I found one on clearance for £10 and snapped it up. I bought mine on the small side as it was the last one remaining, but it didn’t look like an ideal item for the belay-jacket category anyway. For a start it is only 60g/m2 Primaloft One so isn’t much warmer than microfleece. So I bought it for the following scenarios: 1) Climbing : between pitches, worn over baselayer on mild days, to keep my core warm and protect from windchill. 2) Winter rowing: something to keep in my sculling boat in case I take a fall in the water in winter; also great for waiting around before races or while coaching at the club. 3) Travelling: something minimal to up the warmth ‘just in case’ 4) Spare/extra insulation for colder weather: an easy way of adding a bit of insulation on a cold day for a rest stop etc.
How did it perform? Well, it has been excellent in all areas that I wanted it for. My wife feels the cold more than I do, so she has been the primary user in cold weather for food stops. As she is much smaller than me, she can fit it over a thick fleece and benefit from the windproofing. For the ‘just in case’ uses, it has been reassuring to have and being so small and light doesn’t impair my activities. The pertex quantum probably wouldn’t hold up well under rucksack straps, and with effectively two layers of windproofing plus insulation, I find it too warm and insufficiently breathable for active use. But to prevent me from flash-off cooling in my baselayer it has been invaluable. It easily fits in a rucksack top-pocket or bum bag so you don’t hesitate to pull it on when you stop… and it protects excellently. Water resistant and quick drying, I would say that it has instantly made it into my “most-often-packed” list. I don’t have to treat it with the same paranoia about getting it wet as I would for a down gilet and it seems to recover from tight packing pretty well. I have one or two minor niggles – such as the trim under the arm-pits starting to get a bit pilled and the fact that the fabric looks a bit too fetishistic for casual use. But it is an excellent item that lives up to the ‘fast and light’ ethos admirably… if only I was as svelte as the Infinity!
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| | | Performance | | 100% | | Reliability | | 80% | | Value | | 60% |
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