Mountain Hardwear Summer Rib Short Sleeve – Go-to Baselayer
Devan Michael
Are you in need of a go-to base layer for the upcoming spring & summer months that can handle however you wear it in the backcountry hiking, backpacking, rock climbing or camping? Or maybe you just are looking for a stylish casual crop to go with your adventurous lifestyle day in and day out? It sounds like you need to get your hands on the Mountain Hardwear Women’s Summer Rib Short Sleeve.
This month I’ve been lucky enough to test out the Mountain Hardwear Women’s Summer Rib Short Sleeve. As a 5’3” (on a good day), 138lb female, medium was the right size for this product, especially if you are a tad self-conscious (like me) of having your belly too exposed. The medium had the perfect coverage that I can feel comfortable while scurrying up mountains.
The Women’s Summer Rib Short Sleeve in Volcanic ($50) is made out of 100% Polyester, with a ribbed texture (as the name alludes to) that sits right at the naval as a cropped length crew neck. This go-to base layer for all of your warmer weather hikes has anti-odor & moisture-wicking protection, including UPF 40 fabric that filters away harsh UV rays. This shirt comes in four amazing colors, all at a steal of a price. I may just have to get the other three colors to complete my wardrobe!
We’ll dive a bit deeper into what I liked the most about the Summer Rib™ Short Sleeve, 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 Summer Rib™ Short Sleeve.
Mountain Hardwear Women’s Summer Rib Short Sleeve
- Superb Waterproof Shell – Mountain Hardwear designed this shirt with forward shoulder seas to prevent that pesky chafing that comes from rucking your backpack up and down mountains. I will say I have been thoroughly impressed that I have not had to build up my backpack callouses (are those even a thing? Well they are now) as I dusted off my bag for the nice transition from snowboard boots to hiking boots the last two months
- UPF 40 Fabric – With UPF40 fabric lining this amazing crop, you can be sure your skin is protected from those harsh UV rays as you hit the trails and hit the backcountry this summer. With the promise of Colorado summer just around the corner (I guess who knows, maybe another blizzard will be here first), I’ve been impressed how covered (pun-intended) I’ve felt while exploring the Front Range the last few hikes, all without getting too smelly (TMI?) or having sweat stains visible for the naked eye. Big fan!
- True to Size Fit – I have been on the hunt the last few years for a solid, go-to crop that I can make my signature hiking shirt. You know – that signature hat that accompanies you on all your hikes? Or that signature backpack you have trademarked yours? I love the flattering fit, the lack of restriction, and the go-with-anything color that fits well with leggings, hiking shorts and any other gear that comes my way. Watch out friends, as I will be an outfit repeater this hiking season (and many more to come) with this beauty!
In short, the Mountain Hardwear Women’s Summer Rib Short Sleeve will be my trademark shirt of Summer 2023 AOTDs (and beyond) and I hope it will be yours too!
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!
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