Mountain Hardwear Basswood Pull-On Shorts

Devan Michael

Mountain Hardwear – Technical Apparel for The Weekend Warrior

(Women’s Basswood™ Pull-On Shorts)

 

The best time of year in Colorado has officially kicked off, and weekends are being filled with hiking, camping, paddleboarding, and honestly anything that gets me some Vitamin D! With summertime arriving, that means saying goodbye to leggings & pants and hello to shorts. And more specifically, saying hello to the Mountain Hardwear Women’s Basswood™ Pull-On Shorts!

 

This month I’ve been lucky enough to test out the Mountain Hardwear Women’s Basswood™ Pull-On shorts.  As a 5’3” (on a good day), 138lb female, I originally ordered the Iron Grey shorts in a size medium. To my surprise, there was a lot of room in these, enough so that with hindsight 20/20 vision, I could have sized it down to a Small, as these run slightly big and have taken into account the “athlete’s body”. But there is always next time! 

 

The Women’s Basswood™ Pull-On shorts in Iron Grey ($69) are made to move with your body, with their durable stretch woven 90% Nylon and 10% Elastane blend, as you choose your own Adventure of the Day (AOTD) whether that means staying on the path or going rogue and making your own way. These would be go-to shorts if your days are filled with Rock Climbing, Backpacking, Hiking, Camping or overall casual travel if you are going for that “Granola Girl” vibe. The fabric feels durable, where I do not have to worry about brushing up against thorns or trees that may shred other fabrics. The only drawback to this is they “feel durable” which means they are not the softest shorts out there.

 

As the name would allude to, these shorts are easy to pull on & off (which comes in clutch for us ladies should nature call when you are deep in the heart of nature) given the easy elastic pull-on waistband that includes an exposed drawcord at the waist to customize the comfort of how tight or loose these shorts are. Given I probably ordered a size that is slightly too big, this drawcord has been a life-saver, making sure these shorts stay up without my fellow hiking buddies seeing a full moon during the middle of the day (if you get what I’m saying)! 

 

We’ll dive a bit deeper into what I liked the most about the Basswood Pull-on Shorts, but before that, I wanted to share a bit more about Mountain Hardwear and the mission behind their brand. 

 

Mountain Hardwear was founded in 1993 by a small band of outdoor industry iconoclasts. They saw the industry changing, compromising quality and dumbing down products to serve less technical users. Mountain Hardwear was founded to buck this trend in order to stay true to the needs of outdoor athletes. They believe performance means products are purposefully designed, form following function, using the highest quality materials and technologies, so that they can provide their users with better physical and emotional experiences through fit, weather protection, temperature regulation and moisture management. 

 

What stands out the most to me about Mountain Hardwear, is they believe anyone who enjoys the outdoors is an outdoor athlete. Whether that be the 8,000 meter climbers or the weekend day hikers, their gear encourages and unlocks opportunities for adventures to their wearers. And this is a mission I try to live by – everyday is an opportunity to make your own adventure (hence the AOTD-mentality) and your shape, size, or identity should not prevent you from experiencing the wonder that exists in nature. To quote Mountain Hardwear:

“Living boldly means daring to be different, leaning into life and pursuing new challenges and opportunities to experience the world more richly, to know yourself more completely, and to savor the satisfaction of living life to the fullest.”

 

Not to mention Mountain Hardwear seeks to educate its community on all things sustainability, how their technology actually works, all while sharing stories of how the outdoors has changed its community’s lives!

 

Mountain Hardwear has a great mission, uses high-quality materials to hold up to the rugged conditions of its wearers, and is the perfect blend of style and durability. With that, here are a few things that stuck out the most to me when testing out my Basswood™  Pull-On Shorts.  

 

Mountain Hardwear Women’s Basswood™ Pull-On Shorts

• Elastic & Adjustable Waistband – Whether it’s tightening up on morning hikes, or letting in some space for campfire s’mores, this waistband is clutch in helping customize these shorts to fit your perfectly strong & amazing body type.

