I hate being wet. This is unfortunate, given that I both enjoy outdoor pursuits and sweat profusely. My last two light shells, both highly regarded, left me soaking wet, both from sweat and from precip, on walks ranging from rainy/snowy hikes to flat 15 minute strolls to work. I came across a review for the Quark. No stores were carrying it, so, with no satisfactory rain gear in my closet, I decided to jump on a sale price from Backcountry. Dry at last! Its first test was a freak Memorial Day weekend storm in the Sierras. A simple day hike up 4-Mile Trail at Yosemite began in mist, which quickly turned to rain. These were the kinds of conditions in which my previous light shells had always failed miserably, both in waterproofing and breathability. The Quark kept the rain out and kept pushing out sweat. As the rain turned to snow, I stayed warm and the Quark kept breathing. It dried during a tea and whiskey break in Glacier Point’s geologic exhibit, and kept performing as we continued in rain, snow, and mist another 10 or so miles. By the time we got back to camp, we were the only dry things around. It has done fine under a pack, and though it is much, much warmer than I would have expected from reviews and from its weight, it breathes fabulously. It has held up well being stuffed in a pack pocket for a bunch of quick and several longer backpack trips. Since it has a trim cut, I went a size larger than I normally would to allow for layering and that has worked really well. The hood is a bit much if you are not using a helmet, but works well enough if you snug it up and flip the brim either under or back. Its durability will only tell over time, but it has already out-performed my last two light shells.

Love this shirt. The light weight makes it great as an overlayer when you're sweaty and taking a break and don't need anything as heavy as a windbreaker. It's soft enough (not cashmere, but plenty soft) to sleep in. It layers easily, making it a good base layer for cooler trips. The collar's high enough and the zipper's deep enough that it's become a must-take for most season backpacking.

I love a lot of the MH features and their attention to detail. Unfortunately, these pants didn't have some of the touches I want in backpacking pants--things like pockets that are deep enough to actually hold things, and a waistband that doesn't slide right off of my hips by the end of one hard day. (Wearing a 2 short, so I couldn't go any smaller.)Cute for street wear (but too pricey); not recommended for backpacking.