Mountain Hardwear

High Exposure GTX C-Knit Jacket - Women's

Nearly perfect

This jacket is fantastic. The color is great. The fit is great. I love the stretch. Everything is just what I was looking for except the hood. I get that it’s helmet compatible, and that’s perfect for times I have on a helmet but it’s a real challenge otherwise. It’s basically have on a helmet or some form of hat or not be able to see where you’re going. I wish it had a more robust system for pulling the hood back to fit a non-helmeted head. Or make it so that the “bill” of the hood could fold over and keep it out of the eyes. I will find a way to make it work because it’s one of the best - if not THE best - rain jackets I’ve ever owned.

Weird cut to coat

Great color and quality material but had to return. Seems like it was made for a broad shouldered, narrow hipped man verses for women. I am 5 feet 7 inches with an avg athletic build. Ordered a large (wanted plenty of room for some layers) - but seemed like the coat was an XL in the shoulders and a medium in the hips. Returned and thinking about ordering a Medium in a mens coat. Tried a large in a mens sky ridge and had to return that too - although my sons large coat from a couple of years ago fits well. Sizing and cuts seem a bit more arbitrary this year than what we usually experience with mountain hardware. But, once sizing gets sorted out, I hope we continue to love how their coats perform in the cold.

Fits a six foot tall man perfectly.

I have two pairs of MH pants I adore. They're my favorite. So, when I was looking for a new shell for snowsports, I was excited to find this one. I love the color, the materials are exceptional. However, I'm a 5'6" woman with a small torso and large hips. My MH pants are a large (I'm a 10/12), so I ordered a large. The jacket came today and is so massive on top that I could hold the hood six inches over my head and the sleeves are still at least three inches too long. The hips are skintight and the inner belt is wildly uncomfortable. However, the jacket fit my husband, who is 6' and about 180 PERFECTLY. Well, the sleeves were a half inch too short. This is not a women's coat. This is a coat that was cut for men and then slightly modified for women. Please, please PLEASE make outwear cut for all women. I am desperate.

The sleeves are short

Size Bought:

M

Height:

5' 9"

Weight:

140

Heads up, the sleeves are too short. I am 140#, 5'9" and have an ape index of -1.5'', meaning my arms are a little short for my body. This coat would have been awesome otherwise. Medium jacket

Pretty great touring jacket!

Pretty good jacket for mountaineering and skiing! I really like this jacket. The color is great and it's nice and roomy for layering under. Big fan of the higher pockets so I can access them easily with a pack on and the pocket contents don't get smushed under the waist belt. The hood easily fits over my ski helmet and the material kept me very dry in the PNW wet snow. The only two things I don't love about this that other people have mentioned is the teeny useless interior pocket. I can barely squeeze in a compass. I don't know what they were thinking when they made it, lady hands are not that tiny! I wish they'd put in another pouch like the other side to hold skins because the pouch is only large enough to stuff one in. The other thing I don't love is the lack of pit zips. I know this is a softshell so breathes, but definitely doesn't breathe out the sweat and heat as fast as I'm producing it. I can't wear this shell skinning uphill because I overheat and get way too sweaty. Other than that, it's another great MH product and I'm excited to use it for all my adventures! It folds small enough to stuff in a pack and is versatile for all outdoor activities. I'm 5'8", 140 lbs, A boobs and I ordered a Large to have room for layers underneath. It's a bit too large, but my last MH jacket was a medium and when I wore a puffy underneath, it turned me into the Michelin Man.

Great jacket

This jacket is great. It's true to size and very comfortable. The pockets are well placed and large. It's nice and lite weight which is great.

Great ski shell for the rainy PNW

Great jacket - lightweight, super waterproof, all around great ski shell. Wish that the powder skirt was removable because I think they're silly, but other than that - great shell with all the right features and almost none of the useless ones (except the aforementioned powder skirt).

Great lightweight, waterproof ski shell that looks and feels great!

