TRAVEL IN STYLE: The Travel Shirt Review

Exploring Elements

Supporting Sponsor
It’s important when traveling the globe, whether that be by air, boat, car, truck or motorcycle, to have a quality shirt on your back. A versatile shirt, which works as well hiking the jungles of Costa Rica as it does hitting up a night clubs in Dubai, is key, as no matter your mode of travel, you have limited capacity to carry clothes. I’m very picky about what clothing travels with me on my 4 wheeled overland adventures, and even more so when I travel by air or motorcycle. Check out the full review:
http://www.exploringelements.com/travel-style-travel-shirt-review/

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Life's too short to take these kind of things too seriously, so I present to you "Blue Steel":cool:
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HUGE shout out to Adventure Driven for the quality photography in this piece!
 

haven

Expedition Leader
I have travelled extensively in South America with Ex Officio shirts and trousers. Thumbs up.

Back in the day, Brooks Brothers 100% cotton broadcloth dress shirts were standard equipment for research teams in the tropics. They wear like iron, breathe well in jungle humidity, and are thick enough to keep many species of biting insects at bay.
 

Hilldweller

SE Expedition Society

Exploring Elements

Supporting Sponsor
I just found this thread, was a super fun trip Brian, can't wait till our next adventure :)

Seth

Can't wait Seth! This for sure was the most fun head to head gear review shoot I've done. Wouldn't have been nearly as good without your expert photography skills. Cheers... Bryon
 

Stumpalump

Expedition Leader
An unwashed wrinkled new shirt on a guy that poses like a skinny girl on a runway in Paris. Who are you marketing too? I need one that I can wash in the rocks with bar soap, wear dry and not be starched and wrinkled looking during an expedition. How about rubber buttons so I don't get entrapped? Zip pocket so I don't loose my PLB. Sell me on why this shirt is expo ready besides planting it on a model.

Edit to be nicer but here is your video!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P5mtclwloEQ
 
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Exploring Elements

Supporting Sponsor
An unwashed wrinkled new shirt on a guy that poses like a skinny girl on a runway in Paris. Who are you marketing too? I need one that I can wash in the rocks with bar soap, wear dry and not be starched and wrinkled looking during an expedition. How about rubber buttons so I don't get entrapped? Zip pocket so I don't loose my PLB. Sell me on why this shirt is expo ready besides planting it on a model.

Edit to be nicer but here is your video!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P5mtclwloEQ

Really not sure where you're coming from here. All the shirts are well used and clean. They are shown in real world conditions, where they are clean and come straight out of my cloths storage bag in my overland camper. I am the "skinny girl" "model", which is to say I'm a tall skinny athletic guy who has been on the road traveling nearly 6 years full time in an overland vehicle. I have however never been on an "expedition," as I'm not a scientist, haven't discovered a lost tribe, haven't been to the first to a remote part of the globe, etc...

Few questions:
-You get entrapped in your shirts unless they have rubber buttons??? No clue where you're going with that one.
-Many of these shirts have zippered pockets, as outlined in the review. Why would you be carrying a PLB in your shirt??? I carry an inReach on all of my adventures, but have never wanted it in my shirt. I carry it on the windshield of my truck, in my chest pocket of my moto jacket or in my backpack when I'm sking/snowboarding/mtn biking/trail running/etc...

PS: The one open shirt shot is just there for comedic value, as I think it's important to have fun with these types of reviews and not be to serious.
 

krick3tt

Adventurer
Hard to please everyone. I do, although, prefer the shirts with the button/tab to keep the sleeve up when rolled. In looking at my stash of travel wear I find that there are almost no shirts without that feature, The zipper pocket closure, especially one under the flap front pocket, are more to my liking to keep items from accidentally falling out. Great for a passport. I did find find some good shirts branded K-WAY in South Africa on one of my travels that are quick dry and easy wash in a small pan of water.
Thanks for the humor shot.

watched the last posted video...did not get ANY connection to your shirt post.
 
