Vertx® has come out with two new shirts for 2023 that I will be reviewing in Spotter Up. In this article, I will take a look at one of those shirts, the Vertx + Fieldcraft Recce Technical Shirt. It was designed in collaboration with Fieldcraft Survival™ for covert survival applications. It’s a button-down shirt with a lot of cool features, including 8 pockets and compartments. As with all Vertx products, the Recce Technical Shirt underwent extensive beta testing prior to its release.
About Fieldcraft Survival
Fieldcraft Survival is a veteran-owned company that was founded with the mission is to educate, train, and equip everyday citizens for survival in real-world worst-case scenarios. Mike Glover, founder and CEO of Fieldcraft Survival, spent 18 years in the US Army followed by work as a government contractor conducting classified operations. He served as a Sergeant Major in Special Forces and deployed multiple times to combat theaters. He’s an avid outdoorsman, hunter and overlander. It was Mike’s passion for survival training that led him to found Fieldcraft Survival. The company is more than just a business, it’s a community of like-minded individuals. The training courses are taught by industry-leading instructors who have extensive experience in military, law enforcement and civilian sectors.
Recce Technical Shirt
The Recce Technical Shirt is made of 50% Polyester and 50% 37.5® Polyester high-performance technical fabric. Designed for function, the fabric is strong, snag-resistant, and ultra-durable. It has an attractive soft-textured weave and is very comfortable against the skin. The machine washable, easy care fabric is fade, wrinkle and stain resistant. The fabric has a 50+ UPF rating to help protect you from the sun’s burning UV rays. UPF is the sun protection rating for apparel and gauges a fabric’s effectiveness at filtering both UVA and UVB rays.
Polyester is inherently moisture-wicking, which by itself only distributes moisture. The 37.5 Active Particle Technology employed by Vertx is designed efficiently manage the moisture to help keep your body temperature regulated in extreme environments and high activity by promoting active cooling and rapid drying.
37.5 Technology is a proprietary technology made from naturally derived materials. There are no harsh chemicals to irritate the skin. It dries up to five times faster than other performance fabrics, eliminating wet cling and enhancing both comfort and athletic performance. Although synthetic fabrics continue to insulate when wet, they’re more efficient when dry. The 37.5 Technology stops moisture at the vapor stage and uses your body’s own energy to help keep you cool or warm. It has active particles in the yarn that help to control odor, which is an issue with many synthetic fabrics. The active particles are permanently embedded into the fibers. They never wash out, providing lasting odor control.
Breathability can be an issue with synthetic fabrics, depending upon the yarn and fabric structure, and how loose or tight the weave construction is. The larger the pores, the more breathable the fabric is. Synthetic materials aren’t inherently breathable. The Recce Technical Shirt has a moderately loose weave for breathability plus eyelet vents under the arms. It’s a great shirt for warmer weather and can be layered under other garments for colder weather.
The shirt is optimized for range of motion and ease of concealment. It’s designed to provide extra coverage in any concealment position. It’s built with a modern athletic fit (roomier upper body with tapering to the waist). Although boxier cuts generally offer easier concealment than more tailored cuts, they can look sloppy.
The athletic fit of the shirt is comfortable and offers freedom of movement. It gives the shirt a more tailored look, while still working as a cover garment. It has fully gusseted arms cut at 180-degree angle that provide an unrestricted range of motion without a lot of bulk. The gusseted arms allow you to raise your arms without the shirt riding up.
The Recce Technical Shirt will available in both short and long sleeve versions. Short sleeves are sporty and great for hot weather. Long sleeves provide additional coverage and protection. The choice is yours. I was provided with the long sleeve version for evaluation. The short sleeve version is expected to be available in May of this year.
The long sleeves on the shirt are loose enough to fit over thicker layers or roll the sleeve up to the elbow for a more relaxed look, without feeling restricted. The sleeves have reinforced elbows for added durability at key wear points. The sleeve cuffs are adjustable, with two button closure.
The Recce Technical Shirt has a curved hem that looks great when worn untucked. The shirt comes in regular length only, which will work for most people. The untucked fit length of the shirt is designed to act as cover garment while allowing easy access to concealed weapons and gear.
A shirt that’s worn as a cover garment needs sufficient length to give coverage when bending and during strenuous activity, without being so long as to restrict clearing of the garment when seated. A good way to check if the length of a cover garment is sufficient is to raise both of your arms over your head. If the garment rides up to a point that it exposes your gun or holster when you do this or it nearly does, the garment is likely too short in length.
The Recce Technical Shirt has a straight collar with semi-spread points for a clean, professional look. There are sewn channels/pockets on the underside of the front of the collar for collar stays or small tools. Removable plastic collar stays come with the shirt. The collar stays add structure to the collar and prevent it from curling, ensuring that it will remain looking crisp throughout the day. There’s also a hidden pocket on the back of the collar with hook and loop closure that’s perfect for stashing emergency cash. If you didn’t know the collar pocket was there, I doubt that you would find it. The collar shape, length and feel are casual in styling. There’s an oversize comms pass-through loop inside the back collar for cord management of comms wires and earpiece.
The Recce Technical Shirt has dual chest patch pockets with faux-button-front metal snap-closure single-point flaps. There’s a zippered pocket on the left sleeve. It has a polymer self-healing YKK® coil zipper with a zipper pull cord for easy access. The sleeve pocket is slightly angled for easier access. Stress points on the shirt are double-stitched and bar-tacked for added strength and durability.
The buttons on the front placket are also faux-button-front metal snaps. They allow the shirt to be ripped open for quick breakaway and easy clearing of the garment. There are low-profile hem pockets on the bottom of the front placket that allow weights to be added to aid in clearing or for stashing other small items.
The two hem pockets coupled with the collar stay pockets together offer a total of four hidden mini stash pockets that allow you to preload items up to 2” long, and that’s not counting the covert collar pocket. The mini stash pockets may be employed for stashing handcuff keys and/or other small e&e tools when operating in hostile areas or non-permissive environments.
The Recce Technical Shirt is currently available in your choice of four colorways: Estate Blue; Craft Grey; Craft Black; and Warm Wine. The colors are subdued to better blend in with most environments.
To Sum Up
The Recce Technical Shirt is a great option for anyone who is looking for a versatile and durable shirt. The shirt offers comfort, protection, durability and functionality. It’s very well-made, well-designed and well-performing, with some unique features that make it stand out from other shirts.
Kevin Estela, Director of Training for Fieldcraft Survival, is a big fan of the shirt. Kevin states “The Recce Shirt has been a constant travel companion. I’ve worn it on the range for concealed carry classes, out to nice dinners, and in the field as an added layer against bugs. I swear, this shirt does it all well.”
The Recce Technical Shirt is available in sizes S to 2XL. The shirt runs true to size. MSRP is $96.99 for the long sleeve version. The short sleeve version will be available for $94.99 MSRP. The Recce Technical Shirt and all Vertx products are available online from Vertx or at authorized Vertx dealers.
Sources
Vertx
Vertx.com
Fieldcraft Survival
FieldcraftSurvival.com
Material Disclosure
I received this product as a courtesy from the manufacturer so I could test it and give my honest feedback. I am not bound by any written, verbal or implied contract to give this product a good review. All opinions are my own and are based off my personal experience with the product.
*The views and opinions expressed on this website are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Spotter Up Magazine, the administrative staff, and/or any/all contributors to this site.