I’m a mountain guide and instructor working in the Pacific Northwest. As seasons change, when I’ve had many days in the field and am beginning to feel a bit worn down, I really need my gear to work as hard as I do. The end of September and beginning of October in Washington state can be a coin toss when it comes to weather and conditions. I’ve worked to reduce my pack weight as much as possible, but with the threats of wetter and colder temps, I struggle with the last-minute debates of layers more than ever. But bringing the Mountain Hardwear High Exposure GoreTex C-Knit™shell-jacket into my kit helped me make the conservative decision, as it only weighs 13.8 oz / 390.5 g and is very packable! And boyyy was I happy I did! This year autumn greeted us PNWs with a thick covering of snow in the Alpine early on! Overall, I give the High Exposure GoreTex C-Knit™ shell-jacket a 3.5 out of 5 stars. The fit of the jacket was great. I am 5’5” 145lbs and wear a medium. I found the jacket was long enough to go over my rear but would still be compatible with a harness. The arm length was also good, as I have a slightly negative ape index. The articulated cuffs with Velcro® adjustment tabs made it easy for me to fit it to my wrist to be compatible with gloves but would go to my thumbs opened up. And the feminine cut of the hips and waist made it feel a bit more stylish than many other shells I’ve owned. I was really impressed with the ultralight and packable GORE-TEX C-Knit™ shell fabric, and it seemed to stand up to its waterproof intentions, but it was also surprisingly breathable, which is necessary since the jacket doesn’t have pit-zips for ventilation. The hood comes with three-way drawcord adjustment and is very large, making it very compatible with helmets. I found that the pockets weren’t as deep as I need them to be to fit my skins for quick and toasty alpine touring transitions, and the zippers themselves didn’t inspire confidence in their durability. So although this feature helps cut down on weight and makes the jacket more packable, I found myself a bit hesitant and frustrated with the small and delicate-feeling zippers, having to either take off my gloves or using my teeth to help pull the zipper down (see picture). This shell jacket is ideal for the resort skier, snowshoer, or anyone looking forward to heading to the snowy hill to sled and throw snowballs. The pockets are great for stashing snacks, phones, and extra gloves. This isn’t the technical shell that a seasoned backcountry winter recreationist would rant and rave over, as lacks a few specific specs (pit-zips, deeper/baffled chest pockets for skins, bulkier zippers that are durable and easy to grab and maneuver), but it definitely gets applause for being a great lightweight, waterproof ski shell that looks and feels great!

Lightweight and highly waterproof

I work full time as a mountain guide in Colorado. I work in many different environments where functional and durable clothing is paramount. My first impression of this jacket was how light it seemed considering it is GoreTex. Fit and size: I am 5.3 and 120 lbs with a chest and hips of 38", broad shoulders and slim waist. Per size chart I should have ordered a L but I opted for a medium. The fit is perfect, in fact a large would have been much too large. There is plenty of room for layering. I wouldn't call it a trim fit rather an athletic fit. The arms are long and do not creep up when holding ice tools over the head. The storm skirt is nice and snug and will definitely keep snow out. The hood is helmet compatible. I found that the hood works best if a helmet is worn. Otherwise it is very large and would fall down over my eyes even if I tightened the cord in the back. The Recco is laminated into the brim, this makes the brim a bit stiff and heavy. Features: There are two big waterproof zippered pockets that sit high so they work pretty well with a harness. They are big enough for gloves or skinny and short skins (I used 163cm long by 98 wide) but are a bit cumbersome for fatter skins or longer skins (I tried 168cm long and 106 wide). Anything bigger and bulkier may not fit well. There is a great outside chest pocket for a radio or phone. I could also with a bit of work get my blue book in there. The inside chest pocket holds small items but not a cellphone. There is a soft inside pocket that is big enough for a hat and buff but not for gloves or goggles. There are no pit zips, but this is a feature not needed as the jacket breathes really well. When the jacket is zipped up in the front it covers the neck nicely and has comfortable material against the chin so there is no chaffing. It doesn't stuff in its own pocket or come with a stuff sack but the jacket stuffs small to about the size of a Nalgene. Performance: The jacket is completely waterproof and I didn't find any spots that were leaky such as pockets etc. It is also somewhat stretchy with is a nice during high intensity activities. It is easy to put the coat on with gloves, all zipper pulls are nice and long with rubber tabs. The sleeves easily fit over gloves and can be tightened with velcro tabs. I highly recommend this jacket for ice climbing and alpine climbing when a helmet is worn most of the time. It is also great for skiing at both resorts and in the backcountry when the weather is inclement and you want to layer up.

Everything You Want and Nothing You Don't...

I continually work and play outdoors, whether that be fighting fires in the summer or skiing as much as possible in the winter. Sadly, this will be the first winter in 6 years I don't make my annual pilgrimage to the winter wonderland that is Interior British Columbia. That being said, I'll be spending most of my days on the Sierra Crest - the great land of slushy cement - so I need a jacket that can handle some moisture! As an aspiring avalanche professional, I also spend a lot of time standing around in the backcountry; digging pits, looking at terrain, planning travel, etc. The High Exposure C-Knit is perfect for this. I have also always really appreciated Mountain Hardware's fit (I am 5'10", 150# with a 28" waist and a M is bang-on). A few features that really make a difference are the tapered cuffs and exterior and interior stash pockets. This jacket is also incredibly light and packable for the skin track! There aren't any vents, but the 3L-Gore-Tex knit is very breathable. This jacket is ideal for the hardcore backcountry skier who need to compromise light, articulate and breathable with rugged construction and reliable weather protection. I would highly recommend this entire kit as a quality option for backcountry touring, especially in wet/windy environments. Not only are the design and materials top notch, but the fit is something I'm really impressed with.