The Mr. Lofgren Shirt
By Albus Du
Hiking is a messy affair, and if you are not properly geared up to do it, you and your clothes could come out of a trip in a tattered mess. Regular polyester shirts and pants are too fragile, they get ripped apart by thorns and brambles, cotton shirts refuse to ever dry, even when presented with the infinite rays of the sun. In addition, the choice between a long sleeve, or short sleeve shirt can be a difficult one. Do you want to get eaten alive by mosquitos, or drown in your own sweat? If only someone could make a versatile shirt that can stand up to the elements! Well, given the fact that people have been camping for millennia, someone has.
Allow me to present, the Mr. Lofgren shirt. Ok… fine. Nobody calls it that. Only people who know Mr. Lofgren, hiking and camping extraordinaire, call it that. It’s actually called a button-up hiking shirt, and it is, drumroll please... a versatile shirt that can stand up to the elements. Don’t let its appearance fool you, it is not a dress shirt (although you could use it as a dress shirt), it is meant to be worn over and over again through many days of backcountry trekking, so you better believe it is durable. The Mr. Lofgren shirt is usually made from a breathable blend of quick-dry nylon, or similar materials. These shirts are made by campers, for campers. The fabric can stand up to snags from thorns and offers some modicum of solar protection. Best of all, you don’t have to pick between long sleeves for mosquito protection and short sleeves. The material is designed to be worn in the summer months, so unlike regular long sleeve shirts, it was designed to be thin, and not trap heat against your body. Even then, if you truly cannot bear the heat, many come with buttons and button-holes on the sleeves, allowing you to roll them up, and for them to stay up.
The button-up hiking shirt, AKA, the Mr. Lofgren shirt, is an adaptable and durable shirt that was specifically designed for hiking. It offers protection against the elements, and comfort in the outdoors. It is durable and can stand up to dirt, and wind, and rain. You can get it anywhere quality hiking gear is sold.