>>2248409I wear hemp. It sucks compared to wool or linen, but is good enough and much cheaper. But most of the year, I go topless as soon as I'm out of town.
>I've read that mesh works well for trapping air underneath a midlayer and wicking sweat.That's complete bullshit. Mesh never traps air, it creates pockets for the midlayer to trap air. And whether it effectively wicks sweat depends on the material, but it's never going o be as effective as regular clothing of the same material.
What mesh is great at, however, is evaporating sweat, since it has more surface. Which is why mesh shirts (without anything over them) are so good for hot climates - they cool the average, hairless femboy more effectively than even being naked would, and for us hairy men, they cool about as well while also looking slightly more socially acceptable.
The reason mesh is so popular in the scandinavian outdoor scene is that their forests are dense and people usually wear a thick, water- and thornproof outer layer made from cheap synthetics. To make that halfway decent, you need a wool underlayer, and a full pullover would be to bulky. Originally, they were using thin, knitted wool underwear, and more recently, some have begun using wool / synthetics blend mesh clothing instead.
But if you don't have to hack you way through blackberries regularly, a good wool pullover with ellbow and shoulder patches or a sheep's fur jacket work just as well as mesh + outer layer, and are much cheaper as well as longer lasting than any mesh shirt will ever be.
