Zorali Air-Grid Fleece Review | A Performace Fleece With No Frills

If you’re like me and find it challenging to achieve the perfect balance between warmth and airflow while hiking – or on any outdoor adventures – then settle in and keep reading to learn about the game-changing Zorali Air-Grid Fleece.

I recently had the good fortune of testing this lightweight performance fleece and – spoiler alert – it far exceeded my expectations. The Zorali Air-Grid Fleece is not only an exceptionally breathable and comfortable base or mid-layer, but it’s also super compact, lightweight, and constructed entirely from recycled materials!

But don’t just take my word for it. In this post, I’ve dived deep into every aspect of the Zorali Air-Grid Fleece, offering detailed insights and my honest feedback for each component. This will help you confidently determine whether the Air-Grid Fleece is the right pick for you as well.

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My Honest Review Of The Zorali Air-Grid Fleece

Quick Info

Price: $140
Material: 100% recycled microgrid fleece
Weight: 314g (size M men’s)
Pockets: Massive kangaroo pocket
Colours: Charcoal, Orange, Sage, Blue, Mustard, Grey, Deep Red
Sustainability: 100% Recycled materials
Warranty: Lifetime Warranty
Returns: 30-day returns policyActivity: Hiking / Climbing / Everyday

The Zorali Air-Grid Fleece is a pullover hooded performance fleece engineered to optimise airflow against your body. This ultimately means that the design effectively traps more heat, enhances breathability, and boosts moisture-wicking capabilities. Plus, it’s made entirely from recycled plastic waste!

While there are plenty of performance fleeces on the market, such as the Arcteryx Delta Fleece, it’s rare to find one in Australia that balances comfort and casual style with high performance – and excels at it, I might add.

Who Is The Zorali Air-Grid Fleece For?

Thanks to its relaxed and ultra-comfortable design, the Zorali Air-Grid Fleece appeals to adventurers of all kinds, from the hardcore to the casual.

The Air-Grid Fleece especially excels as an active mid-layer for backcountry snow trips and alpine hiking. Its compact size and lightweight design contribute to its appeal, along with its quick-drying and moisture-wicking properties – which are essential for these kinds of activities.

Warmth

The Zorali Air-Grid Fleece is constructed with microfleece, which is renowned for offering warmth without adding bulk. The Air-Grid Fleece aims to trap body heat while also ensuring airflow and moisture-wicking to keep you comfortable and prevent excessive sweating, and I believe it performs exceptionally well. 

As soon as I put it on, I feel warm without overheating, enabling me to continue wearing it while hiking for longer than most fleece jackets. Of course, a standard mid-pile fleece offers more warmth, but I find that these heavier fleeces trap too much heat, gradually becoming unbearably hot.

In contrast, the Air-Grid Fleece regulates heat much better, keeping me sufficiently warm while moving without dying in a pool of sweat!

For someone like me, who tends to run hot, this level of fleece is perfect. While I enjoy my heavier fleeces for relaxing at camp, I often find myself starting the day freezing in just a Merino t-shirt because most mid-layers I’ve owned cause me to heat up too quickly.

Size & Fit Of The Zorali Air Grid Fleece

Performance fleeces typically feature a slim fit, contouring the body to eliminate cold spots and boost efficiency. The Zorali Air-Grid Fleece follows this trend but blends it with a relaxed style to offer increased comfort.

What this means is the Air-Grid fits snugly to my body without causing any restriction or looking too tight. There is enough material in all the right places and the stretchability is fantastic, allowing for completely free movement. It’s also slightly longer than most competing performance fleeces, which I find works better when wearing a backpack.

This slim, yet stretchy design makes it easy to layer on top and underneath without any discomfort. I usually wear the Air-Grid Fleece over a Merino t-shirt while hiking and then throw a down jacket over the top at camp.

I only have one small gripe with the fit, which involves the thumbholes. The thumbholes fit slightly tight and don’t provide much stretch. This increases longevity, but it does prevent them from being as comfortable as I would have liked.

Regarding the size of the Zorali Air-Grid Fleece, I chose the medium after consulting the size guide – I was on the cusp of small and medium. I am 175 cm tall, weigh roughly 74 kg and have relatively broad shoulders and chest. The medium offers a little extra room underneath without feeling too big, but I have read some reviews that state they would have gone up a size if they had known how tight it would be. 

Weight Of The Zorali Air Grid Fleece

The Zorali Air-Grid Fleece weighs 314 g for the men’s medium, placing it comfortably in the mid-range among performance fleeces. In comparison, the much-loved Patagonia R1 Air hooded jacket is slightly heavier at 366 g, while The North Face’s Summit Series Futurefleece hooded jacket weighs an impressive 208 g.

