Have you heard of 7Mesh before? I confess I hadn’t. Based in Squamish, British Columbia, the founders left Arc’teryx in 2013 to focus on developing innovative and lightweight cycling apparel, notably supplying kit to Fiona Kolbinger, the first female winner of the 4000km Transcontinental Race in 2019. The brand name takes its lead from Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh, the Indigenous name for the area where they are based, and the 7Mesh Guardian Air waterproof shell jacket is appearing in these pages as they have broadened out the range.

I took a sample to the Italian Dolomites for the AV2, a 174km route with nearly 12,000 metres of elevation, many stretches of via ferrata and even more rain. Given that outlook, I was glad of the fiendishly light 7Mesh Guardian Air. When it wasn’t raining, it packed into a not-much-bigger-than-a-fist-sized pocket and weighed only 200g in the pack.

The membrane is Gore-Tex ePE and is therefore ‘forever chemical’-free, with a water column rating of 28,000mm+. The backer is C-knit for comfort and breathability next to the skin, and the face fabric is 15D high-tenacity 100% nylon ripstop. Weight is obviously a key selling point here, but it’s not paper-thin and doesn’t feel fragile. Neither does it hold water or stiffen up like many post-PFC shells.

On the AV2 in the Dolomites. Credit: David Lintern

Special mention goes to the bias-cut back panel. Gore-Tex is not stretchy, but all fabric stretches on a 45-degree bias. The back panel of the 7Mesh Guardian Air is cut on the bias, and wraps around the body as far as possible with no seams to break the stretch. This makes a genuine difference to the wearability.

There’s no restriction in the shoulders, and zero hem rise, and you can feel the stretch when lifting the arms, which are also cut long and stay protective even when in action on technical ground with a heavy pack (we opted for a ‘self-supported’ as opposed to a hut-to-hut trip). Seam allowances have been kept to just 3mm, allowing for narrower seam tape, which seems to further aid stretch and suppleness in use.

Small Velcro tabs finish the flared sleeves, and these are sited on the inside rather than the outside so they don’t catch. All fabrics are bluesign and Oeko-Tex 100 certified.

Special mention goes to the bias-cut back panel, allowing no shoulder restriction. Credit: 7Mesh

The brand avoids bulky plastic hardware by using ‘friction lock’ cords at the hem and hood. The peak is stiffened and can be folded away and clipped into the collar to form a high, protective neck guard. Inside there’s a big, open glove-friendly pocket and a zipped pocket (also useful for a phone). I didn’t try out the brand’s ‘stash system’ while I was in Italy, but I have since and it’s pretty ingenious: when folded into this zipped pocket, two locking bungees allow the jacket to be secured to any bike frame or climbing harness.

The front zip is two-way and has a rain guard. The fit is fairly true to size (i.e. it’s possible to get a fleece under it) and the cut in the body is long enough to be useful for regular hillwalking and cycling, as well as more active pursuits – it’s a stylish jacket but function still holds sway over fashion.

Function holds sway over fashion, as it should. Credit: 7Mesh

The 7Mesh Guardian Air is one of the lightest, fully featured 3-layer Gore-Tex shells available, and our 13-day through-hike (which sometimes verged on a foul-weather mountaineering expedition!) was a great test. At times it was exceptionally wet, warm and humid, but the jacket never once wetted out, it dried rapidly and I never wanted for extras like pit zips. That in itself is a testament to the quality and design here.

For high-energy, 3-season adventures where weight and bulk need to be kept to an absolute minimum, the Guardian Air is a pretty perfect fit.