Reviews You Can Rely On

Mountain Hardwear Torsun Review

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mountain hardwear torsun hardshell jacket review
Credit: Mountain Hardwear
Price:  $350 List
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Manufacturer:   Mountain Hardwear
By Andy Wellman ⋅ Senior Review Editor  ⋅  Mar 2, 2016
69
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Weather Protection - 35% 7.0
  • Weight - 20% 4.0
  • Mobility and Fit - 20% 8.0
  • Breathability - 15% 8.0
  • Features - 10% 8.0

Our Verdict

The Torsun hardshell has been discontinued.
REASONS TO BUY
Affordable
Great features
Supple
Breathable
REASONS TO AVOID
Heavy and bulky
Somewhat tight hood
DWR coating not durable
The Mountain Hardwear Torsun is a good all-around performer that features Mountain Hardwear's proprietary Dry.Q Elite membrane. While it is the heaviest hardshell in our review, it is still flexible and nimble, and has an excellent array of features. While we couldn't give it the most points for any one criteria, it is a jacket that does everything pretty well, and given the relatively low price of $350, we think this is a jacket that almost anyone would be happy owning.

Our Analysis and Test Results

An all-around performer that Mountain Hardwear says is best for alpine climbing, the Torsun is most similar to the Patagonia Refugitive and the Outdoor Research Axiom. Compared to these two jackets, however, there is no doubt that the Torsun feels heavier and bulkier — the fabric on the entire coat just feels thicker. It is made of 40 denier face fabric like the Arc'teryx Alpha FL, but the Torsun is far heavier than that jacket. Overall, we couldn't really fault this shell's performance, and indeed think it is a jacket worth recommending, especially for its price. At the end of the day, though, we found ourselves preferring lighter and more supple alternatives for the same purpose.

Performance Comparison


mountain hardwear torsun hardshell jacket review - george foster testing hardshell jackets in the ouray ice park.
George Foster testing hardshell jackets in the Ouray Ice Park.
Credit: Andy Wellman

Weather Protection


mountain hardwear torsun hardshell jacket review - while the torsun was certainly waterproof, it saw some of the worst...
While the Torsun was certainly waterproof, it saw some of the worst wetting out after a few months of use. This causes a problem because when face fabric is wet like this it doesn't allow water to migrate through from the inside, inhibiting the jackets ability to breath.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley
While our extensive field tests told us that the Torsun was without a doubt a bomber waterproof shell, our shower test revealed that the wire-brim of the hood was not nearly as wide as we would have liked it to be, and we found a little bit of water trickling off the edges (where the fabric scrunched up) getting in our neck. Don't misunderstand us, though, this offense was nowhere near as bad as the problems we had with the hoods of the Patagonia M10 or Refugitive. However, this minor flaw still matters when trying to assess the difference between 10 very good jackets. We also found that the Torsun wetted out more than any other jacket in our test, meaning that the DWR coating seemed to have worn off faster than any of the other jackets, a bit of an annoyance. (Keep in mind that a jacket that "wets out" will still keep you dry thanks to its waterproof membrane; however, the jacket itself will become slightly heavier and less breathable).

mountain hardwear torsun hardshell jacket review - one form of work in winter ski towns that uses climbing skills --...
One form of work in winter ski towns that uses climbing skills -- roof shoveling. This allowed us to test these jackets in a work environment as well, which is often quite abrasive. This jacket kept us comfortable all day on a sub-zero day.
Credit: Andrew Temple

Weight


Our men's size large weighed 19.1 ounces, making it the heaviest jacket in our review. While we have to admit that this still isn't very heavy, we also have to give lip service to the fact that the Torsun feels heavy. Additionally, its thick fabric doesn't pack down nearly as well as the other heavy jackets we tested, like the Arc'teryx Theta AR or Arc'teryx Beta AR.

Mobility & Fit


The hem on the Torsun is a good long length that gives good coverage down low, and the sleeves are plenty long enough for ice and alpine climbing with the arms overhead. The fit is trim and despite feeling heavy, the material used is mobile. Our biggest complaint when it came to mobility and fit was the hood. It was slightly too tight with a helmet on, and caused some constriction and uncomfortable rubbing on our face around the collar when zipped all the way up. Additionally, side-to-side and up and down head movement was restricted by the tightness of the hood. It could have been worse, no doubt, but we found it to be less than ideal.

mountain hardwear torsun hardshell jacket review - notice how the hood seems a bit small with this helmet on. we found...
Notice how the hood seems a bit small with this helmet on. We found it to be slightly restrictive when all zipped up like this, and it was tight and obstructive when turning our head to the sides or up and down.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley

