Canadian outdoor brand 7Mesh has built a reputation for high-end, ethical and functional mountain bike gear and I’ve recently been raving about its awesome Chilco Thermal Anorak.

This minimal Slab short targets warmer temperatures. It’s the brand’s trail/enduro short, with a thin four-way stretch material that’s a slinky nylon with 15% elastane for extra give and a DWR coating to fend off splashes.

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7Mesh use a lightweight waist adjuster on the Slab shorts

There’s some thin stitching at the waistband and hem, but the majority of the articulated panels are ultrasonically bonded together with minimal flat seams that look like tiny rubber strips. These help deliver a barely-there feel with no flapping around, excess bulk or stiffness.

7Mesh’s cut is dialled, so the shorts sit close to the leg and follow the body pedalling. And, unlike a lot of MTB shorts, the waist band cinches in tight enough too, using a suede-like ‘hook and ladder’ design that sits into several recesses and can’t work loose while you ride.

The Slab is totally unrestrictive, and the thin, free-flowing material never gets too saturated and dries quickly. But where this short metaphorically falls down for me is in pocket provision. The sole tiny pocket on the right leg is at the back of the thigh, and on top of the limited capacity, the weight swings around more than it would if placed at the front. A deeper pocket, mirrored on the left leg (as it is on 7Mesh’s Farside short) would make the Slab a lot more practical.

7Mesh’s attention to detail and quality is up there with the best

7Mesh uses Bluesign-certified fabrics to ensure its sustainability credentials, and also pledges to use less resources and offer better safety for its employees and the environment in its manufacturing processes.