Article by Sam Winebaum and Matt Kolat
Introduction:
Inselberg is a New Zealand based brand focused on function above all else. Their name derives from the Germanic and translates as “island mountain”.
“An inselberg is a mountain that stands out from a plain, eroded and shaped over time to its rugged core. An inselberg is a singular formation—one mountain rising above the plain. This idea of "one" is central to everything we do. Every product is designed with one purpose, fulfilling a single function with precision and focus. Inselberg is more than a name; it’s a philosophy of clarity, durability, and purpose.”
Inselberg products are developed and tested in New Zealand, including by mountaineering and search and rescue teams as well in other extreme environments from Everst to Antarctica. As we found out in our testing, they take detailed care of every aspect of their apparel with disassembly after use to identify potential failure points and then multiple iterations to perfect,
Not “flashy” in looks, they are among the highest performance, most carefully crafted run and trekking apparel I have experienced with a look that also easily takes them “off trail” into town as well.
I was amazed at the comfort, details, and functionality of the Monic Trail Running Jacket and Gauss Pants I tested in Park City, UT. I have been wearing them almost continuously for running, hiking and around town. Matt tested the Infima Jacket in the wilds of Scotland.
Monic Trail Running Jacket & Gauss Pants
Monic Trail Running Jacket ($180)
Features:
The Monic is a wind type shell with a very soft almost silky feel. The main fabric is 20 denier nylon they developed in partnership with Toray in Japan. Inselberg tells us they trialed this fabric several times “to get the air permeability just right -blocks just enough wind but is breathable enough to let out heat if you're pushing quite hard – approximately 20cfm”
The paneled area under the armpits is from Payen of France and is a stretch woven fabric that has great elongation and even more breathability due to its location and the use cases: high output endurance activities.
The Monic has a total of 4 pockets: 2 very large zip hand pockets and 2 larger yet interior drop in pockets behind the outer pockets.
In the picture below, I have stashed some quite hefty ski gloves in the inner pocket
The outer pockets have soft pulls and their edges are also slightly reinforced with a stiffener to make reaching in easier as in the picture below with to the right at the armpits the more breathable, stretchier stretch woven soft Payen fabric.
We have a full hood which zips into the collar. No mere “add on” for show, it is elasticized and secure with a very effective stiffened brim.
Tucked away into its zipped collar pocket it goes unnoticed until you need it.
Monic has one of the finest if not the finest and most functional light wind jacket hoods I can recall.
The careful attention to detail continues with the zippers and dual draw cords at the hem.
While small, the zippers are more substantial than usual for a windbreaker and feature an easy to find and pull “soft pull”. The same for the draw cords, small and effective
Fit:
I am 5’9” / 175 cm and 163 lbs / 74kg with a 32” waist. My Monic is a large which for layering, even up to a puffy underneath is fine in fit, if a bit large. I think I could have also gone with a medium but as a rule prefer a roomier and longer fit.
Performance, Conclusions and any Comparisons
The Monic jacket was tested at temperatures just below freezing and above in Park City. I was struck by the breathability of the jacket, its generous fit and pockets storage as well as the easy to use and store hood.
Its wind resistance is more than adequate. I have not yet had it precipitation but expect light water resistance. It is not a “waterproof” or storm type jacket.
I weighs a mere 165 grams and it Iballs up small so can go in pretty much any vest pocket and in the Gauss Pants front pocket (see below)
The Monic with its subtle styling joined to high performance as a wind shell for endurance sports of all kinds, its lightweight, and features (and especially the hood and all the pockets) will continue to be an essential training, adventure, daily and travel companion.
Gauss Pant ($170)
Not skiing but could have in the Gauss Pants. Ran 8 miles uphill to Deer Valley for lunch
Features
The fabric is 50 denier made from 43% recycled nylon, 43% nylon, and 14% spandex (just nylon was used in this piece as opposed to a nylon face and a polyester backer weave for a lighter make up than . The fabric is thin but rugged with good 4 way mechanical stretch so I found the pant perfectly fine for running.
