Review: Hoss Technical Gear – Ponderosa, Stallion, Rustler – MTB Apparel

Hoss Technical Gear has been known to provide affordable mountain biking shorts, jerseys and other apparel that performs above its price bracket. For this mountain biking apparel review, I received the Ponderosa short, Stallion short and Rustler jersey to hit the trail and see how they performed in the saddle. For all of the stats and industry info on the Hoss Technical Gear that came in for review, hit up this intro post where I laid out the goods with detailed pictures and info.

Rustler Jersey

The Rustler Jersey is a simple two color mountain biking jersey with a 7″ front zipper and CoolPlus fabric from Hoss. I actually ended up trying out a sizw large tan/black version that you can see in the intro post and a black/gray version (size medium). The fabric was very comfortable during riding, but I found myself in between sizes. The large was the right length but too baggy and the medium was about the right fit – maybe a little tight – but short. To Hoss Tech’s defense…this is a common problem I find with all shirts at 6’2″ 185 lbs. For most riders, the sizing structure should work out fine.

Even though the jersey feels thick at first, the CoolPlus fabric does a great job of getting the sweet off your body and evaporated. With the 7″ zipper and the fabric, I was able to wear these jerseys in high 90’s heat even with the dark coloring. The overall durability of the Rustler jersey fared well over the test period. It has also handled numerous encounters with the ground and multiple washing machine episodes.

If I had any compliant about the Rustler jersey from Hoss, it would be the limited amount of styles available. With only one style jersey available in several different colors, the Rustler does not leave a lot of room for originality, but at a $29.95 MSRP price…you really don’t end up caring that much anyway.

What I  liked about the Rustler

• Incredible value
• Breathes well in hot conditions
• Durable

What I would like to see changed on the Rustler

• Narrower fit for the large size
• More styling options

Ponderosa Mountain Bike Short

The Ponderosa MTB short from Hoss has been a trailhead favorite for a lot of recreational mountain bikers. Like the Rustler jersey, the Ponderosa shorts feel heavy out of the box, but once you have them on in the saddle…they actually feel quite light and comfortable. There are plenty of functional pockets that are both Velcro’ed and zippered to keep everything in and not scattered on the trail.

The adjustable Velcro strapped waist and buckle make sizing the waistband to your needs an easy process before you hit the trail. The internal chamois is attached at both the top and bottom of the shorts. While this does keep everything together in a nice package, I do like to see a detachable chamois for my mountain biking shorts for ease of use and comfort. It almost seems like the outer shell shrinks just a little bit in the wash while the internal chamois doesn’t. This makes the outer bottom edge lip up a little bit over time. The chamois itself is great for all day excursions in the saddle and it isn’t too think that it gets in the way of normal riding.

There is only one major feature that the Ponderosa are missing…there is no zipper or font opening in the shorts. This makes trailside restroom breaks a little bit interesting as you try to get things going to get back on the bike. If they would detach the chamois at least at the bottom of the shorts, I think they would open up a spot for a zipper or other opening and get rid of the lipping up issue at the bottom edge.

Overall…at $49.99…these shorts are still a steal with the little annoyances. When other mountain biking shorts are tipping the 3 figure mark these days, the Hoss Ponderosa’s are a great value for recreational riders that want to be able to walk into a gas station after the ride.

What I liked about the Hoss Ponderosa MTB shorts

• Great value – Kills the competition in price
• Functional outside pockets
• Look almost like regular shorts off the bike
• Comfortable all day chamois

What I would change about the Hoss Ponderosa MTB shorts

• They need a front opening
• Detachable chamois or at least detach the bottom (they will breath better that way too)
• Can get a little warm during the summer months

Stallion Mountain Bike Short

The second short we received from Hoss Technical Gear was the Stallion. The Stallion is actually much different than the Ponderosa’s in just about every way. The outer shell of the Stallion was incredibly light and was perfect for hot weather riding. With the light outer shell, you also get a completely detachable chamois that was comfortable during long rides. The waist featured a multi-hole tie string for front closure, Velcro side straps for adjustment and a zippered front for removal and restroom access (that is about the nicest way you can say that isn’t it?). While the zipper was exactly want I was looking for out of the Ponderosas, the tie string would have been better as a button.

The Stallion shorts have multiple zipper pockets to stow your goo and other trail necessities, so you are covered on the function aspect. I also like the style of these shorts (black with tan plaid) as they offered something a little bit different over the plain contrast of the other items in the Hoss lineup. At $59.99, the Stallion is the most expensive item that we reviewed from Hoss, but it is still a great value compared to the competition.

What I liked about the Stallion short

• Light construction is great for hot rides
• Detachable chamois

What I would like to see changed on the Stallion short

• A button instead of a draw string
• Have the shorts a little bit longer so they fit better on longer legs

Overall Thoughts on the Hoss Technical Gear Lineup

Hoss set out to provide the recreational mountain biker with MTB specific apparel that wasn’t going to break the budget. They did just that and their gear also happens to perform very well. There are a few little things that I would like to see changed, but that does not change the fact that you can buy several of their items for the cost of one item from other mountain biking apparel manufacturers out there. You are not going to get flashy looks and out there features, but you will get apparel that won’t make you look like a roadie, will perform and save your wallet for more mountain bike parts that will make you faster than you ever imagined.

For the best prices on Hoss Technical Gear…