However, where Zorali truly shines is in the ability to produce a competitive jacket at significantly lower prices than the ones mentioned above. Other than the lack of a zippered chest pocket and going with a pullover style (which I prefer), there really isn’t much difference between these fleeces.

Honestly, I’m loving the transition from my bulkier heavyweight fleeces. It’s not just the reduced pack weight that’s appealing, but also the comfort of wearing a lighter fleece with thinner material. Plus, the more compact packed size is a bonus.

Packability

Another huge benefit of a lightweight microgrid fleece is the great space savings you’ll gain in your hiking backpack.

The Zorali Air-Grid Fleece rolls up almost as small as a Nalgene bottle, making it super easy to throw in your bag no matter what the adventure calls for. I use it as an outer layer (along with my rain jacket, of course) on hot summer hikes, or as a mid-layer to accompany my down jacket for a more attuned layering system on colder treks.

Comfort Of The Zorali Air Grid Fleece

Fleeces are known for their superior comfort, there’s nothing better than slipping into a big cosy camping fleece after a day of hiking. But I was super surprised by just how comfortable the thinner Zorali Air-Grid Fleece feels. 

The recycled microgrid fleece material is extremely soft against my skin, and the design is more like your favourite hoody rather than a performance fleece. This gives me the feel of a cosy fleece but without the added bulk or weight of a heavyweight fleece.

For me, who runs hot, this fleece offers the perfect balance between comfort and warmth. I can wear it almost year-round – with my down jacket on colder nights – and thanks to the offset seams around the shoulders and the high-stretch material, it doesn’t feel restricting whatsoever when I’m hiking with a heavy backpack.

Breathability

Performance micro-grid fleeces are well known for their incredibly high breathability properties, and the Zorali Air-Grid Fleece nails this component with ease.

The Zorali Air-Grid Fleece is constructed with a blend of low and mid-pile recycled microgrid fleece and this combination creates a fabric that is fantastic at trapping your body heat while still allowing fresh air to move through. This essentially keeps your temperature regulated for those active days.

I definitely sweat more than the average person and tend to run hot, even during the coldest hikes. Before the Air-Grid Fleece, I always ended up hiking in just a shirt because anything else would cause me to overheat. Now, I can honestly say that I comfortably walk in this lightweight fleece on cold days without overheating.

Weather Protection

Being a fleece jumper, the Zorali Air-Grid obviously isn’t waterproof and should be paired with a rain jacket for wet hikes.

However, it has an extremely quick drying time (it felt dry taking it out of the washing machine!) and takes a while to start absorbing water, which allowed me to continue wearing it in a light misty rain without bothering to put on my rain jacket.

Where fleeces generally fall short in the weather protection department, and the Air-Grid is no exception, is in windy conditions.

This is especially apparent for lightweight fleeces, which are by no means designed as a windbreaker. The wind can cut through the breathable material with ease, causing you to freeze when the weather turns south. However, this is easily resolved by packing a rain jacket, like the XTM Takayna or The North Face Dryzzle, which are naturally windbreakers as well.

Durability & Build Quality

Fleece jackets are renowned for their durability and performance in rugged outdoor conditions. We’ve brushed against rough rocks and spiky shrubs in our previous fleece jackets without a single tear or snag.

Although I haven’t worn the Zorali Air-Grid Fleece extensively enough to confidently claim it will endure years of heavy abuse, it has already held strong during overgrown forest walks near Newcastle and off-track adventures in the rocky Blue Mountains. This reassures me that this lightweight fleece is tougher than it appears.

Moreover, the build quality and design of the Air-Grid fleece have further inspired great confidence that it will have a long life with me – despite its lightweight nature. This stitching and seams are constructed impeccably and kept to a minimum, reducing potential failure points.

With all that said, I suspect that due to its lightweight design, this fleece may not match the durability of some of my heavier fleeces, like my beloved XTM Solo Fleece, but I am confident it will put up a good fight nonetheless.

Features On The Zorali Air Grid Fleece

Hood

The Zorali Air-Grid Fleece features an adjustable hood with a high neckline, providing extra warmth on chilly nights or enhanced sun protection during alpine expeditions.

I have found that the hood fits perfectly and is incredibly comfortable. It follows the curve of my head, sitting snug and secure even without cinching the drawcord at the neck. Furthermore, it maintains its perfect fit over a hat or beanie, thanks to the stretchy fabric.

