Ryan Ariano Testing the Mountain Hardwear Exposure 2 Jacket in the Tetons | Photo Mountain Weekly News
The Mountain Hardwear Exposure/2 GORE-TEX Pro Light Jacket is an epic GORE-TEX Pro Jacket made for going light and fast into the rarest air of the mountains. The Exposure 2 repels whatever wind and precip the sky can pelt at you. Yet despite all this protection, it’s freakishly light, keeping that heavy weight off your shoulders while you’re stretching to the heavens.
Mountain Hardwear has been making some of the best, most efficient gear for decades. If you want something guaranteed to work without any extras you don’t need, Mountain Hardwear’s Exposure 2 will protect you from even the worst the elements can throw at you.
3-Layer GORE-TEX
In a world of bells and whistles, Mountain Hardwear has gone for just the necessities. The Exposure 2 is constructed with 3-layer GORE-TEX Pro, their topshelf water resistant technology, for about the best wind and precip protection short of the MCU. There are only two pockets: one big zippered chest pocket and an interior pocket to keep your smart technomachine safe. Plus I guess the drawcord hem adjustment can be considered a fancy feature, but really the star of all this is the fact that the jacket weighs only 14.59 oz / or just under 1 lb.
Riding in the Mountain Hardwear Exposure/2 GORE-TEX Pro
Oh this has been an epic fall in the Tetons. Over 100 inches have fallen on both Teton resorts and that’s as of 3 weeks before Christmas. Being fall snow, though, it’s been warm, heavy, wet. Just the kind of conditions that can suck if you don’t have a tankproof jacket.
Like to wear a helmet while riding? This Mountain Hardwear jacket comes with a nice big helmet-compatible hood and some rad colorways that will really stand out and the resort or especially in the backcountry.
Mountain Hardwear Exposure/2 GORE-TEX Pro Breathability
I took it up on a bluebird day at Grand Targhee for the first time. Without pit zips I was worried about overheating, especially with an extra insulation layer between my base and my jacket. But it shed heat as I pumped hard to get my snow legs under me, super breathable even without pit zips. I skinned out to Thanksgiving bowl on a warm, bluebird Thanksgiving day and enjoyed the freedom of movement this jacket offered. Even skinning, and without the pit zips, I didn’t overheat.
Then I did some Glory Bowl laps, with character-building wind and warm wet snow machine-gunning us as we made the ridge. It was the kind of weather that glues onto your outerwear and slices through any imperfections. Luckily I was wearing the Mountain Hardwear Exposure/2 GORE-TEX Pro Jacket with DWR finish; the wind and snain turned my face red, dried out my head, but my core stayed dry and warm.
Finally I had a day lapping chairs at Grand Targhee, a humid day of grapple into rime as I rode the lifts up and snowboarded down. I was worried there wouldn’t be enough insulation. I mean, it feels super light and weighs less than my wallet. Yet as my fingers and toes went numb, the Mountain Hwardear Exposure 2 GORE-TEX Pro Light Jacket with its seam sealed material kept out the frigid elements like a bouncer keeps shady crackheads out of hot club. And the Exposure 2 is just as strong as that bouncer.
Mountain Hardwear Men’s Exposure/2 GORE-TEX Pro Jacket Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Lightweight GORE-TEX Pro material
- Efficient 3-layer GORE-TEX construction
- Effective breathability even without pit zips
Cons:
- Epic Fall Conditions Jacket
- Lacks Pit Zips for Ventilation
- Minimal Pockets for Storage
Overall Impression
Mountain Hardwear Exposure/2 GORE-TEX Pro Jacket ($450.00): Like A Bouncer for Your Body. Sometimes the elements become some mad predatory beast, looking to bite you, to expose your weaknesses, to push you back from your objective. The Mountain Hardwear harness compatible jacket understands weather protection and the threats from unsavory elements, and the Exposure 2 is like a bouncer, ready to punch out all those brutal entities wanting to get into the fire club.
With colors that belong on the dance-floor of some technicolor dream and the ability to lock out moisture. Bringing exactly what you need to keep you protected and not the slightest bit of extra.
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