It seemed most offerings were for drier climates and not hot and humid summers. Some were cheap and performed well FOR THE PRICE. Others were expensive and expected to be treated as such.

Recently, I’ve been lucky enough to try out Mont-bell’s long sleeve ZEO-LINE lightweight cool mesh offering. It works!

Ridden in temps between 22 and 38deg C it performed as hoped. It flowed plenty of air on the move, wicked well and continues to hold these qualities and it’s shape after several washes. It dries remarkably quickly too.

Added bonus was that it never felt too warm or cool. It just kept me in a comfy zone. I’ve been wearing it under a textile mesh jacket with no shirts or extra layers and from cool mornings in the mountains to middle of the day roasting heat, it deos well.

The only drawback is that I bought black which draws the sun and with its open weave, a fair amount gets through which at a standstill, like when loitering around at drink breaks and such, I get HOT. All’s good in the shade though.

Don’t let the hiking garb fool you. It works for riders too 👍

It looks a little thick but is very lightweight due to the open weave.

There’s that open weave. Can see the lighter colour of my lilly white arms through the thinner areas.

And the tissue test to show how open it is. Can definitely see the tissue through the fabric.

Surprisingly, even when the temps dropped off quickly, I never got a chill or felt cold. It creates a decent layer of temp stability. Probably due to the thickness.

The price isn’t uniqlo time sale cheap and it certainly isn’t platinum card premium either.

Here’s what Mont-bell has to say about the tech that makes this shirt work.

SCORECARD

Function 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Durability 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 (still early days)

Form 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Price 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 (I’m stingy)

Does what it says 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Now to find something matching my lower half…