FIELD NOTES: R&D IN THE EASTERN SIERRAS

For our design team, gear is never just sketched at a desk. It’s lived in and experienced in the elements it was built for. We sat down with FLORENCE designer Jakob Meighen to talk about his backpacking roots and design philosophy shortly after returning from a R&D day trip to summit Mount Langley, a 14,000-foot peak in the Eastern Sierra Mountains of California.

Interview by Bryce Lowe-White. Photos by Hunter Gawne.

Sunrise hitting the peak of Mount Langley.

You’ve been around the outdoors your whole life. When did summiting and true backcountry travel start to shape you?

I grew up camping, but the first real backpacking experience that changed everything for me was after high school. I took a NOLS course and spent three months backpacking in Tanzania. One of the sections included summiting Kilimanjaro. That was my first real summit experience and it left a massive impression. You learn what your body does under effort, what gear works, and you start developing a sensitivity to the relationship between your environment and what you’re wearing.

FLORENCE Designer Jakob Meighen, Product Operations, Oskar Hingel and Wildland Firefighter Nico Simrock.

Fast forward to today. How does that early experience influence your work as a designer for FLORENCE?

That real-world experience is everything. You can learn from lab tests and fabric ratings, but until you actually move through weather and terrain with the gear on your body, you don’t truly know how it performs. That firsthand knowledge is crucial. It lets you design with intention. It also pushes you to take responsibility for testing your own work. We always talk about designing for purpose, and to do that, you need to put yourself in the conditions you’re designing for.

Jakob testing Airtex at higher elevations.

So for this Mt. Langley mission, what was the objective?

We were there to test the full range of our layering system. Mount Langley is perfect for that because you get freezing early morning temps, warm midday exposure, and the elevation gain forces your body through constant regulation. We took the New Army Pass route, which is a pretty taxing approach, so it gave us a full spectrum of conditions to work through in one day.

Late fall conditions on New Army Pass.

Walk through your kit and what the gear was relaying to you throughout the day.

We started at 4:30 in the morning when it was near freezing. I began with the Airtex base layer, the Alpha Direct Hoodie, and the Pertex® Down Puffer on top. On my legs, I had the Alpha Direct Pant under the Cordura® Covert Pant. Within an hour of climbing, the puffer got too warm, so it went straight into my pack. That quick change is exactly how the system should work. As the sun came up and we gained elevation, I kept peeling layers. By midday I was hiking only in the Airtex Long Sleeve. Then near the summit I added layers back in.

The important part is that I never once second-guessed what I should be wearing. The system responded immediately, exactly when my body needed it to. That’s the entire point. When the gear works, you don’t think about it. You just move.

Our latest pinnacle mid-layer, the Alpha Direct Hoodie.

The crew logged 22 miles and 5,000 feet of elevation in the Cordura® Covert Pant.

Approaching the backside of Mount Langley.

You want the gear to become a natural extension of what you’re doing. After two years of working on these pieces, I know how they breathe, when they warm up, when they cool down. In the backcountry, that familiarity lets me focus completely on the goal instead of the question of “am I wearing the right thing?” And that’s not just for designers. Anyone who spends time in our layering system should feel that same intuitive simplicity.

 

Nico, a wildland firefighter, testing the Cordura® Covert Pant and Off Grid Half Zip.

Hydrating at High Lake.

Afternoon summit on Mount Langley.

How valuable is California as a testing environment compared to Hawaii where the Florence brothers test gear?

It’s huge. Hawaii gives us humid, tropical testing. California gives us elevation, cold mornings, hot afternoons, and rapid changes in weather. And both are essential. We’re lucky because from our headquarters on the coast, we can be in the mountains in four hours. In one weekend we can test outerwear, base layers, insulation, breathability, and packability. Having the Eastern Sierras essentially in our backyard accelerates our design work in a real way.

Mount Langley from Cottonwood Lakes.

If someone is preparing for their first cold-weather or high-elevation mission, what would you recommend from the FLORENCE system?

It depends on the time of year, but for colder conditions, I’d say start with the Cordura® Covert Pant. It’s been in development for years and from the first wear I knew it would be an incredible hiking pant.And now having the Alpha Direct Pant as a premium base layer bottom, you're covered in any cold-weather environment.

For tops, the Airtex is a foundational base layer because it moves sweat off your body and keeps you dry. The Alpha Direct Hoodie is super versatile, warm, breathable, and incredibly light. You’ll want insulation for static moments or cold evenings, so the Pertex® Down Puffer or the Pertex® Climashield Jacket are great options depending on your budget.

The Cordura® Covert Pant.

Ultimately, we can educate you on what each piece does, but part of the fun is building your own kit and learning what works for your body in different conditions.

 

Nico shedding his Pertex® Climashield Puffer.

The final climb to 14,000 feet.

What did this expedition reaffirm for you as a designer?

That the system works. We built it to regulate temperature across a full day and a full spectrum of environments, and that’s exactly what it did. I never once worried about the gear, which is the best validation you can get. For me, that’s the reward. You move through a day like that and the gear just disappears into the experience. That’s when you know you designed it right. 🚩