Breaking the Rules to Make Better Gear

There aren’t many outdoor jackets from the 1990s still kicking around—unless it was made by Mountain Hardwear. When the brand debuted in 1993, it made a splash by eschewing design dogma and committing to a unique take on craftsmanship and innovation. The dedication to alpine equipment made to perform in the worst conditions and withstand decades of real-world abuse earned Mountain Hardwear a generation of loyalists. In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the brand is bringing its heritage to life for a new generation of explorers. To learn how the brand is celebrating this milestone and its legacy, we talked to three Mountain Hardwear pros.

30 Years of Advancing Outdoor Gear

Outside: What makes Mountain Hardwear unique?

Matt Burbach, vice president of marketing: In 1993, Mountain Hardwear was founded by a group of makers who wanted to shake things up and design the best mountain equipment and apparel on the market. Those tenets are still our guiding light today. Durable products rooted in everything you need and nothing you don’t—all designed, developed, and built by people who care deeply about improving your outdoor experiences. By engineering for the experience, making products that last, thinking freely, and creating together, Mountain Hardwear has maintained a culture worth being a part of. Now, the brand has more than 30 years of experience in the mountains but maintains its youthful curiosity. We’re old enough to know better but young enough to do it anyway.

How is Mountain Hardwear celebrating its 30th anniversary?

The most intentional way to celebrate any anniversary is to reflect on the moments and experiences that influenced where you are today. We’re taking a pause to celebrate with the Humans of Hardwear—the people who have shaped this brand. We’ve always been focused on the product, so there’s no better way to celebrate that than by launching our Reissue collection, bringing back three iconic styles with modern updates. It’s a nostalgic nod to our heritage.

The Hardwear Heritage

What’s your favorite experience you’ve had with Mountain Hardwear?

Tim Emmett, athlete and ambassador: I had the opportunity to go to Everest Base Camp with the design and marketing team from Mountain Hardwear. Being in such a powerful location, sleeping in tents, and using gear that the Hardwear team put so much time and passion into creating was an experience like none other. The hike to base camp, sharing the joy of the moment—the whole experience was an integral part of the connection we all have built together. 

What have been some of your favorite products?

Over the years, I’ve accumulated a lot of favorites. These are the ones I use most frequently:

• The Ghost Whisperer UL Hoody is the jacket I wear or carry with me nearly every day. It’s so light and compressible that it’s easy to bring along anywhere.
• The Stretchdown Series is great for camping, cragging, or walking around town. I climb in these products when I’m warming up, especially the Stretchdown™ Pants. 
• The Multi Pitch 20L Backpack is my favorite on-the-wall pack. It’s a great size and has two hauling handles. You can remove the carrying straps and the water bottle holder, which is a nice feature.
• The Trango is the only tent I want to be in during a storm. I’ve been using these tents for more than 20 years—they’re amazing and so reliable.
• The Absolute Zero™ Gore-Tex® Mitt is a must-have. In the 24 years I’ve been working with Mountain Hardwear, I’ve never had a mitt fail me. And that’s impressive considering how many places I’ve been to and the extreme environments I frequent. It’s a true testament to the craftsmanship Mountain Hardwear strives for.

The Legacy Continues

Outside: What is the ReIssue collection?

Paxton Madison, creative director: Reissue is a collection of our most iconic outerwear pieces from the brand’s early days, featuring the Subzero™ Down Jacket Reissue, Exposure™ Gore-Tex® Parka Reissue, and Windstopper® Tech Jacket Reissue. The original jacket styles really defined Mountain Hardwear in the outdoor space and created its iconic language that’s still recognizable today. 

While there are many longtime fans who are familiar with the Reissue styles, it was exciting to see some of the younger team members get a first look at them. They were pulling old styles from the closet and integrating them into their current style in a fresh new way. That’s when the realization happened—it might be time to tap back into the brand’s original vibe. While these styles were originally built for alpine climbing, in today’s context, the color, construction, proportion, and silhouettes are exaggerated and bold and are as much about individual expression as surviving in the elements.

Why is the Reissue collection such a meaningful way to celebrate Mountain Hardwear’s 30th anniversary? 

A lot of people on the team have been wearing and using our products since the brand’s launch back in the ’90s. I still remember getting my first piece from my grandma for Christmas back in middle school—a new Mountain Tech soft shell. 

At the same time, some of the younger members of the team know the brand more for what it is today. They’re digging into our archive closet and wearing old pieces not for nostalgia, but because outerwear from that period is current and relevant in a new context today. We’ve never reintroduced any original, iconic pieces or relied too heavily on a heritage-inspired language in our new products. Until now, our classic looks were only available as vintage pieces.

Once we got the Reissue project in motion, we started receiving all kinds of old-school jackets from people’s closets. We reached out to some of our brand veterans as well as some original leadership members for info and context behind the styles we settled on. Seeing the way these classic styles are embraced by different groups for different reasons and how they’ve allowed us to champion some of the original flavor and vibe from the brand’s early days has made Reissue an incredibly meaningful project—and the best way to share the brand’s history and iconic look to a new audience.

Mountain Hardwear Inc. was founded in 1993 and is based in Richmond, California. We exist to encourage and equip people to seek a wilder path in life. For 30 years, we’ve built essential equipment for climbers, mountaineers, and outdoor athletes and have supported expeditions on the world’s highest peaks.