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Camping Shirts: What to Wear Camping

What to wear camping - the best camping hack is to pack smart

Packing cleverly for a camping trip can be challenging. Picking the right camping clothing enhances your experiences and simplifies packing. Whether you are glamping, car camping, thru-camping, or going on an exciting self-drive safari, advances in fabric performance and technology have benefits that include insect defence, sun protection, and all-round packing convenience. In this story, find out what to look for in the best camping shirts and shop top recommendations of made-for-the-outdoors shirts.

What To Wear Camping: Advice on Camping Shirts

The question of what to wear camping starts with the right selection of shirts. Layering up is one of the best ways to dress for the day on camping trips - and great shirts are always going to be at the core of your camping outfit. At The Safari Store, we thrive on trips under canvas - on safari and back home. Our founder spends six months of the year wild camping in Southern Africa - unwittingly putting our shirts to the test every day and in every way. As a result, we have developed camping shirts advice from the benefits we have experienced across years of happy camping trips.

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What to Look for When Shopping for The Best Camping Shirts

Camping Shirts in Technical Fabrics: Why wear traditional fabrics when you could enjoy the benefits of technical? At The Safari Store, our BUGTech™ and SAFARITech fabrics have been developed, tested, refined, and perfected to be the best for camping and every adventure. BUGTech™ and SAFARITech are full of features that give these fabrics the undeniable upper hand over traditional fabrics for the outdoors.

Camping Shirts With Built-In Insect Defence and Moisture Wicking: Bugs can be a real pest whether you're enjoying the trails or relaxing around camp. BUGTech™ anti-insect fabric provides built-in insect defence without compromising on the fabric's moisture wicking capability. Moisture wicking is the fabric's ability to move moisture away from the skin and dry quickly, which keeps you cool, dry, and comfortable.

Long-Sleeve Camping Shirts with Built-In Sun Protection Enjoy time in the sun without the burn. We recommend a long-sleeve shirt with roll-up sleeve tabs as a sun care measure. This gives you the option of covering up to escape the sun and to secure your sleeves above the elbows for the convenience of short sleeves in a single garment. SAFARITech shirts are pure sun shirts with moisture wicking, quick drying features. BUGTech™ also has built-in UPF50+ sun protection for extra peace of mind while you explore.

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Lightweight and Packable: Packing light and compact is the order of the day on camping trips. One of the big advantages of technical fabrics is that it is feather-light, packs up compactly, and releases creases quickly. Whether you are carrying your pack for days or weeks on multi-day trips or simply from the car to the tent, technical fabrics are the pack-friendly option every time.

Quick-Drying and Anti-Microbial: Lightweight packing and quick drying properties go hand-in-hand. Heavy, traditional fabrics take longer to dry, while technical fabrics like BUGTech™ are the easy wash-and-wear alternative. The fabric also has an anti-microbial finish, which keeps shirts fresher for longer. If you are planning hot and sweaty active adventures or are going to a warm weather destination, this is a feature that will come in especially handy.

Camping Shirts That Marry Form and Function: What use is practicality without style? Our shirt designs have a fashionable cut and styling, making them the kind of shirt you can wear for outdoor hobbies and at home in the city without a second thought. Our latest BUGTech™ and SAFARITech fabrics also have a soft hand feel - so you can look as good as you feel, while the fabric does all the work.

Expedition Tested To Be The Best: At The Safari Store, our products have been independently and expedition tested to ensure they meet our standards. We have taken our shirts to some exciting destinations over the years. From poling a dugout canoe along the length of the Okavango Delta in Botswana to sailing the Zambezi and boating three Zambian rivers, we confidently stand by the performance of our shirts - no matter where you plan to take them.

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The best camping shirts from The Safari Store

The Best Camping Shirts: Extra Tips for Campers

Layer Up: Layering is the best way to dress for camping. From crisp starts and evenings to the heat of midday, this gives you ultimate adaptability to the conditions. If you are fishing or hiking on your camping adventures, this means you can remove or add layers as you need them without a wardrobe change. Use your camping shirt as a base layer and make sure you pack a fleece or jacket for whenever there is a nip in the air.

Cover Up: Covering up is the best way to protect yourself from the sun and from insect bites. This makes a long-sleeved shirt with roll-up sleeve tabs a must for flexibility. From next to the fireside to on the water with a fishing rod, long sleeves work in different ways to keep you comfortable when camping. Add extra sun protective accessories like the Vintage Print Head&Neck Scarf for extra protection for your neck.

Mix and Match With Your Favourite Tees: Variety is the spice of life - and this applies as much to the contents of your pack as it does to your destinations. Packing a lightweight super-comfy T-shirt or two is top advice for putting your feet up on camping adventures.

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The Best Camping Shirts Shopping Guide:

Shop our selection of the best camping shirts for men, women, and children. Pair your shirt with the best camping trousers and shorts and get the full camping checklist to tick off the camping clothing must-haves.

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Build a Never-Fail Camping Wardrobe For Comfort and Protection

Made for the outdoors: Shop the men's camping clothes, women's camping clothes, and children's camping clothes essentials. Go directly to the full camping packing list
Advice on all forms of camping apparel: The right gear is a strong start for the success of your camping adventures. Read our camping pants advice and camping jackets advice.
Top camping accessories: No camping trip is complete without insect repellent, sun protection, and a good torch. Read our advice and shop the essentials: insect and mosquito repellent for camping, sun care for camping, and torches and camp lanterns
That's a wrap: Never get cold on a camping trip. Find out our top choices of beanies, scarves, and head and neck tubular scarves and shop the recommendations on our beanies and winter scarves advice page.