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Summer Is Here; Time For Safari Shirts!

Phog Allen

Phog Allen

Good evening chaps. Summer is here in cattle country. I dispute the calenders which claim summer starts around the twenty-first of June. If you live between the Big Muddy and the Rockies you know exactly what I speak of. A certain blend of heat and humidity that will wear you down to a frazzle. In my miscreant youth I always approached the issue with cotton T shirts. Effective but a bit tacky for a bloke who just turned fifty. I do not feel as comfortable in them anymore though I certainly wear them around the gaff. I like the looks and comfort of lightweight safari style shirts for warmer weather. And at my age I no longer receive the odd looks they drew in the past. The 'privilege' of aging I suppose.

Anyroad, I posted about this a couple of years ago and a few men mentioned some newer materials they thought were superior to the generic cotton shirts I have always purchased. Would someone care to offer some information about these newer wonder fibres? Mind, I am one of those who sweats if it gets much above 18-20(65F) degrees outside. So lightweight and wicking ability are of concern. Mind, this old dog may be willing to try new materials but colours are pretty much entrenched. British Tan, American khaki, and some that have a touch of green in them but light hues only. In other words, light earthen colours. Epaulets? Do you need to ask? So please discuss and help me along.

Cheers, Todd
 
Cuttingboard

Cuttingboard

Filson's website has some on sale. I had one that I would wear when I went to the farm.

I wear a lot of linen shirts in the summer.
 
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Phog Allen

Phog Allen

Well lads, if what I am seeing and reading is accurate then Filson is off the list for these shirts. First they are not available at Filson anymore. A pretty thorough search of their web site does not return the classic at all. Oh they have shirts in the safari weight cloth but not the safari style. And to add more insult they no longer list the "Bush jacket" on the site. They made that jacket for decades. I was finally getting to a point in life where I thought I could justify the purchase.

No one EVER bought Filson garments because of price. Now many of their products are made overseas and they have little photos of our flag on the items still made in the States. Why, why, why? When you are paying $75-150 for a shirt and $150-375 for coats and jackets I damned well expect them to be made domestically. I think there has always been debate about the origins of the shirts but now it is creeping into their outerwear lines as well. And of course a bit of searching reveals they were bought out a decade or so ago. So who knows where they will wind up? Please, someone tell me I misread all this and have it wrong. If not then I suppose it is time to start searching for old Willis & Geiger gear on scambay.

Cheers, Todd
 
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Reckoner

Reckoner

I can't help you if you want the true safari shirt (ie, Hemingway, embedded reporter, African Rifles look). You might also try Orvis or Sierra Trading Post if Filson is a wash.

It seems like the nylon/men's fishing shirt is the modern equivalent of the safari shirt--rough and tumble, pockets all over the place, sun protection, and so on. Performance Fishing Gear is the standard and found just about everywhere. They have full-on pockets-everywhere cuts and more somber affairs for casual office wear. I also like the same style of shirt by The North Face, mostly for their construction and warranty. There are lots of shirts in this style, but for my money, it's PFG or TNF. They just hold up better, have better cuts, and a good range of styles.
 
alaskamcghee

alaskamcghee

Try Tilley Endurables. They cost a bit but last forever. I have one of the bush shirts that is nine years old and still looks good with a SPF of 50 built in.
my two cents worth.
Johnny
 
Phog Allen

Phog Allen

Reckoner and Johnny, thank you for the suggestions. I will look into it. And now that these shirts are a bit back in vogue with certain demographics, the vintage pricing is getting a bit stiff. A scambay search showed a Willis & Geiger Hemingway model that went for nearly $200. Ouch. There has to be a decent repro out there at not so much. I looked at Lost Worlds W&G knockoff and it runs $330. Hardly a bargain for cotton poplin but I love the danged thing. It even has buttons that are larger than normal to make buttoning it up easier. The jackets are shown below the shirt. They only have one shirt, $185. The search continues.

Cheers, Todd

Lost Worlds Safari Shirt
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Lost Worlds Safari Bush Jacket
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Lost Worlds Australian(only difference is pocket detail I think)
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Lost World Hunter
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rearviewmirror

rearviewmirror

Todd, you may want to look at shirts designed for fishermen. Colombia makes a lot of them that are made of moisture wicking material and are VERY well ventilated, and apparently they have a SPF factor. Designed not just for the sun overhead, but from the sun reflecting off the water. I live a mile from the gulf coast so I see just about everybody here wearing them. Long sleeved too.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Clot...irts/103936680.uts&WTz_l=Unknown;cat103936680
 
M

MrMurphy

Check out the 'travel' shirts by Ex Officio and Royal Robbins as well. They come from the same background and often have the same style.