• Secure Zip Pocket – As you are bouncing up & down the trails, crossing rivers and climbing boulders, the last thing you want to think about is if your keys are secure or if you will be given a horrible surprise as you finish up the hike & realize you cannot leave the trailhead. The secure back right zip pocket can put your mind at ease and allow for the optionality of if you need to bring your pack or not on a shorter hike given the convenient storage for your small objects. 

1. Designed for Fit & Function –  Mountain Hardwear understands their customers as they designed these shorts with a Standard fit. Just like Goldilocks searching for the best cup of porridge, these shorts are not too tight, not too loose, striking that delicate balance between fitted without movement restriction. And for someone who is athletically built with legs that show the Axistence Athletics Summer Conditioning cycle is working with all those squats, I appreciate that my body type is celebrated with these shorts.

 

The only recommendations I would have with these shorts is that they run big, so size yourself appropriately & I would say these are perfect for the wilderness, but given their durable fabric they may not be my go-to Brewery shorts. All that to say though, Mountain Hardwear is a brand I would highly encourage and am proud to rock their clothes on the trails!

 

In short, the Mountain Hardwear Women’s Basswood™ Pull-On Shorts should be on your wishlist for your Summer 2023 AOTD wardrobe!

Devan Michael

Growing up in Massachusetts, Devan has been an athlete all her life. Starting at the age of 4 as a competitive gymnast, she learned quickly the joy that comes from hard work, determination, and a jammed packed schedule. Eventually, gymnastics led to competitive lacrosse, which resulted in her growing some wings and going to the PNW to pursue a DI College Lacrosse opportunity at the University of Oregon. 

 

On the single off-day each week, she quickly learned to see Mother Earth as her playground and wanted to use every second of free time to find chase AOTDs (Adventures of the Days). These AOTDs were the inspiration for her blog Dabbling in Traveling & youtube channel. 

 

From waterfalls, to snow covered mountains, to sand dune hikes – one thing was certain, something always went awry on these AOTDs. But hey, memories were always made! Not only was UO an incredible college experience, Oregon sparked her love for the outdoors & traveling across the country for games helped introduce her to Colorado in 2014. Staring up at the Flatirons on CU Boulder’s campus, she knew one day she would call Colorado home! 

 

After returning to the east coast upon graduation, Devan’s heart never stopped longing to live in Colorado one day. But luckily the pandemic brought a newfound acceptance for remote work and in Nov. 2021 her dream came true!

 

By day, Devan is a Product Manager at Capital One. By afternoon, she is a personal trainer, coaching group Crossfit classes at Axistence Athletics (the best Adventure gym you will ever find!). By evening, she pours her heart into nonprofit work, specifically focused on driving sustainable change in Haiti through the Brace for Impact 46 organization (Fun fact – she has been traveling to Haiti since 2015, accumulating 7 trips and 7 months of living down there!). 

 

Brace for Impact works in Northern Haiti to provide sustainable, multifaceted approaches to support child development, education, medical care, job development, and implementation of clean water & sanitation across the community, which touches 40,000 people each day! (Want to learn more? Check out their website www.braceforimpact46.com )

 

As her friends would tell you (despite trying) Devan does not slow down and is always trying to fit AOTDs into each open moment. Whether it be hiking, paddleboarding, road-biking, running, Crossfitting, weight-lifting, snowboarding or simply exploring different parts of CO with her favorite furry friend Bailey, it’s safe to say Devan has found her “Home” here in Colorado!

 

Fun fact – Devan had reconstructive hip surgery in 2016 (actually called a Periacetabular Osteotomy… but that’s a tongue twister), where doctors said she may never run or walk again. After a 22 month recovery period, she proved doctors wrong and uses that motivation to encourage everyone she interacts with to truly treat movement as a gift and to never take it for granted. With that being said, to keep her body active, she needs to make sure her gear can support her so she can remain #PAOStrong! 

 

Devan is excited to join the Engearment team!