A Burgeoning Arc’teryx-Born Brand Just Threw Down the Ultralight Performance Jacket Gauntlet

North of the border, there is perhaps no better incubator for outerwear insight and innovation than that 36-year-old Vancouver, British Columbia-based behemoth, Arc’teryx.

No surprise, then, that when some Arc execs and designers jumped ship in 2013, set up shop in a nearby mountain biking hotbed and started making cycling gear, their boutique brand blossomed.

7mesh

With a moniker derived from the traditional name for the Squamish nation, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw, 7mesh produces tons of innovative apparel for mountain, gravel and road.

This week, however, the brand comes for some of the mothership’s lunch money with the launch of the small-but-premium Guardian Collection, performance outerwear that extends beyond two-wheeled sports to trail running, ski touring and so much more. 

What really catches my attention is the Guardian Air, which the brand calls the world’s lightest full-featured performance rain jacket. And they make a helluva case.

Light but loaded

While it’s easy to be skeptical of such a claim, I can’t help but recall that when I wrote about 7mesh’s Mission last fall, I confessed I’d never seen such a packable jacket with so many features.

Following in those footsteps, the Guardian Air ($500) weighs just 7 ounces, yet manages to incorporate a ton of adventure-friendly features.

7mesh

Highlights include a Gore-Tex ePE 3L shell (15-denier ripstop face fabric), complete with industry-first 10mm seam tape to reduce bulk and 360-degree articulated patterning to support athletic movements. 

Even on this featherweight frame, the features sneak in: a CrossPull helmet-compatible hood with stowaway snap, an internal dump pocket, two-way front zip for optimizing ventilation and glove-friendly adjustable cuffs.

7mesh

Like many ultralight jackets, the Guardian Air packs into its own pocket. But it separates itself further thanks to my favorite cycling-inspired 7mesh innovation, the Stash System. 

Simple but brilliant, it’s a pair of streamlined clips that allow you to easily attach the packed jacket to your bike’s top tube or handlebars — and in a multi-sport context, the outside of a backpack — ready to deploy when temps drop or the skies open up. 

Just the beginning?

Of course, the Guardian Air is just one of the products in the new line, which with two jackets and one pair of pants is refreshingly restrained in scope and expansive in promise. 

“The Guardian Collection empowers the modern adventurer with a ‘go anywhere, do anything’ mindset — light, durable, packable and versatile,” says 7mesh president and co-founder Tyler Jordan. “If you can dream it, we want Guardian to be there with you.”

7mesh

That sentiment tracks. After all, considering this belief that these items are multifaceted enough to tackle everything from an afternoon run to high-alpine splitboarding, it would be a bit disingenuous if there were a whole bunch of pieces.

Toward that end, the other jacket, the 11-ounce Apex ($600), steps things up a bit with warmer 40-denier high-tenacity 100% nylon fabric, plus such bonus features as heat-dumping pit zips, harness-friendly hand pockets and glove-friendly hem pull cords. 

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Last but not least is the Apex Pant ($400), which features the same Gore-Tex ePE-shielded 40D fabric as the jacket, as well as integrated waist adjusters, a dual leg opening to accommodate different types of footwear (including ski boots), a side pocket, articulated patterning and the ability to pack down into itself. 

Small as the collection is, the pieces are so on point, I’m not sure whether the bigwigs at Arc’teryx should be proud … or a little bit scared.

Availability and pricing

The 7mesh Guardian Air Jacket is available now in six sizes and two colors (deep sea and graphite) for men and women for $500.

7mesh

7mesh Guardian Air Jacket

• $500 at 7mesh

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