Far as I remember, Filson still makes some safari type gear, you may need to check LL Bean though.

The moisture-wicking shirts definitely help if you're not wearing anything over top of it (like body armor.....), I had issues with Underarmour shirts when wearing armor, and plain cotton worked well enough for me. Worn alone though, they're awesome.
 
Phog Allen

Phog Allen

Jason, thank you for the link.

Mr. Murphy, more good suggestions. Though I am a curmudgeon of the first order I also do not overlook superior performing materials when they are the best choice. As noted in my newest custom title, ahem, I do perspire a bit in humid weather. Whilst I love cotton and the various derivative poplins I fully understand the soaking wet back of shirt conundrum. If the wonder fabrics are as comfortable, which is a big issue to me, and wick moisture away as well as their reputations would lead me to believe, then a change of pace is in order.

Strange weather we always get here in cattle country. The two summers last, it was hot and dry as central Hades. Brutal temperatures and drought conditions. It was about 11C/45-48F this morning and has only cracked the 18C/65F temperature as of this afternoon. Unheard of for June in cattle country. Normally by this time the A/C is cranked at least three days per week and usually full time. I am thoroughly enjoying the mild spring and the refreshing rains this year. All this week is forecast at 18-20C/65-70F with only one day approaching 80F. I will take it and gladly. I guarantee that two weeks from now the moisture wicking clothing will be needed.

Cheers, Todd
 
Larry C in Texas

Larry C in Texas

My experience has been negative with the "wicking" fabrics. They are billed as microfiber, which in reality is polyester, which for me doesn't breathe like cotton, and I sweat way more in these than my old standby cotton shirts. Yes, they dry out quicker, but for me there is way more sweat to wick away with these polyester shirts. I have tried Under Armour and Duluth Trading and Nike before I decided I needed 100% cotton, no matter the weight when I sweated. They are just so much cooler for me.

YMMV, of course.

BTW, it's good to see a fellow curmudgeon here. I am chastised daily here at work for my curmudgeonly ways. I prefer to think of it as selective friendliness.
 
Doc4

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
I partially agree with Larry C.

(Hey, that rhymes!)

Space-age polymers are hit and miss in terms of being an improvement over natural ... or even equalling natural ... fibres. (I've had man-made-fabric athletic shirts that wicked and dried like nobody's business, and others that just soaked up the sweat and got heavy and slimy.)

IMHO, though, linen will be much better suited to the OP's needs than cotton.
 
Phog Allen

Phog Allen

LarryC. Always good to hear from a fellow as stodgy as me about certain things. While I am willing to explore the synthetics, my experience echoes yours. Hot, sticky feeling clothes that seemed plastered to me. I have always been a cotton fan and have learned to love linen as well. We will see where this goes.

Ian, I certainly entertained your idea of linen. I have a few linen shirts and trousers these days and they are superbly comfortable in hot weather. I still perspire as normal(heavy) but they do a good job of helping to evapourate the moisture. I am unsure if I have ever seen the style of shirt I am looking for in linen but if it comes to custom or semi custom made, then it will be linen. I can live with the bush jacket in lightweight cotton or poplin since it would need to be good and cool for me to don the outer garments anyway.

As an aside, do you know a bit about linen fabric? I mean, when I think of linen I see a natural tan/wheat/stone coloured cloth of medium density weave that makes very comfortable summer clothing. And why not? It is iconic in the western world, easy to wear, and easy to care for. Can you find linen in a slightly tighter weave so it holds shape a bit better? As for colours I know it gets dyed all the time. I have a blue and green summer weight short sleeve casual shirts and they are quite nice. Thank you.

Cheers, Todd
 
Doc4

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Phog Allen said:
As an aside, do you know a bit about linen fabric? I mean, when I think of linen I see a natural tan/wheat/stone coloured cloth of medium density weave that makes very comfortable summer clothing. And why not? It is iconic in the western world, easy to wear, and easy to care for. Can you find linen in a slightly tighter weave so it holds shape a bit better? As for colours I know it gets dyed all the time. I have a blue and green summer weight short sleeve casual shirts and they are quite nice. Thank you.

Cheers, Todd
Click to expand...

I've seen linen in enough different colours to make me think that just about anything is possible ... but how probable is another question, when everyone thinks of linen as a "white-oatmeal-tan" sort of cloth. Linen is also capable of being woven into thicker, sturdier fabrics more capable of holding a shape, but that seems uncommon ... perhaps again because everyone thinks of linen in very specific terms. I know that some of the better linen suiting material is noticeably sturdier than the loose-weave stuff seen more commonly in the less expensive shirts.

Also, you can often find a 50/50 cotton/linen blend that is a bit of both worlds, and usually given a closer weave for shirting.
 
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