7Mesh Revo shorts review

Canadian brand 7Mesh’s Revos are among the priciest waterproof shorts on the market. However, they boast the brand's signature attention to detail, as well as a premium Gore-Tex waterproof fabric.

The shorts have been designed with durability in mind. They include a seat panel that minimises seams in the highest-wear areas, and high-quality fittings throughout.

The lack of zipped pockets is a drawback, but otherwise the 7Mesh shorts justify the high price.

7Mesh Revo shorts details and specification

7Mesh relies on Gore for its fabric, in the shape of the Gore-Tex Active 3L material. It has a slightly soft finish, but isn’t particularly stretchy.

The fabric is light in weight, but doesn’t feel fragile in the hand.

The waist is closed with a single popper and a zipped fly, while it’s hemmed in with a pair of clips on either side. Belt loops are provided, if you prefer to go with a belt.

As you’d expect, all the seams are taped to keep water out. 7Mesh has created the main seat panel out of a single piece of material, though. This means there’s no central seam through the crotch; instead, there’s one either side of where the shorts meet the saddle. This is done to improve durability.

The shorts have a long cut over the top of the knee to keep the thighs and knee pads drier, but they're cut shorter behind the knee to prevent bunching or annoying rubbing. There’s a hint of pre-shaping, mirroring the bend of the knee, for further improved fit.

There are two pockets over the thigh. They don’t feature a zipped closure, however drain holes at their base mean water can escape easier, if they start to fill up.

7Mesh Revo shorts performance

The Gore-Tex Active 3L material has proved effective in testing, with the shorts keeping my upper legs dry throughout testing, and with minimal sweat build-up.

As with any technical material, care is key, so chucking these in with your normal wash is likely to degrade performance faster.

Despite going through the wash a number of times, the material’s DWR coating has remained in place, with raindrops beading properly. The material is yet to wet-out even in higher-wear areas around the seat.

The cut is performance-oriented, but has its quirks.

The top of the leg is long, and so sits further over the top of the knee than any other shorts I’ve tested. This means in prolonged rain, the thighs stay dry, and much more water is kept off the top of your knee pads. As such, it takes longer for water to soak up the pads to your thighs.

At the back of the knee, the shorts are cut away more, so there’s less contact with the top of your calf. Given how long the top of the leg is, it’s not surprising there’s still some calf contact – I’d take the advantage the tops give over the slight annoyance at the back.

However, the overall volume of the leg, lower down, is higher than some. I feel a slightly tighter cut wouldn’t go amiss, and there’d be less fabric flapping around if so.

The crotch area has a slightly odd fit on me, with the material a little bunched and pulled closer to my body than I’m used to. This isn't noticeable on the bike, though.

At the back of the waist, there are shorts that go higher up your back than the Revos, so I'd advise pairing them with a deeper-drop jacket, if you can.

The waist has minimal stretch, so I didn’t tighten the waist adjustments as much as I would on shorts with more stretch. Despite this, and even though there are no silicone grippers in the waist, I didn’t find the shorts worked their way down. Nor did I find them uncomfortable.

Off the bike (where performance is perhaps less important), I’d say the Revos look a little awkward, with their long legs and close-cut crotch. How much this matters to you will be a personal thing, though.

Finishing touches

The pockets are well-placed. They’re not the deepest around – my Google Pixel 6 phone takes up the bulk of the height of the pocket – and another inch would be nice.

However, with my phone in my pocket, the shorts don't squash my device against my thigh despite the Gore fabric having minimal stretch.

I would have liked the pockets to be zipped. This would offer additional peace of mind, especially for smaller items such as keys. While I haven't lost any yet, I have found myself finding more secure places to store them.

The pockets have a small drainage hole at the bottom to let water drain out in a downpour.

The hardware on the shorts – the poppers, zips and waist clips – are all seemingly of good quality, with reassuring clicks and snaps.

How do the 7Mesh Revo shorts compare to other waterproof shorts?

The 7Mesh Revos are much pricier than the majority of waterproof shorts. This, though, is reflected in their high-grade material and excellent construction.

After extensive wearing of a range of shorts, as well as numerous washes, I tested the effectiveness of the materials in the shower. I found 7Mesh’s shorts wetted out less than the others, and didn’t leak at all.

The cut works well on the bike, though leg volume is higher than many other shorts. However, off the bike I found the Revos the most awkward looking.

7Mesh Revo shorts bottom line

The Revos are expensive shorts, suited to the committed wet-weather rider who wants the ultimate in performance, and is prepared to pay.

Though there are areas of the cut I would change, that doesn’t overtly impact on the otherwise impressive performance.