I've been lurking in this sub for several months to see gear recommendations. I always noticed that when someone asks about the best base layer for winter, the Mountain Hardwear AirMesh frequently gets recommended in the comments.

Honestly, I thought it was just hype. I figured all base layers were pretty much the same—how could a single base layer be as remarkable as everyone was saying?

Today, I went to my local hiking gear shop, and they had a few AirMesh layers on sale, so I decided to try one.

Holy sht.
First of all, they are *so light—like featherweight. I barely felt the weight when I put one on. The inner lining is made of a fleece-like material, so it’s incredibly warm. As soon as I moved a little, I could feel the air ventilating through the fabric, cooling my sweat almost instantly. It was like the fabric was breathing.

Honestly, it’s the best Winter base layer I’ve ever tried. No exaggeration.

I did notice that when I wore it directly on my skin, it felt a bit itchy due to the fleece material. So, I wore a Fine Track Elemental layer underneath, with the AirMesh as a second layer.

The weather here today was -1°C, and I wore the following layers: Fine Track Elemental, AirMesh, Arc'teryx Proton LT, and Black Diamond Alpine Start Hoody. I stayed warm, and the breathability was amazing. I usually get sweaty easily, even in winter, but this combination was perfect for me.

The AirMesh is the king.