Camo Polo Shirt - Quick-drying, Breathable

Cotton soaks, then it stays wet all afternoon.

Middle of summer, in and out of the ute all day or up and down a track with a pack on, and by smoko the cotton shirt on your back is soaked through. It stays soaked. It goes cold the second you sit in the aircon, it chafes under a strap, and it is still damp when you pull it back on in the morning. Nothing dramatic happens - it is just an uncomfortable afternoon and a shirt you cannot get dry at camp.

This is a plain polyester knit polo. The label printed inside the collar reads 100% polyester, and the fabric is a fine pique knit - the open, textured structure you get on a sports polo rather than a flat jersey. Polyester does not hold water the way cotton does, so it sheds and dries a lot faster. The supplier publishes no drying time, no wicking test and no fabric weight, so we are not going to put a number on it.

The build is where it earns the tactical description, not the fabric. Raglan sleeves, so there is no shoulder seam sitting exactly where a pack strap sits. A zipped pocket on the upper sleeve. A hook-and-loop panel above it for a patch or a name tape. Ribbed cuff bands and a split hem that runs slightly longer at the back. Six colourways, sizes S to 5XL. It is cut to an Asian size chart and it runs small, so read the Limits tab before you pick a size.

What It Does

• Long shift in the heat: the shirt sheds sweat instead of storing it, so you are not carrying a wet cotton sponge around for the back half of the day.
• Under a pack or harness: raglan sleeves move the seam off the top of your shoulder, which is the one spot a strap sits and a normal shoulder seam rubs.
• Small stuff that goes missing: a swipe card, a key, a folded note - zipped into the sleeve pocket instead of dropping out of a trouser pocket the moment you sit down.
• Name tape or patch: the hook-and-loop panel above the pocket takes a patch, so you are identifiable without a lanyard swinging into everything you lean over.
• Camp, boat or a long weekend: rinse it out in the evening and it is dry a long way ahead of cotton, which matters when you only packed two shirts.

Key Features

• 100% polyester: that is the fibre content printed inside the collar. No blend is stated and no brand-name yarn is named on the garment.
• Fine pique knit: open textured knit rather than a flat jersey, so air moves through it instead of sitting against you.
• Raglan sleeves: the sleeve seam runs to the collar rather than across the top of the shoulder.
• Zipped sleeve pocket: on the upper sleeve, closed with a zip - not a hook-and-loop flap.
• Hook-and-loop patch panel: loop face sitting above the sleeve pocket for a patch or a name tape.
• Ribbed cuff bands: knitted band at the end of each sleeve rather than a raw hemmed edge.
• Split side hem: vented at the sides and cut slightly longer at the back, so it stays put when you bend over.
• Printed collar label: the size and fibre content are printed straight onto the inside of the collar - no sewn tag sawing at your neck.
• Six colourways, eight sizes: Tan, CP, ACU, MKBK, Black and Green, in S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL, 4XL and 5XL.

Free Standard Shipping to Australia and New Zealand

Limits

Here is what this shirt will not do, so you can decide before it turns up rather than after.

• It is not hi-vis: camo and plain dark colours, no reflective tape, no hi-vis rating. If your site requires a hi-vis top, this is not it and wanting it to be will not change that.
• No flame or arc rating: polyester melts. Nothing on this garment carries an FR rating of any kind, so keep it away from welding, grinding and hot work.
• It runs small: the collar label on the M sample reads 170/88A - drafted for someone 170 cm (1700 mm) tall with an 88 cm (880 mm) chest. Lay a shirt you already own flat, measure it, and compare it against the chart in the Specs tab.
• The chart has slack in it: the supplier prints "size chart is for reference only, error 1-3 cm" on its own chart. Treat every figure on it as give or take 3 cm (30 mm).
• Polyester holds odour: it dries faster than cotton and it starts to smell sooner than cotton. That is the trade you are making and there is no way around it.
• No chest pocket: the only pocket is the zipped one on the sleeve, and the supplier states no dimensions for it. Do not plan on a phone fitting.
• Nothing stated about sun: no UPF or sun-protection figure is published for this fabric, so do not treat it as sun protection.
• No care instructions supplied: nothing is printed on the garment beyond size and fibre content. Cool wash and no hot dryer is the safe assumption for any polyester knit.
• The colour menu is the authority: Tan, CP, Black, ACU, MKBK and Green. If a photo shows a colourway that is not on that list, we cannot get it.
• Returns are faulty or not as described: change of mind, including a size that turns out wrong, is not covered. Spend the two minutes with the tape measure first.

Q & A

What do CP, ACU and MKBK actually mean?
They are the supplier's own codes for three camo prints. CP is the tan and brown multi-terrain print, ACU is the grey-green pixel print, and MKBK is the dark black and olive print. No pattern name is printed on the garment or the label, so we are not going to attach a brand name to any of them - go by the photos.

Does it run small?
Yes. The collar label on the M sample reads 170/88A, which is drafted for a 170 cm (1700 mm) frame with an 88 cm (880 mm) chest. Most people ordering here go up at least one size. The full chart in centimetres and millimetres is in the Specs tab.

Is the sleeve pocket velcro or a zip?
A zip. There is a separate hook-and-loop panel sitting above the pocket for a patch, which is where the confusion usually comes from. The pocket zips shut; the panel is the hook-and-loop bit.

Can I wear it on a site that requires hi-vis?
No. It is a camo or plain-coloured polo with no reflective tape and no hi-vis rating. If the job calls for hi-vis, wear hi-vis and keep this for the drive home.

What is it made of?
100% polyester, printed on the inside of the collar. There is no sewn care label, no fabric weight and no yarn brand stated anywhere on it.

The size chart says 2XL and 3XL - which sizes are those?
The same ones. The supplier chart uses 2XL and 3XL where the size menu on this page uses XXL and XXXL.

How long until it turns up?
10 to 14 days from the day you order, and allow up to three weeks. Regional and remote addresses take longer again. Shipping is free to Australia and New Zealand.

Specs

Size Chart

Flat garment measurements in centimetres, as published by the supplier, with the millimetre equivalent alongside. Give or take 3 cm (30 mm).