As I mentioned briefly above, there is a cinch cord at the neck that tightens the hood around your face. This feature is fantastic for high winds or winter excursions, as the design keeps your ears warm and can also serve as a neck warmer.

Pockets

There is one enormous cosy kangaroo pocket on the Air-Grid Fleece that extends from the middle right down to the hem.

Honestly, I’m not sure why you would need such a big pocket – I can literally fit the Zorali Summit Seeker Tent and a Jetboil Sumo in there – but I do appreciate that it begins high enough to be used to keep my hands warm even while hiking with a backpack.

Many other performance fleece’s, like the Macpac Ion, have just one zippered chest pocket and no handwarmer pockets. This suits some hikers, but I find that I rarely put anything in the zippered chest pockets, though I always warm my hands in the Air-Grid Fleece.

Thumb holes

The Zorali Air-Grid Fleece is equipped with thumb holes at the end of the sleeve. This feature is beneficial for keeping your hands warmer and also securing the sleeves in place when wearing gloves or lots of layers.

I generally don’t use thumbholes as personally, I’ve always found them to be a little uncomfortable – especially under gloves. But compared to other thumbholes, they are just as comfortable.

The only issue with these thumbholes is that they’re slightly too small for me. I have relatively large thumbs for my size – though they’re not overly large for the average male – and I find they cut into my hand.

For me, this isn’t a deal breaker because as I mentioned above, I don’t often use them anyway.

Sustainability

The Zorali Air-Grid Fleece is constructed from 100% recycled microgrid fleece, making it highly sustainable. But that’s not even the half of it!

In its short 5 years of life, Zorali has kicked so many sustainability goals – it makes you wonder why it’s so hard for larger companies to follow suit!? They are B-Corp Certified, Climate Neutral Certified, and partners of 1% For The Planet.

Zorali is a small Australian brand that has begun its journey with thoughtfulness and kick-ass products, which is why we absolutely love supporting them!

For more information about their sustainability efforts, click here.

Value Of The Zorali Air Grid Fleece

The Air-Grid fleece offers exceptional value compared to major brands like Arcteryx and The North Face, boasting a price tag that’s nearly halved. While most performance fleeces typically cost over $200 AUD, the Air-Grid Fleece is just $140 AUD.

There are some other lightweight performance fleeces that offer closer competition to Zorali, like the Macpac Ion which costs $115 AUD when it isn’t on sale, but I believe that the Air-Grid Fleece offers more bang for your buck compared to the Ion and other similar lightweight 1/4 zip fleeces with no hood or handwarmer pockets.

My Experience With The Zorali Air-Grid Fleece

Why I Chose The Zorali Air-Grid Fleece

Maintaining an optimal temperature while hiking is a constant struggle for me, especially on big ascents. I often find myself sweating excessively if I wear anything more than a lightweight t-shirt.

This was my main concern when searching for a lightweight fleece, along with finding something that could double as a casual jumper and didn’t cost $200 – $300 AUD like most other performance fleeces.

The Zorali Air-Grid Fleece ticked all these boxes and more, with a very attractive price tag to boot. This lightweight fleece had loads of great reviews, so I was confident that I was going to get top-quality gear.

Furthermore, I really like Zorali as a company and love supporting small local businesses that are trying to make the industry better.

How It Performs

From my experience so far, I am impressed with the Zorali Air-Grid Fleece. It has exceeded my expectations regarding breathability, warmth and comfort. I honestly live in it when the weather is cooler, both at home and on the trails, and I can’t wait to test in the alpine regions of Australia and New Zealand.

The only factor I cannot comment on just yet is the longevity as it’s still rather new. However, based on the quality and the countless positive reviews I’ve read, I am confident that this jumper will be with me for years.

Where Do I Wear My Zorali Air-Grid Fleece Jumper?

The better question is, where won’t I wear the Zorali Air-Grid Fleece!?

This is my new go-to fleece for anything from a short day hike to a multi-day expedition in the mountains. It works perfectly for an outer layer in summer, a mid-layer in cooler weather, and a base layer in freezing conditions.

Final Thoughts

If you’re searching for a lightweight performance fleece that offers a more casual look and feel, then you will love the Zorali Air-Grid Fleece. It offers all the benefits of a performance fleece while still looking stylish enough to wear casually to the beach or around town.

I honestly cannot fault the Air-Grid Fleece and it has truly become my favourite hoody. However, you can rest assured that I will update this review if my opinions change on any aspect of the fleece.

I hope this guide has helped you decide whether the Zorali Air-Grid Fleece is the right choice for you. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to drop a comment below or reach out via Instagram.

Happy Adventuring 🙂