• Leon Pantenburg | Survival Common Sense

  • SEARCH

Update: Best hot weather shirt? Beretta TM Long Sleeve Shooting Shirt update

331 400 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

A good piece of gear is an investment.

This Baretta Long Sleeve Shooting Shirt has been worn hard and long, frequently in extreme conditions and I will buy another.

by Leon Pantenburg

This is my opinion, and all I ever promise in any such equipment review is a fair shake. Beretta supplied the original review product. I was not paid to write the review, and nobody had any input in it.

Unpackaging and first impression reviews can be useful to first time buyers.

But IMHO, the real test and proof of a quality piece of gear is long and sustained use in actual field conditions. That’s what has happened with my Beretta TM Long Sleeve Shooting Shirt. It has been used hard and constantly whenever I get into hot weather outdoor activities. Read the initial review

My hot weather clothing has been pretty much standardized over the years. When I go out in the summer heat in the Southwestern deserts or on the rivers of the Deep South, I’ll wear a broad-brimmed hat, the Beretta long sleeve shirt, UF Pro P-40 All-Terrain or Beretta pants, Buffalo Wool or other quality wool socks and Danner Incursions or Fullbore Coyotes.

Here are the specs of the Beretta TM Long Sleeve Shooting Shirt (according to the Beretta website)

  • Active Hunt Lightweight 100% cotton with curved mesh back yoke opening for breathability
  • Diamond-stitch embroidery on left tonal shooting patch
  • UPF-50 sun protection
  • Silver Silaide technology creates an odor barrier for all-day wear
  • Front chest pocket

This Beretta  shirt is my #1 choice for hot weather desert wear, and Deep South summer river excursions.

Here’s what I look for in a hot weather shirt:

  • Quick drying material. I typically don’t wear cotton outdoors, but unlike most cotton shirts, this one dries quickly. On really hot days, the shirt can be soaked with water and worn. The rapid evaporation can make it feel almost chilly. It’s wonderful!
  • Long sleeves that cover the back of my hands. You could order shorter sleeves, but when paddling a canoe or kayak you don’t want your wrists to get sunburned. The roll-up option is also nice when the sleeves need to be out of the way. The sleeves can be buttoned up to just up over the elbows.
  • Shoulder room: Paddling requires a lot of upper body movement and you don’t want the shoulders to be too tight and confining. Shoulder areas should be loose and roomy. This area is great – I’m wearing my standard size in the Beretta TM, and there is no binding at all.
  • Ventilation: The shirt has mesh openings on the back and over the shoulders. Moving your arms, as in paddling, seems to create some air circulation. This is great – instead of soaking your shirt with perspiration, the moisture is dissipated quickly.  The evaporation adds to the coolness of the shirts. I love this aspect.

The shirt stayed much better smelling that the guy who wore it. The “wrinkle-resistant” claim appears to be true. Mine sometimes appears wrinkled, but that is because it may get rinsed in the river, wrung out and hung it on a bush to dry. Here is where the quick-drying aspect comes in. Any wrinkles disappear in the Mississippi humidity.

I’ve sweat completely through this shirt on numerous occasions.

On one hike in the Oregon Cascades, the day was really hot, and I worked up a sweat hiking up a steep incline. But the shirt stayed dry everywhere but where the daypack rode. It was amazing how cool the shirt felt. Long sleeves, FYI and IMO are the best best bet for sun and insect protection.

On a slot canyon hike in Arizona, the Beretta TM was my shirt choice on a really hot day, with the ambient temps crowding 100 degrees. It was kind of like hiking in a reflector oven. There was no breeze, and the sun and heat bouncing off the rock walls made the already hot temperatures even hotter.

 My Beretta shirt and Danner Incursion boots were excellent choices for the desert environment.

This photo, taken last week, shows the TM’s fading and wear after several seasons of hard use. The shirt is a long way from being retired.

Your clothing is your first line of defense against hypothermia or hyperthermia. This shirt would be a bad choice in a cold weather situation, but it is just what you need when it’s really hot.
Make wise choices when it comes to dressing to go outdoors. Remember the old, over-used cliche (re-posted here for the umpteenth time.)

Repeat after me: “There is no bad weather, just bad clothing choices.”

Stay cool!

Please click here to check out and subscribe to the SurvivalCommonSense.com YouTube channel – thanks!

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.