Not Yet Reviewed | Warm layers | Live for the Outdoors

Plain, lightweight, great colour, almost shiny and close-fitting: the Vaude Micro Mikeli, a 100 per cent polyester top, feels very comfortable, but it does have a tendency to cling to extra flesh so you need to have the figure to deal with it. It boasts ‘Bluesign’ credentials, which means it’s been made responsibly, and has UPF50+ sun protection. Review by ...

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Mountain Hardwear Ramesa 2010

£35.00

Lots of venting on the Mountain Hardwear Ramesa 2010 top makes it an ideal choice for walkers in hot climes: perfect for the trail, and pretty enough to be worn out afterwards. The sleeves, although short, aren’t as high as others. An in-seam zipped pocket gives an extra bit of security and the material is suitably cool, comfortable and easy ...

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Lowe Alpine Aruba Shirt 2010

£35.00

The Lowe Alpine Aruba Shirt is a surprisingly pretty top in a good technical fabric that is comfortable, and easy to clean and dry. There’s a passport-sized pocket at the chest with a secure zip, but this probably isn’t where you’d want to stash your travel documents. No venting areas, but it should perform well in all but the hottest ...

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Berghaus Tshort Haul 2010

£40.00

Berghaus has hit this market perfectly with the Tshort Haul, managing to produce kit that is practical and well cut. The shirt feels silky and cool, and comes with antimicrobial treatment that means even if you do get hot the clothing won’t pong. There’s a zipped pocket at the chest and mesh at the back to help wick sweat away. ...

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Royal Robbins Boulevard 2010

£40.00

The Royal Robbins Boulevard is a safari-style top with four pockets and a tie waist. The sleeves can roll down to full length or be button-secured to give a good-looking short-sleeved look. It’s very comfortable but as it’s white it won’t look great after a day of anything more than sightseeing. And it’s slightly see-through, so not for countries with ...

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Golite Wicklow Polo 2010

£40.00

The Golite Wicklow Polo is an exceptionally comfortable top that does suggest a ladies’ golfing event. The cool material feels better able to cope with hot days trekking, and it’s still smart and presentable enough for a night out on the tiles. There’s a small zip pocket hidden away in the seams that could easily foil a would-be pickpocket. Review ...

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Kathmandu Marudi 2010

£40.00

The Kathmandu Marudi is 100 per cent recycled and the company has signed up to 1% for the Planet. Not suited to long days trekking it does look fairly stylish in the departure lounge and has a discreet zipped pocket big enough for your passport and boarding card. Colourful but still not hip enough for full moon parties on the ...

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Rohan Shimmer Shirt 2010

£45.00

The Rohan Shimmer Shirt is billed as ‘Technology disguised as clothing’, and it certainly is stylish. The material stretches, dries quickly, keeps the sun off and wicks perspiration away, but somehow it feels uncomfortable next to the skin. Try it on first, and if that’s not an issue for you there’s plenty to recommend it: hidden zip pockets, drying loops ...

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Vaude Samur 2010

£45.00

The Vaude Samur shirt is made from cocona – a coconut-derived fabric that is odour-resistant. It feels less instantly airy than other tops here but it is comfortable and offers a sun protection factor (SPF ) of 25. It’s a good, functional top that would work well on gentler walks and at the all-you-can eat hotel buffet. Review by Matt ...

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GoLite Parapoa 2010

£45.00

A hint of safari suit means you can pay homage to Steve Irwin with the GoLite Parapoa. This shirt is very cool (both climatically and sartorially) with one secure zipped pocket and little stretch to the material. It feels less run-of-the-mill than the majority here and is a great option although it’s not made for full days trekking. Review by ...

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Mountain Hardwear Ravine 2010

£45.00

If you’re looking for a short-sleeved shirt for a walking trip in a hot country the Mountain Hardwear Ravine is the best option. With mesh venting at the back and under the arms it will keep you cool yet still looks sufficiently non-techy to warrant being worn to the bar. Two zipped pockets on the chest add security and a ...

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Craghoppers Nosquito Susi 2010

£45.00

The Craghoppers Nosquito Susi is a very flattering shirt made of cotton: not ideal for a long day’s walking but the kind of thing I’d like to have in my pack for an evening exploring. There’s an internal zipped pocket at the chest and loops inside so you can hang it up to dry. No extra venting so although this ...

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Lowe Alpine Capricorn Shirt 2010

£45.00

With the Lowe Alpine Capricorn Shirt, European design sensibilities have led here to deliver a more cheerful design. It comes with an ultra-violet protection factor of 40, and promises to be easy to wash and dry. It has a zipped pocket at the chest and straps to shorten the sleeves to mid-bicep. No venting make this of limited appeal for ...

