Hardwear Sessions

Tracey Mammolito, the Product Manager for our Sportswear division, describes the revamped Transition line as clothes for the minimalist. When her design team approached the Transition redesign, they sought to create a movement-oriented line without clutter, sleek, streamlined, and built for speed. The designers decided to make a garment that combined all the weatherproofing qualities of a softshell with the softness, comfort, and insulation provided by a baselayer, eliminating the need to wear multiple layers.

"We wanted," she says, "to create clothes that would essentially function as another skin over your skin."

During the design process, we sent prototypes out for field testing. Amy Lietz Roberts, a member of the Transition design team, notes that our field testers "gave us raving reviews of the fabric," but demanded a closer fit for better fabric performance and more movement. "One thing that we found to be true," Amy notes, "was that the fabric worked best when it was truly next-to-skin."

"We really designed these clothes for high-impact aerobic activity," says Tracey, "Our athletes asked for a softshell that would work well during fast movement, that would be designed specifically for sports like trail running or skiing where the garment has to perform well over a long period of time." So the team worked to eliminate extra weight and bulk, without losing functionality. Lindsay Yaw, a Mountain-Hardwear sponsored athlete, is devoted to her Transition Jacket and Zip-T. "I use the Transition backcountry skiing while skinning up," Lindsay writes, "and trail running in the fall and winter, as it is perfect for high-output days. I wear the non-hooded one for biking and climbing in fall and spring."

Our field testers praised the team's efforts. Demo Mense describes the jacket as providing "an incredible amount of substance for its weight," and another tester notes that the jacket "fits into my backpack like a cheap little fold-up jacket but has all the features that a cheap little jacket doesn't have." And our designers were pleased to learn that the fabric stood up to Gore-Tex's claims of breathability. Our testers wore their Transition pieces hiking, cycling, mountain biking, Nordic skiing, running--in rain and in snow--and found that the fabric stayed breathable and comfortable through all the heat and sweat. Mike Trowbridge, a field tester, comments, "The weight of the jacket fills a niche in my wardrobe that I didn't know I lacked."

Lindsay, like Mike, noted the fabric's lightness. "The weight is Transition's selling point--light, thin, comfy for lots of movement," writes Lindsay. Another tester described the Transition jacket as "invisible" in feeling, echoing Tracey's comment that the garment should "disappear" during wear.

Our testers grew attached to their Transition pieces, and reached for these pieces over and over. Lindsay notes, "The Transition pieces break in really well and get softer and softer the more you wear them, kind of like your favorite old t-shirt or pair of jeans."