Gear Tests · 2026-08-06 · 4 min read
Field Test: The Prototype Sun Hoodie, Two Quests In
The MTL sun hoodie prototype worked a Big Sur overnight and a solo sailing day back to back. What worked, what failed, and what changes before production.
The brief was simple: one hooded sun layer that works on a foggy bluff at dawn, a sailboat at noon, and a dune run at dusk, without smelling like a crime scene by day three. Merino-nylon blend, no zips to corrode, hood that fits over a cap.
What worked: the fabric. Two full Quests of wear between washes, zero odor complaints from anyone sharing a car or a cockpit. The hood earned its keep twice — against the Jade Cove morning wind, and on the sandspit run back into the afternoon westerly, where a cap alone would have left on its own.
What failed: the chest pocket. It sat exactly under a pack strap on the falls hike and under the PFD buckle on the boat, so it was useless on precisely the days it was designed for. It moves to the sleeve in the second prototype.
This is how every MTL product will happen: field first, factory second. If a thing hasn't been on a Quest, it doesn't get the logo.