Hiking shirt - help me out

I've always struggled in that high 40s to 60s temps, with or without wind. While actually hiking, the body heat does the job, but once stopped? Bring out the wind shell. In true Winter conditions, I just resigned myself to either overheating, or being cool. I'll be watching this to see what gets recommended.

If such an animal exists, I'd like to know as well. For wind resistance and breatheability during aerobic activity, I still tend to think that layering is the way to go. That said, there are a few intriguing products from Patagonia that I have been eying lately. One is the Houdini Air, a lightweight (4oz) windshirt that also purports to be highly breatheable. This would likely be a very compact, lightweight, and versatile layering piece. The other is the R1 Techface, which is basically an R1 that purports to have enhanced wind protection.  None of these are really what you are describing.  

I am not sure if this fills the bill but I will throw it in because I use it biking A LOT. Uniqlo makes a Pocketable UV Protection Parka. It weighs 6.2 Oz, 6.5 with stuff sack, is made of soft water-shedding (not waterproof) nylon, has a full zip and a hood. $40, when they have them, which is seasonal. I bought it because it was cheap and looked interesting, but I get a lot of use out of it. It seems superficially similar to the Houdini Air, a bit heavier, a lot cheaper.

I use it alone in the warm summer or over a base layer when it's cool summer, and it's always in my backpack for days when I didn't wear quite enough--in the winter I usually wear long sleeve tech (also Uniqlo), and fleece with a light Eddie Bauer (also $40) puffy and if I'm underdressed in the 20sF it goes on top to break the wind and saves the day. So with that, fleece, a tech base, and the light puffy I'm good from about 25F up, on my bike.

On uniqlo.com they always have it listed three or four places, and you have to check them all in all sizes and colors to see what's really available. I'm 5'9", 175#, and size L is perfect. I have the grey, which is more like silver, and is good in warm sun.

Down to about 40 I will end up in shirt sleeves while hiking—usually a standard ExOfficio or similar button-up, though lately I’ve been experimenting with sun hoodies in cooler weather. By mid-50s, that’s too hot for me, but at lower temps it is really nice, and I like being able to pull up the hood when the breeze kicks up. I bought mine from Amazon for about 20 bucks.

Breathability and wind resistance tend to be on opposite sides of a similar curve - the more something breathes, the less it resists wind.

For moderate to warmer weather, it might be worth a look at Royal Robbins' long sleeve button-down shirts. The weaves are tighter than any fleece, they use various synthetic fabrics, they sell different weight fabrics, some that seem better suited for summer, others that are more like a light synthetic 'flannel' except no cotton. they tend to wick moisture well and dry quickly. I don't think of them as particularly wind-resistant, but like some cotton canvas shirts, they work in a light breeze.

Also worthwhile, Eddie Bauer/First Ascent makes a line of stretchy soft shells, i'll call them 'the sandstones' because there are a number of different kinds. some are waterproof, others water resistant. I gave one of these to my brother as a gift - lightweight/uninsulated, his had some water resistance but is not waterproof, stops some wind but not as much as a hard shell, vents moisture better than most hard shells. easy to wear over a short or long sleeve base layer. It has been a favorite of his for years.

Another option, really best when the temps dip into the 40s and below for me, are the air-permeable jackets with synthetic puffy insulation - Arcteryx Atom, Patagonia Nano Air, Outdoor Research Shadow and others like them. They stop some wind but allow a fair amount of air to move through, so they vent moisture pretty well, and work in a pretty wide range of cooler temperatures. They're insulated, my limit with these if i'm actively moving uphill is around 45-50 degrees worn over a light wicking t shirt. you can wear more robust layers underneath and/or a wind shell over them and be comfortable hiking in freezing weather.

i tend to not like 'windstopper' fleece options for hiking up anything moderate to difficult or for warmer weather. they block most wind, but as a result, they don't breathe much better than a hard shell. for me, they are a recipe for overheating. also, they're heavy and don't stuff well into a backpack.

In that scenario I wear a fleece vest over this:
www.railriders.com/versatac-shirt-p-3516.html?cPath=104_111

The vents mean the shirt itself is very well ventilated.

If a “windshirt” sort of thing to replace or supplement fleece, I’d go with a dedicated windshirt over some sort of wicking crewneck or zip-t.

All the following are fully zipped. Enlightened Equipment makes one in various thicknesses of nylon at about 2-3 Oz including a hood. Made to order but they sometimes have some “in stock”. Patagonia Houdini and the like are a bit heavier (but not as breathable) at 4 Oz (with hood). The Arcteryx Squamish Is a bit heavier but is a little stretchy. May be more breathable though. The standard used to be a lined Marmot Ether, but I’d go with a lighter baselayer shirt underneath. Loved mine bye lighter options were available.

With a 1/4 zip, Patagonia offers the Houdini Air which had a nice balance between breathability, windproofing, and stretch.