Tee Shirt - Fast Dry & Breathable

Wet by smoko, still wet at knock-off

Cotton drinks sweat and hangs onto it. On a hot day the shirt is soaked through by smoko, and it is still damp when you knock off — heavy across the shoulders, rubbing under a pack strap or a harness, and cold the moment you stop moving.

That last part is the bit people forget. The shirt that cooked you at midday is the same shirt that pulls the heat out of you when the sun drops and the wind comes up. Wet cotton against your back at dusk in the bush is not a comfort problem, it is a temperature problem.

This is a light polyester knit instead. Synthetic fibre holds a fraction of the water cotton does, so sweat moves through it and it dries in a fraction of the time. Ten colourways — three plain, seven camouflage prints — sizes S to XXXL, one price across the lot.

What It Does

• Dries fast: polyester holds far less water than cotton, so it sheds sweat instead of soaking it up and holding it there.
• Sits light: a thin knit with a plain crew neck and short sleeves — nothing to trap heat, no collar, no pockets, no buttons.
• Layers underneath: thin enough to wear under a work shirt or a jacket without bulking you out at the shoulders.
• Ten colourways: three plain colours and seven camouflage prints, same knit and same price whichever you take.
• Six sizes: S through to XXXL, all at the one price.
• Washes and goes: rinse it out at night and it is ready by morning, which matters when you are living out of one bag.

Key Features

• Polyester knit: light synthetic jersey, stated as 100% polyester by sellers of this style.
• Printed camouflage: the pattern is printed on the outer face only — the inside of the fabric is pale and undyed.
• Plain crew neck: classic round neckline, no collar and no placket.
• Overlocked seams: sleeve ends and body hem are turned and overlocked rather than raw cut.
• Three plain colours: olive drab (OD), khaki and coyote brown (MUD).
• Seven camouflage prints: CP, ACU, DD, HLD, TYP, FG and BIO — open scrub, desert, digital, scale and tree-bark patterns.
• Full size run: S, M, L, XL, XXL and XXXL in every colourway.
• One sewn label: carries the size letter and country of manufacture, and nothing else.

Limits

What this shirt will not do, plainly.

• No sun rating: there is no UPF number printed on this shirt and the supplier states none, so we will not put one on the page.
• Printed, not woven: the camouflage sits on the surface of the knit. Expect it to soften with washing and to go pale where the fabric stretches hard across the shoulders.
• No composition label: the only tag sewn into the garment carries the size and the country of manufacture. There is no fibre-composition label to read.
• No measurement chart: the supplier publishes no chest or length figures for this shirt, so we cannot give you one. Sizing is international and it runs smaller than Australian — take at least one size up.
• Not a work shirt: a thin summer tee with no pockets and no collar. Nothing here is flame resistant, hi-vis, abrasion rated or tested to any standard.
• Holds odour: synthetics carry smell further than cotton over a long shift. That is the trade for the drying speed.
• Summer weight: it layers well under something warm, but on its own it is a hot-weather shirt, not a thermal.

Q & A

What size should I order?

At least one size up on your usual Australian size. This apparel is cut to international sizing and it runs smaller. There is no measurement chart published for this shirt, so if you are caught between two sizes, take the larger one — a tee that is slightly loose still works, a tight one does not.

What is the fabric, exactly?

A light polyester knit. Sellers of this style state 100% polyester, and the supplier's own fabric close-ups show a synthetic jersey with the pattern printed on it. We publish that as a stated figure rather than a verified one, because no fibre-composition label is sewn into the garment for us to check it against.

How fast does it actually dry?

Faster than cotton, and that is as precise as we can honestly be. Polyester carries a small fraction of the water cotton does, so a rinse at night is dry by morning in most conditions. No drying time and no moisture-wicking rating has been published for this shirt, so we are not going to invent one.

Can I wear it under a uniform or work shirt?

That is what it is best at. No collar, no pockets and a thin knit, so it sits flat under a shirt or a jacket and moves the sweat off your back instead of trapping it against you. The three plain colours suit that job better than the prints if your workplace has a rule about it.

Are the camouflage patterns any good in the scrub?

The seven prints cover the usual ground — open scrub, desert, digital, dark, and a tree-bark print for timbered country. They are the supplier's own patterns, not licensed versions of the commercial camouflages they resemble, so judge them off the photographs rather than the name. Pick for the country you actually walk in.

Is there any difference between the plain colours and the prints?

Only the print. Same knit, same cut, same sizes, same price. Olive drab, khaki and coyote brown are the three plain ones; the other seven carry a pattern.

Specs