The Vortex Half Zip was engineered to be a thermal constant - reliable across altitude, effort, and exposure. Built from Polartec® Power Grid™, it regulates heat, sheds moisture, and layers cleanly beneath shells and insulation. A piece designed to disappear once worn, doing its work quietly while conditions do their worst.

But sometimes the pattern goes its own way.

During production, grading in the chest and torso stalled at Medium. Sleeve length and overall body length continued to scale as intended, but the width did not. The result is a run of Vortex Half Zips that wear long like an XL or 2XL—yet fit slim through the shoulders, chest, and torso.

Functionally, nothing changed.

Fit-wise, everything did.

This Off-Trail Edition is for those who favor a close, athletic silhouette, or those who size up for length, not volume. Expect a compressed, streamlined feel through the body with full-length sleeves and torso intact. Layered under shells, it’s clean and efficient. Worn on its own, it’s unapologetically trim.

The details remain uncompromised:

A higher-profile collar seals out drafts.

A deep half-zip allows rapid heat dumping under exertion.

Angled chest pockets keep temperature-sensitive gear close to your core.

Thumbholes anchor sleeves when layered and disappear when not in use.

The Vortex performs.

The grading didn’t.

So this batch steps off the trail, not because it failed in the field, but because it missed the spec. Offered once, at a reduced price, and never to be repeated.

Second Quality /// Final Sale

Same materials. Same construction.

Different fit. Different story.

As ever, progress isn’t linear.

And sometimes the most interesting gear lives just outside the plan.