Mountain Hardwear Minimizer GORE-TEX Paclite Plus Jacket

Devan Michael

 

Are you a weekend warrior that laughs when inclement weather is in the forecast? Are you the mountain hiker or trailer runner that doesn’t let a little (or a lot) of rain get in their way from making some epic AOTDs (otherwise known as Adventures of the Day)? Or are you still trying to figure out what your go-to lightweight, GORE-TEX rain jacket should be that will accompany you on each of your adventures? It sounds like you need to get your hands on the Mountain Hardwear Women’s Minimizer™ GORE-TEX ® Paclite Plus Jacket. 

 

This month I’ve been lucky enough to test out the Mountain Hardwear Women’s Minimizer™ GORE-TEX  Paclite Plus Jacket.  As a 5’3” (on a good day), 138lb female, medium was the right size for this product, especially if you want a little extra wiggle room for layering freedom. 

The Women’s Minimizer GORE-TEX  Paclite Plus Jacket in Black ($320) is made out of 100% Nylon waterproof, breathable 2-layer GORE-TEX PACLITE ® Plus fabric that delivers next-to-skin comfort with durable, ultra-lightweight protection. It includes an adjustable hood, a zippered chest pocket, two zippered hand pockets, hook-and-loop adjustable cuffs and drawcord hem adjustments.

Not to mention it weighs 8oz and has a highly packable design that stuffs into its chest pocket with an internal carabiner clip loop. So whether you are trail running through the Rockies, thru-hiking the Columbia River Gorge, backpacking in the high-country or simply running to the farmers market in the rainy Pacific Northwest, this jacket is worth the price! (And that is saying a lot, coming from the cheapskate right here that has to second guess in the toilet paper aisle if I should spend $3 extra for Charmin Ultra-Soft…)We’ll dive a bit deeper into what I liked the most about the Minimizer™ GORE-TEX ® Paclite Plus Jacket, 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 Minimizer™ GORE-TEX ® Paclite Plus Jacket.  

 

Women’s Minimizer GORE-TEX Paclite Plus Jacket

• Superb Waterproof Shell – Spending four years in Eugene, OR for college, I wish I could turn back time and have this jacket with me on campus. From biking to and from lacrosse practice, to class, and back again to lift, I appreciate the importance of waterproof materials as there is nothing worse than coming inside from a rainy day being sopping wet. I got to test this shell out in Seattle last week, and let’s just say, it passed the rainy spring PNW test!

• Ultra-Light Weight Design – Did you know this jacket is lighter than a pack of pencils and packs down smaller than a beer can? Talk about a go-to for backpacking when every ounce matters. I have already thrown this jacket into my backpack for our upcoming Summer Hiking season!
• True to Size Fit –  Although I sized up one size to accommodate base layering, I am so glad I did. This shell is perfectly lightweight, but adding an extra base layer on those colder, rainier days will be clutch to prevent me from shivering during an entire hike. If you plan on using this in super cold weather, I would recommend going up one size than your traditional size (In my case, I ordered a Medium, although a Small would’ve fit as well). 

 

In short, this cheapskate would definitely splurge on this Mountain Hardwear Women’s Minimizer GORE-TEX ® Paclite Plus Jacket, as you truly are getting the quality you are paying for. Catch me and my new go-to rain jacket running into the Front Range storms this summer (and will be in my carry-on everytime we return back to the PNW to see my fellow Oregon Ducks!) 

 

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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!