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Stumpalump

Expedition Leader
Rubber buttons are the best. If you snag your shirt or spill something like gas on it you can rip it right open without getting stuck in it. Think diving in a lake and getting hooked on an abandon trot line or climbing on a bridge, rock ledge or whatever and getting snagged. They never break and will pull loose before they pull the threads, rip the shirt and get lost. They don't scratch surfaces or dig into you. They don't get damaged or snagged when you hoist up a load of fire wood or hoist yourself over a wall, fence, dock, boulder or tree. They make a shirt tuffer. On the other hand a pic of you showing your petite size panty waistband on a site dedicated to rugged outdoor expedition and travel does not.
 

perterra

Adventurer
Rubber buttons are the best. If you snag your shirt or spill something like gas on it you can rip it right open without getting stuck in it. Think diving in a lake and getting hooked on an abandon trot line or climbing on a bridge, rock ledge or whatever and getting snagged. They never break and will pull loose before they pull the threads, rip the shirt and get lost. They don't scratch surfaces or dig into you. They don't get damaged or snagged when you hoist up a load of fire wood or hoist yourself over a wall, fence, dock, boulder or tree. They make a shirt tuffer. On the other hand a pic of you showing your petite size panty waistband on a site dedicated to rugged outdoor expedition and travel does not.

Been drinkin?
 

Exploring Elements

Supporting Sponsor
Most of the boutique shirts only come in girl sizing...
I'm 6'5" and have been pounding iron for 40 years. I need a shirt that's BIG around the chest/shoulders.
I have a few Columbia shirts but they usually rip from the stress after a couple of months in service.

Only Duluth Trading has held up so far.
http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/mens/mens-shirts/13266.aspx Hot weather
http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/mens/mens-shirts/72508.aspx Buggy environment

Have a look at some of the new stuff 5.11 Tactical is putting out. They look really good and look to be made super durable. They have a value line and a high end feature rich line, but both seem to be built to last. They showed them at Outdoor Retailer Show this year.
 

Exploring Elements

Supporting Sponsor
Hard to please everyone. I do, although, prefer the shirts with the button/tab to keep the sleeve up when rolled. In looking at my stash of travel wear I find that there are almost no shirts without that feature, The zipper pocket closure, especially one under the flap front pocket, are more to my liking to keep items from accidentally falling out. Great for a passport. I did find find some good shirts branded K-WAY in South Africa on one of my travels that are quick dry and easy wash in a small pan of water.
Thanks for the humor shot.

watched the last posted video...did not get ANY connection to your shirt post.

For sure not going to please everyone ;)

Every shirt in this review has the roll up sleeve button/tab. For sure a nice feature, but honestly not something I use much. The TAD Tradecraft is the only shirt in this review that does not have a zippered pocket, something I again don't use much, but find to be a quality feature on a travel shirt.

I think the video that was posted was suppose to be funny, as in "I'm too sexy for my shirt," in reference to the humor shot I included.
 

Exploring Elements

Supporting Sponsor
Rubber buttons are the best. If you snag your shirt or spill something like gas on it you can rip it right open without getting stuck in it. Think diving in a lake and getting hooked on an abandon trot line or climbing on a bridge, rock ledge or whatever and getting snagged. They never break and will pull loose before they pull the threads, rip the shirt and get lost. They don't scratch surfaces or dig into you. They don't get damaged or snagged when you hoist up a load of fire wood or hoist yourself over a wall, fence, dock, boulder or tree. They make a shirt tuffer. On the other hand a pic of you showing your petite size panty waistband on a site dedicated to rugged outdoor expedition and travel does not.

The rubber button thing is not something I've ever looked for on a shirt, but interesting that it is so important to you. I'll keep it in mind when looking at shirts. The Montane shirt has plastic snap closures instead of buttons, which I think will do most things you are asking of the rubber buttons.

My site, Exploring Elements, is about outdoor adventure and overland travel. I'm sorry that showing a humorous picture of my athletic skinny self with my shirt open, with my technical boxer's waist band showing (reviewed here: http://www.exploringelements.com/review-all-underwear-is-not-created-equal/), is not "rugged" enough for you. Everything in this shirt review is relative and authentic to an athletic active overland traveler.
 

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