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My Mont Blanc kit list was meticulously thought-through, so anything that went into my pack was carefully considered and absolutely had to have purpose – keeping my pack weight low was at the forefront of my decisions. Paired with the fact the weather forecast over the next couple of weeks looked mostly dry, warm and sunny, I knew my waterproof shell was an area where I could save weight, but I needed something I could absolutely rely-on should the heavens open. Luckily, a week prior to my trip, we received our AW26 delivery from 7Mesh and I was instantly drawn to the Guardian Air Gore-Tex Jacket. Made up of a Gore-Tex ePE membrane, 204g (size medium!) and incredibly packable. It certainly ticked all the boxes on paper.

Born out of Squamish, Canada in 2013, 7Mesh was founded by a collective of outdoor industry experts coming together to bring outdoor innovation, technology and design into cycling. Fast forward to 2026 and they have come full circle, with the launch of the Guardian Collection, their first foray back into the outdoor world.

Remember when I said “the weather forecast over the next couple of weeks looked mostly dry, warm and sunny”? Fast forward to Day 2 at the campsite in Les Contamines – Relentless thunder and lightning storms through the night and torrential rain forecast for the entire day. Paired with 1263m of ascent over 12km, this day would be wet, sweaty and hard work.

This was like water off a duck’s back for the 7Mesh Guardian Air (pun intended). Despite prolonged periods of heavy rainfall and high exertion, the jacket kept me completely dry. But rather more impressively, it kept me completely cool at the same time.

The biggest endorsement I can give, is that even when the rain stopped – I wasn’t desperate to take it off. In fact, I was happy to keep it on when then weather couldn’t quite make its mind up. The two-way zip was deployed to provide air-flow when the rain relented and the slight diagonal stretch in the 15D face fabric enable the jacket to move in unison with the body on the many scrambles and climbs that are encountered on TMB.

The hood is roomy enough to fit over a cycling helmet, which provided much needed coverage. The CrossPull system used to cinch the hood took some getting used to. Which toggle to pull and how to keep it locked in place didn’t seem the most user friendly at first, and I can imagine in colder conditions and particularly when wearing gloves, the ultra-thin elastic pulls would be quite hard to find.

Despite the minimal weight, this jacket is more than your typical lightweight emergency shell. It is a highly capable companion on your active outdoor pursuits. The designers have kept the weight to a minimum by stripping the feature-set right back to its bare bones. No hand pockets, no pit zips, no fuss. A nod to their cycling routes comes in the form of the internal Stash System, which features elasticated straps enabling users to securely strap their jacket to their bike frame, or shoulder strap if necessary. There is also a handy QR code printed on the internal pocket, which leads you to a very informative step-by-step guide for how to care for the item.

After experiencing some genuinely torrential conditions on Tour du Mont Blanc, I came away very impressed with its performance. For anyone looking for a lightweight, high-performance waterproof jacket capable of handling serious weather and high-intensity activities, the 7mesh Guardian Air is a jacket I would be very happy to endorse.

Mathew Garbutt
Mathew is an avid sports fan who plays football semi-professionally for a local team. As a child, Mathew and his family would Car Camp in the Lake District regularly, which is a tradition he has passed-on to his own young family. He is a strong advocate for the outdoors and the importance of his children being outside and exploring the many wonderful places on offer around the North-East and beyond. It was through working at Ultralight where Mathews love for the outdoors and particularly wild camping flourished, taking up many of the opportunities presented to him through his work. Trips to Scotland are a regular occurrence, from taking-in Munros to the snow-capped mountains of the Cairngorms for winter-skills training. More recently, Mathew has re-found his love for running and particularly enjoys meeting with a group of friends on a Sunday morning trail run. Mathew joined UOG in 2017 and is a Purchasing Assistant in our Buying Team. Read more from Mathew Garbutt