Breathability


Mountain Hardwear claims that their Dry.Q Elite membrane does not need relative humidity inside the jacket to reach very high levels to start breathing (like GORE-TEX Pro). Instead, the membrane is designed to breathe as soon as you put it on. Like pretty much all of the claims made by the marketing professionals representing the various brands that we tested here, there was no way for us to substantiate this claim or disprove it. We can say that initially while running in the Torsun in our treadmill test, we felt quite hot, but then after a few minutes we began to feel noticeably cooler. This would seem to indicate that the jacket was indeed breathing. Despite being covered in sweat after the time was up, there was no indication of moisture or water at any point inside the Torsun, ranking it right up there with the best jackets in this test. It is worth noting that Mountain Hardwear really seems to stand behind the breathability of this jacket - it's designers didn't even feel that it was necessary to include pit zips for added ventilation. In fact, among the five heaviest jackets we tested, it's the only one that did not include pit zips.

mountain hardwear torsun hardshell jacket review - a tight facial enclosure, long sleeves, and a hem line that was...
A tight facial enclosure, long sleeves, and a hem line that was plenty low enough make this a great jacket for gnarly climbs in inclement weather. Despite being the heaviest jacket we tested, it did not have pit zips.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley

Features


We loved the feature set of the Torsun and think it is very comparable to our other favorites - the Arc'teryx Theta AR and the Patagonia Refugitive - in terms of quantity and functionality of features. Highlights for us were the liberal fleece lining around the neck and collar for added comfort. We also loved the draw cord buckles that function similar to those on the Refugitive (however, these buckles are not as visible, and therefore took us a while to figure them out). The hood tightening pull cords can be accessed from either inside the jacket or outside, a feature that also made good sense to us. The jacket has very large mesh handwarmer pockets, as well as an exterior chest pocket and an interior chest pocket, ensuring there was no shortage of places to stash things. It was also one of only two jackets that features a two-way front zipper, which we love for accessing our under-layers.

mountain hardwear torsun hardshell jacket review - two-way zippers are nice because they allow you easy access to under...
Two-way zippers are nice because they allow you easy access to under garments, pockets inside your warmth layer, added ventilation, or easier access to your pee zipper. The Torsun was one of only two jackets in this review that included this handy feature.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley

mountain hardwear torsun hardshell jacket review - the pull cord buckle on this jacket was very similar to the one on...
The pull cord buckle on this jacket was very similar to the one on the Refugitive, in that you just press on it to release, and it lives hidden within the fabric. However, there was nothing marking this fact, and it took us a little while to figure out.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley

mountain hardwear torsun hardshell jacket review - this jacket included two large handwarmer pockets, despite being...
This jacket included two large handwarmer pockets, despite being designed for alpine climbing. While the harness did actually cover up the bottom of the pocket openings, we found that the zippers and openings were so long that they were still plenty usable.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley

Best Applications


Mountain Hardwear claims that the Torsun is designed for alpine climbing, and we agree that this is a great use for this jacket. Due to its heaviness and bulkiness, we didn't enjoy it as much for backcountry skiing, although it did perform quite well. Regardless, this jacket is meant for tough winter conditions, and is not something you would want to use in the summer or in warmer climates.

mountain hardwear torsun hardshell jacket review - we did love this jacket for ice climbing, but found it slightly less...
We did love this jacket for ice climbing, but found it slightly less desirable for skiing. For us, in the field, it was too heavy to skin uphill in, and hard to pack down small for stuffing in the pack.
Credit: Andy Wellman

Value


The Torsun will set you back $350.00, making it one of the most affordable jackets in the review. At this price, we think it provides excellent value. Only two jackets that we tested were cheaper — the Marmot Nano AS and the REI Shuksan II — and the Torsun is way ahead in terms of performance compared to those two.

Conclusion


The Mountain Hardwear Torsun is an excellent all-around jacket that we would recommend for winter alpine or ice climbing or resort skiing. Although it is the heaviest and bulkiest jacket in this review, its fit is still supple and mobile, it has a great set of features, and it's plenty waterproof and breathable. It presents a great value at only $350.00.

mountain hardwear torsun hardshell jacket review - fluffy powder in shady trees is how we typically spend our days...
Fluffy powder in shady trees is how we typically spend our days jacket testing in the dead of winter when the avalanche danger is too high in the San Juan Mountains for skiing off of summits.
Credit: Dakota Soifer

Other Versions & Accessories


Mountain Hardwear Torsun - Women's - $350.00
  • women's specific version of the same jacket

Andy Wellman