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Rohan Equator Shirt 2010

£45.00

One for the bar rather than the trail, the Rohan Equator Shirt is a lightweight, comfortable shirt with two zipped pockets at the chest and looped hangers inside allowing you to hang and dry it quickly. And if the sleeves aren’t short enough already you can even tie them back further to reveal the full magnitude of your ‘guns’ or ...

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Craghoppers Nosquito 2010

£45.00

The Craghoppers Nosquito is a cracking shirt that looks better than the majority of clothing aimed at the travel market. Made from ‘Nosquito’ material, it is designed to ward off bugs and with good venting on the back it should keep you cool. It has a sun protection factor (SPF ) of 40 and one hidden internal zipped pocket that ...

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Páramo Kea Light Shirt 2010

£46.00

While the cut and styling of the Páramo Kea Light Shirt hark back to colonial days, this is a hugely practical shirt that’s wicking and breathable enough for light trekking and comes with a host of secure features including two hidden zipped pockets and closely spaced buttons and collar to keep bugs out. It’s quick-drying and has a sun protection ...

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Páramo Sumaco Shirt 2010

£51.00

The Páramo Sumaco Shirt does feel like silk against your skin: it’s very cool and wonderfully comfortable. And it’s packed to the rafters with technical features including Velcro adjusters at the wrist and a hidden zipped pocket – but surprisingly there are no straps to shorten the sleeves. As with the men’s version the sizes do come up very large ...

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Haglöfs Lute Q 2010

£55.00

I expected the Haglöfs Lute Q top to be far prettier than it turned out to be once on. It looks rather like a bowling shirt and the shape didn’t flatter – but that might not be the case for you. The material is suitably cool and comfortable, and it comes with Polygiene odour control to keep you relatively fresh ...

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Haglöfs Neo Short Sleeve 2010

£55.00

The Haglöfs Neo Short Sleeve is made from quick-drying, recycled polyester that promises not to pong after a few days thanks to its Active Odor Control materials. A zipped chest pocket with mesh lining is both secure and aids venting. It won’t be what you want to wear up a hill, but it looks stylish enough for a full day’s ...

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The North Face Stretch Boulder 2010

£55.00

The North Face’s Stretch Boulder shirt is practical yet attractive and made from Vapourwick, which means it should cope well with the heat. It also comes with venting at the back to keep you cool, there’s a hidden zipped pocket in the seams and it’s made of 100 per cent recycled material. Sleeves can be long or short thanks to ...

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Mountain Equipment Orion Vest 2011

£70.00

The first thing that’s apparent about the Mountain Equipment Orion Vest is its rugged durability. The fabric is EXOlite II, which is hard-wearing as well as having four-way stretch for freedom of movement. It was one of the most water-resistant gilets in our test, and would certainly see off intermittent showers on the hill, as well as providing a breathable ...

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Berghaus Scorch Vest 2011

£75.00

The women’s Berghaus Scorch Vest is made mainly from Polartec Thermal Pro material, which is fleecy and soft to the touch. This fabric claims to trap body heat using lofted (fluffed-up) fibres, and if it’s ultimate cosiness you’re after, then it certainly feels snug to wear. The great advantage of fleece gilets such as the Scorch is that they’re highly ...

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Rab Generator Vest 2011

£75.00

A gilet that packs away into its own inner pocket and can be used as a camping pillow? You’ve got to admit that’s pretty cool. The Rab Generator Vest uses synthetic Primaloft to deliver damp-proof insulation. It doesn’t quite pack the warmth-per-gram punch of down, but it does hold up much better against our typical British mountain weather conditions. The ...

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Páramo Torres Gilet 2011

£78.00

Gilets are really useful as throw-on lunch stop insulation, so one designed specifically as an outer layer makes obvious sense. The Páramo Torres Gilet has a windproof, water-repellent Nikwax outer that can be treated to increase wet-weather performance – although our tests found that it was remarkably waterproof even without additional treatment. The fast-drying synthetic fill lends itself to use ...

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PHD Minimus Down Vest 2011

£125.00

If you feel the chill or have some serious cold-weather mountaineering planned then the PHD Minimus Down Vest is the right gilet for you. It uses high-quality 800 fill power down to deliver extreme warmth despite weighing a tiny 240g (size M). It also packs down seriously small, so it’s perfect for stashing in your pack for chilly lunch stops ...