Men's Original Airbase 120 mesh Bermuda shorts

“Airbase is one of those rare pieces of gear that combine lightness with excellent durability.”

Peyman Almar, Arctic nature adventurer

Airbase – the shorts you forget you're wearing

The men's Original Airbase 120 mesh Bermuda shorts are a next-to-skin mesh layer whose knit solves one of the toughest clothing challenges in exercise and outdoor activities: how to stay dry and comfortable when your body keeps warming up and cooling down. The loops of the 120 g/m² mesh knit breathe and trap air, which cools you when it's hot and insulates you when it's colder. The fabric feels light on your skin, almost as if you weren't wearing anything at all, yet it still regulates your temperature.

Airbase doesn't absorb moisture. Instead, it wicks it away to the layers on top, so you stay dry the whole time. No wet, chilled lower body, no damp fabric against your skin. Just a dry, light feel that lets you focus on what you're doing.

The 100% polypropylene in Airbase is treated to resist odour. So when you take the shorts off in the afternoon, you're not greeted by that familiar sportswear smell. They feel as fresh as when you put them on. The treatment sits in the core of the fibre, so the odour-resistant effect lasts for the whole life of the shorts and doesn't wash out.

Airbase mesh Bermuda shorts come with a 100-day satisfaction guarantee. We want to give you time to try them properly: wear them as you normally would for 100 days. If you're not happy with them for any reason, you'll get your money back.

Pro-tested Airbase 120 mesh Bermuda shorts for any situation

These close-fitting but stretchy men's mesh Bermuda shorts move with you without feeling tight. Squat, lift your leg or climb, and the shorts follow your movements instead of stretching out of shape or holding you back. The anatomically shaped design ensures freedom of movement and a good fit whatever your thigh size, so you won't notice them whether you're on the move or standing still.

The rib knit at the front adds extra protection and coverage without affecting how the mesh knit works. The mesh knit around the seat and thighs ventilates effectively and helps keep your skin dry, even on long trips when your lower body has time to sweat as much as your upper body. The soft, flexible elastic waistband with the Svala logo stops the shorts slipping down, so you don't have to keep pulling them back up as you move or reach under your layers to adjust them. And it won't leave a red mark on your waist.

The longer, Bermuda-length legs protect your thighs and make layering more comfortable. You don't have to worry about your outer trousers rubbing bare skin or leaving marks on your thighs after a long day. All seams are soft flatlock seams that lie flat and won't chafe your skin, even with repeated wear.

Wear the Airbase mesh Bermuda shorts as your first layer, under everything else. In the Svala AIR System™, these shorts are the Zero Layer: the moisture-wicking layer next to your skin. In freezing weather, for example, add a Base Layer on top for extra warmth, such as the Merino Extreme base layer bottoms. Pair the Airbase mesh Bermuda shorts with an Airbase mesh T-shirt or Airbase mesh shirt to keep your whole body warm and dry.

Thoughts from the designer

“The first layer for your lower body is often the forgotten part of layering. I wanted to design men's shorts where fit, freedom of movement and the right choice of materials show in every detail. The rib knit at the front gives coverage where it's needed, and the mesh knit breathes freely everywhere else. A good first layer isn't the one you notice. It's the one you forget.”

Ninni Pohto, designer at Svala

Polypropylene mesh: a material refined over decades

Polypropylene is a fibre that wicks moisture away from your skin instead of absorbing it. In practice, this means your skin doesn't stay damp after you've been sweating, the shorts don't cling to your thighs, and a cold wind doesn't chill you to the bone when you stop for a break. You stay dry even when you're pushing hard and, more importantly, afterwards too.

A silver-ion treatment in the core of the fibre prevents bacteria from multiplying, so your shorts stay odour-free and fresh for a long time. That means you can pack one pair for a trip instead of five. The treatment is applied during manufacturing and lasts for the whole life of the shorts, so it doesn't lose its effect in the wash.

The 3D mesh knit in Airbase is very stretchy and follows the shape of your body. Its structure creates air pockets against your skin, and the trapped air cools you when it's hot and warms you when it's cold. It works like a small regulating system on your skin, running in the background however active you are. During strenuous exercise, Airbase works in temperatures as low as −15 °C. In colder weather, we recommend adding Svala Merino Extreme base layer bottoms on top as a second layer for extra warmth.

The Original Airbase 120 mesh Bermuda shorts are made from 100% polypropylene, which can be fully recycled into new raw material at the end of its life. Before that, you'll get years of wear out of them. They're made at the Svala factory in Kärsämäki, Finland, with skills refined over decades.

Mesh base layer developed in Finland for Finnish weather

Packing your rucksack for a weekend trip where temperatures change from morning to evening? Hiking to a lean-to shelter to grill sausages? Hauling in nets on an icy lake? Airbase is made for moments like these.

Products in the Original Airbase collection suit almost any hobby on land, on water and in the air, as well as leisure time outside. Your gear no longer decides how much you enjoy being outdoors.

Airbase Bermuda shorts are at their best:

• At work
• Hiking and trekking
• Running
• Cycling
• Cross-country skiing
• Canoeing or boating
• Fishing and ice fishing
• Everyday wear

Svala's 3D mesh knit was developed in Finland and has been tested in professional use for decades. In other words, it has proven itself on people who show their clothes no mercy: on long shifts, on week-long wilderness trips, and in wet, cold conditions where your gear decides how comfortable your day is. If the shorts have stood up to them, they'll stand up to you too.