Start with what you need.
Words of wisdom the outdoor industry often ignores at its own peril. And yours.
Which is what makes MtnLogic a revelation. It’s a brand new collaboration between the country’s best mountain guide and Polartec, a company that’s been insulating all your favorite outdoor gear for nearly four decades.
MtnLogic, which officially launches this month (their first line is available for preorder now), runs by a few rules. All their gear, be it jackets, base layers or hoodies, starts from a need perspective, rather a style or fabric demand. Each design then undergoes a minimum of 100,000 human-powered feet of climbing as a test. Think of it as of a mountaineer’s take on Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-Hour Rule.
The guide leading these 100,000 feet of expeditions? Peter Whittaker, head of the country’s largest mountain guide service, RMI Expeditions, who puts the goods to the test on Mt. Rainier.
“I was born into mountaineering,” says Whittaker, whose dad Lou started RMI in 1969. “My whole life has been long-term low-level suffering (laughs). But as a guide, my job is to increase safety, reduce your suffering and increase enjoyment.”
Whittaker’s worked with a number of major outdoor apparel brands, including his partner here, Polartec — the fabric gurus who have been insulating Patagonia, Columbia, The North Face et al. since 1979. These are layers that dry quick, wick moisture and breathe well, with plenty of deep zippered pockets for storage. And even though function dictates form, it makes for some seriously good-looking gear.
Ready now: power tees, 1/4 zips, performance fleece hoodies, glacier pants and jackets.
While Whittaker admits that the beginning of summer is an odd time to launch, you never know what you’re gonna encounter out in nature.
And the only way to prep for the worst? Packing the best.
This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.