The Gauss has a webbing belt inside the waistband with an easy to use top down hook.
For running uses I often leave it unclipped. The hook side of the belt seems to have an elastic towards the back so has some welcome give when active or after too many beers!
The two front mesh very deep zip drop in pockets are super easy to access and can easily accommodate the largest phones and more. With the phone or heavier items on front of the thigh, there is no bounce and the contents don’t interfere with movement unless you really overload both pockets..
Monic Jacket & Kahtoola MicroSpikes in the pockets. No problem!
Finally there are small drawstring cords at the ankles. As the fit is quite trim and the pants have some stretch I am not really needed.
Fit
I went with my usual medium for my 32” waist which initially was a bit snug but after use stretched enough.
Performance, Conclusions, Comparisons
In addition to road and trail running I hike and go on multi day treks so have worn and tested many “trekking” type pants over the years on the go and as everyday wear. The Gauss may be the best I have worn. Why? The fabric is neither overly light and slick (say a Mammut Runbold) or near soft shell Mammut Zinal from a few years ago).
The pants fit well and look good with just enough stretch to make them also totally suitable for running and nordic skiing, part of my test along with hiking and walks this winter.
They are certainly breathable and I found them to be also quick drying and odor resistant. The fabric, while not airy light or heavy dense, appears to be rugged with a subtle crepe like texture on the outside and a tiny bit of moisture dispersing inner texture.
The 2 deep pockets allow me to run and hike with my phone or the Monic stuffed in one and microspikes in the other obviating the need for a small pack or race vest for shorter adventures.
These days, I look for versatility to go with performance and the Monic meets the challenge. Yes there are more specialized running, nordic skiing and trekking pants and tights but few handle all of those activities and more casual everyday wear as well or as comfortably as the Monic has this winter. I reluctantly surrendered them to the wash each time after multiple days of use. They will be the only pants I take on our multi day trek and travel otherwise in France this coming summer.
Infima Jacket ($220)- an ultra (de)light hybrid jacket.
Features
Matt: As Sam mentioned already Inselberg really pays attention to details and the Infima is no different. But let’s start at the beginning - what’s Infima? To me this jacket is best described as a hybrid, three season, synthetic insulation piece.
Let’s break down what that means. Why is it a hybrid piece? Because it includes side panels made out of stretchy fleece material to improve breathability and give you a bit of stretch. The panels are smooth on the outside and fuzzy on the inside and are made out of Polartec Power Grid fleece - high end stuff all the way.
Why is this jacket three season? Mainly because it does not provide enough insulation for full winter conditions when you are stationary.
It will however work very well during spring-summer-fall seasons. I also tested in during the Scottish winter and I have found an application for it - and let’s discuss that in more detail
Setting off for an adventure in the Scottish highlands
It is synthetically insulated because it does not use down to provide warmth but rather PrimaLoft Gold Active+ for the main body and sleeves which is made out of 55% recycled materials.
This is an extremely breathable insulation perfect for high output start - stop activities like hiking, mountaineering, trekking, running and similar. Synthetic insulation is my insulation of choice as in Scotland we get far more wet days than dry days in the winter and, as most people know, does not perform as well when wet.
The fit is regulated via cinching cords located closer to the front of the lower hem of the body of the jacket (rather than traditionally closer to the middle). This is a nice feature because it makes cinching much easier while wearing gloves and without having to unzip the jacket.
That brings me to the zipper. This is the only part of the Infima where I would suggest an improvement. The jacket would benefit from a second zipper to allow unzipping it from the bottom. This is a small ask as this jacket is not a specific winter piece but would come in handy in some scenarios - a very minor downside.
Infima also does not come with a stuff sack nor does it stuff into its pocket, at least officially, but realistically it is possible to stuff it into its pocket or use a 3rd party stuff sack.
