Mountain hardwear exposure/2 gore-tex 3l active jacket review

Mountains are a place we go to get away from it all. No cell service, less people, just you and maybe a few close friends to get up to some adventure. Over the past few years, social media has had a large influence on what happens in the mountains. Not to get into that too much, but what we wear is something most people take into consideration nowadays. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, I love wearing bright jackets for photos! The recently released Mountain Hardware Exposure/2™ Gore-Tex Pro Collection features, in my opinion, some of the best colors I’ve seen in winter clothes since the 80s.

With advancements in technical clothing, there are lots of great jackets to pick from. If you’re in the market for a new performance jacket and pants, you have a lot to choose from. In the last few years designers have not only been taking performance into account, but also look and colors.

If the bright colours are not your thing, no worries! There’s also a variety of natural colors in the Mountain Hardware Exposure/2™ Gore-Tex Pro collection to pick from.

The Jacket is great for skiing (both touring and resort), mountaineering, and alpine climbing. Released in both Men’s and Women’s models, the jacket is full of features while keeping a low feel. Made with three-layer Gore-Tex Pro, this jacket and pants are fully waterproof and breathable. They have great vents for when you are skiing or sloggin’ to that ice climb! The pockets are placed in harness friendly areas. There’s even a liner in the chest pocket which is great for holding sunglasses.

Something I have started to feel very strongly about over the past few years is wearing a helmet. It doesn’t matter if you are going for the easy ski day or climbing grade 6 ice. Being someone who has had a major head injury, you should always wear one. Mountain Hardware designed this jacket with a helmet friendly hood, points in my book.

Specifications:

• Materials:
  • Body: Gore Tex® Pro Shell 80D 3L
  • Content Body: 100% Recycled Nylon
  • Lining: Gore Tex® Pro Shell 80D 3L
  • Content Lining: 100% Nylon
• Fit: Alpine

Performance:

A jacket’s performance is probably the most important part of the jacket. Looks are a thing too, but it needs to work. No surprise: this jacket and pants rock. Mountain Hardware is not rookie to the market. Using high performance Gore-Tex means you stay dry and the movement has not been compromised. Full arm rotation for ice / alpine climbing and good movement in the legs for skiing.

On the cuffs, they have velcro that hold firm keeping all the snow out. The pants have a bib style high waist, keeping out snow in deep powder. I find bibs work better than a powder skirt.

My two complaints with the set is in the pants. The straps have this strange system to adjust the suspenders. I think a good synch strap would have worked better. That, and the forearms are a little tight fitting if you are wearing a couple of mid layers.

Cut and Fit:

The Mountain Hardware Exposed/2™ Jacket has a great athletic fit, it is slim through the core. Any layer used for climbing needs to have unrestricted movement in the shoulders, this jacket has good motion that didn’t bug me while climbing. This jacket has just enough room in the back to allow for some breathing room while not being too loose.

A healthy length in the arms make this a go to piece for anything mountains. There’s even a bonus pocket in the top of the bibs that’s great for keeping snacks easily accessible.

Pros:

• Good movement in upper body
• Great colours

Cons:

•  Pant suspenders
• Slight tight arms