What the Hemp? Why We Made Sustainable Mountain Bike Shorts for Women

If you've spent any time in the Moonspin orbit, you know we’re a brand more about the flora than the Strava. This doesn’t just refer to how I like to ride (prioritizing berry patches over PRs), but it also informs my design philosophy.

So, why did I create a women's MTB and adventure short out of hemp?

Maybe it’s because my brother owns a dispensary here in Bozeman (shout out Juniper!). Maybe I’ve been inspired and influenced by the likes of Jungmaven and Rustek (whom we’ve partnered with on our plant-based hats). Maybe it’s because I like the look and feel of soft, natural fibers. 

Maybe it’s because I want to create things that are truly different and that are worth creating.

These are all true. Along with the fact that hemp just makes sense.

Debuting Moonspin's first product line - hemp blend tops - at my brother's Bozeman dispensary, Juniper.

When I found the material I wanted to use in our Hemp Adventure Short, I was immediately smitten and thought “this is it!” However, the textile vendor was hesitant to work with me because Moonspin is producing in such low quantities. I shopped around and found some alternatives that were similar and also more affordable (including options used by Patagonia). I had some samples made and did some price modeling. And while some other options were more financially viable, the material just wasn’t right. So I went back to the original vendor and convinced them to take a shot on Moonspin.

Lab dip color samples of the textile I originally wanted to use, finally!

The result is exactly what I dreamed of. The shorts are made of 54% hemp, 44% Tencel® (a silky fiber from eucalyptus wood pulp), and a touch of spandex for stretch. This blend is the perfect balance of durability, sustainability, softness, texture, and stretch.

Enjoying an early sample pair of hemp shorts that I indigo dyed by hand, just for fun.

Here are some reasons I love hemp, and why you will, too:

She’s tough: built for durability on the trail.

• Hemp comes from the long bast fibers of the stalk, the part that holds a ten-foot plant upright in a thunderstorm.
• That structure means real tensile strength: Hemp is several times stronger than cotton of the same thickness.
• It doesn't wear out, it wears in. Where cotton breaks down with every wash, hemp softens and holds its strength.
• Our enzyme-washed shorts are made to fade gently and get better with age, not fall apart.
  
  

She’s kind: sustainable materials for adventurers who love nature.

• Hemp leaves the soil it grows in healthier through deep root aeration, bioremediation, and organic enrichment.
• Hemp is one of the least thirsty crops out there, it requires far less water than cotton to grow.
• Hemp typically needs no pesticides or herbicides.
• It pulls carbon from the air and absorbs pollutants and heavy metals from contaminated land safely into its structure.
• This is what sustainable mountain bike apparel should look like — good for the ride, and good for the ground beneath it.

Also, hemp textile is naturally UV-resistant and breathable. And no, you won’t get high wearing it, unless you count the vert you climbed to the ridge line.

Ready to hit the trail in something built to last and made to matter? Shop the Hemp Adventure Short.