I was quite surprised to see that in such a high end product but there is a reason for this. I asked Inselberg owner Jarlath Anderson about the logic behind this design choice.
He explained to me that based on Inselberg’s research most synthetic batting does not roll back as well as down and repeated compression actually reduced the longevity of a jacket. That was a very interesting note to me and something to consider in the future. Jarlath recommended rolling the Infima ‘sushi style’ for optimal compression and longevity results.
With regards to weight my size Large weighs 338g. This puts Infima firmly in the ultralight category. Also worth mentioning is that in other brands my Large test jacket could easily be considered an Extra Large as the size is quite accommodating. So in other words you get a lot of warmth and a lot of jacket at a very minimal weight.
The outer material is I believe 20 Denier and certainly feels that way - this guarantees good protection against scuffs when rubbing against rock or branches but allows the jacket to be lightweight and breathable.
The sleeves are cuffed which is also a nice touch and comes in very handy for someone like me who, unless it’s extremely cold, likes to have my Apple Watch Ultra visible at all times - the sleeves don’t fall over it.
The handwarmer pockets are very soft and comforting and positioned high enough so that the hip belt of your back pack does not get in the way.
Fit
As far as fit is concerned my usual size Large fits me very well. It fits quite boxy which is good because you can easily fit a thick mid layer underneath it or a thick fleece.
If you enjoy a more tapered fit you could size it down but then the Infima becomes a mid layer only or an outer layer for milder days.
Performance & Conclusions
I’ve tested the Infima mainly during the Winter in Scotland so I should start by mentioning that this was not an ideal, fair test as this is a three season jacket in it’s main purpose. That said I found it very useful in cold conditions and especially during uphills when I was expelling lots of heat it was ideal.
Infima also works very well as a layering system. I’ve worn it with both Gore-tex and Pertex hardshells and on both occasions it retained its breathability, there were no issues.
Whenever the temperatures started dropping below -10C / 14F I had to swap it for a fully winterized insulation piece but, as I said this is not a full on winter jacket, and should not be judged on its performance in deep winter conditions.
What is also pretty cool are the colours. I was testing the Astra colourway (very pale gray, almost off-white) and on all of the hikes I did II’ve not passed a single hiker wearing anything similarly coloured. Don’t get me wrong I love a garish orange or neon yellow jacket but it’s nice to have a unique colourway in my hiking wardrobe!
I have a plethora of insulated jackets in my hiking wardrobe but most of them are too different from Infima and therefore I would not like to compare them directly. However in the past I did have a jacket which could be considered similar as it’s a hybrid and synthetically insulated - the Rab Cirrus Flex. This jacket has been recently reviewed by my colleagues Alison and Jeff Valerie, please find the review here:
In terms of recommendations I don’t think I have many things to say here as I am sure you can tell from the tone of this review that I really enjoyed the Infima. Perhaps the one tiny thing I would change would be the aforementioned double zipper allowing the jacket to be unzipped in two directions.
Shop for Inselberg at their store HERE
Maciej 'Matt' Kolat- 38 years old, hailing from Poland but pounding Scottish pavements and trails since 2007. Mainly runs shorter distances on pavement 5-10 km and reserves longer runs for beautiful Scottish Glens. Matt’s opinion sometimes may differ from other RTR testers as he is the slowest of the bunch (5k at 25:38). Matt also uses running as a way to stay healthy having shed 100 lbs so far (and counting).
Sam is the Editor and Founder of Road Trail Run. He is in his 60’s with 2024 Sam’s 52th year of running roads and trails. He has a decades old 2:28 marathon PR. These days he runs halves in the just sub 1:40 range if he gets very, very lucky. Sam trains 30-40 miles per week mostly at moderate paces on the roads and trails of New Hampshire and Utah be it on the run, hiking or on nordic skis. He is 5’9” tall and weighs about 160 lbs, if he is not enjoying too many fine New England IPA’s.
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