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Gamma Mx Hoody Advice

Original Post
Cheiftan Mews · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2020 · Points: 0

For those of you that have experience with the Gamma MX hoody, what activities/situations do you use it for?

I bought one to upgrade from an Atom LT for winter rock climbing. My Atom LTs always seem to rip when they snag on the rock so I wanted something more durable and stretchy. It checks both of those boxes, however, I do not find it to be warm at all plus it is a bit bulky and heavy. 

ClimbingOn · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2008 · Points: 0

I use it for everything but primarily ice climbing. 

Desert Rock Sports · · Las Vegas, NV · Joined Aug 2019 · Points: 2

I loved the idea of it, but never found myself grabbing it. I had it for like 4 years and used it maybe 10 times, then got rid of it.

akafaultline · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 225

I use it for moderate temp ice climbing where I don’t expect to sweat a ton-shorter less intense approaches.  Otherwise the synthetic jackets like proton and Ventrix jackets are superior imo. The mx isn’t warm enough for me when it hits 10 f while the proton will be etc.  plus the proton will move sweat a lot more efficiently 

bearded sam · · Crested Butte, CO · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 145
akafaultline wrote:

I use it for moderate temp ice climbing where I don’t expect to sweat a ton-shorter less intense approaches.  Otherwise the synthetic jackets like proton and Ventrix jackets are superior imo. The mx isn’t warm enough for me when it hits 10 f while the proton will be etc.  plus the proton will move sweat a lot more efficiently 

to address the OG post, the Gamma MX will be more durable than any of these insulated, synthetic jackets. Right tool for the job - MX is a lightly insulated softshell. Other jackets mentioned are insulation pieces designed to breath, be light and compact. 

Eric M · · Andover, MA · Joined Dec 2023 · Points: 0

I enjoy my Gamma MX Hoody, but the use case is a little narrow and I probably wouldn't buy it again.  I like it for days that I need a shell, but it's not raining, and I won't be taking off my shell.  It's too heavy to tote around in a pack for long days.  It's definitely not as versatile as my OR Ferrosi, which ends up seeing a lot more use.  Unless I'm going to the office, and the Gamma MX is great at that. 

Chris C · · Seattle, WA · Joined Mar 2016 · Points: 407

I’ve had the same Gamma MX jacket since around 2014. It’s probably the most bomber layer I’ve owned, it still looks almost new. I just bought a new one for color preference reasons, and it’s just as good.

It’s probably my best winter climbing layer that I’ve used for every single winter climbing activity (rock, ice, alpine). I like it when I know I’m going to be scraping against rock, or if I know I’m going to be getting hit by mild wind all day. It is heavy, but I only use it for purposes where it is my main layer and I know I will not take it off. It is definitely not a summer layer because it is too heavy to spend most it’s day in a backpack. My only tiny gripe with it is that I wish it was a little longer. But it’s good enough for me to have worn for hundreds of hours and still keep going with it. 

I use the Atom LT a lot as well, and it’s a very different jacket. It’s also a very good piece, imo. I don’t think one is an upgrade or downgrade from the other. They are both really just for different purposes. I usually use the Atom LT (and Proton LT) as a fairly robust insulation layer that I keep in a backpack, often for summer alpine climbing. If you really like the Atom LT for whatever your current purpose is, but keep snagging it, you may just want to throw some Gear Aid tape on the spots where you are prone to snagging it. 

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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