Met a chap on a walk last week wearing a Swanndri shirt. Anyone got any experience of them? Apparently their kit is beloved by bushcrafters. It's made of merino wool and since I have a couple of icebreaker tops that I swear by, I was interested in finding out more.
All info appreciated.
Thanks;
Jim
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 Their shirts are great. Brilliant. And you get to look like Ray Mears (as long as you've got a bit of a gut) 
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 Only available in olive drab and comes with a film crew then?
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Not sure that they're made from merino -- the shirt I've got is pretty itchy, at least compared to Icebreaker stuff. It's also fairly heavy and can be too warm.
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 I grew up in New Zealand (where Swandri comes from) and Swandri shirts are what every farmer and forestry worker in NZ wears in the colder months. I owned a couple of them myself. I'd echo Guy's comments above ie. they're heavy and itchy. Very hard wearing though. In their day they were great for people doing physical outdoor work but I can't say I'd wear one on the hills nowadays. There are far better synthetic materials now. Of course they may have changed a lot since then (about 20 years ago) and Swandri might make something more suitable for hill-wear now.
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They aren't merino, and need a lot of washing to soften the very itchy fibres. Very warm. Best bit is that they don't melt when subject to sparks, phosphorus grenades etc. The latter shouldn't be an issue in general UK hill use though
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While the bushshirts arent made from merino, they do do merino shirts and tops. Swanndri shop
The thermal shirts are £13 to £15 at the moment, well under the dreaded customs limit and international postage is around a fiver.
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Thanks.
Consensus seems to be that the shirt isn't designed for backpacking. I have, however taken advantage of tiredandweary's link to the Swanndri shop and ordered a merino baselayer - less than 20 quid with postage! can't be bad.
Jim
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I hope you got in before the sale ended Jim, I just checked the link and they were back to full price!
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 I love my bushshirt by Swanndri a real lot-it is one of the older ones in the very strange blotchy non-military type of a cammo look though-which is not to everybody's tastes I do know! Mine is one of the original smock types, as I am not really too keen on the central zip newer design myself. A version of which, I was told by someone a while ago back now, is currently being issued in DPM camo to the New Zealand armed forces-the lucky souls! Still never mind the shirt, I saw a chap wearing one of their jumpers just the other day! It was the flower seller at the local market, and he told me that they are good bits of coldweather kit in his opinion! I had not ever before seen one of those garments made by this manufacturer, so was most impressed indeed, by what seemed to my mind a grand bit of outdoors kit!
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| Edited: 30/12/07 05:36 |
 The barometer T is now about £28. Ah well! <sigh>
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good old swanndris they were one of the first things you would buy with your first pay cheque there are a few models the classic shirt(looks like a big night shirt with a boot lace as a closer) these are heavy wear like iron and will suck up water like a sponge then theres the ranger shirt lighter and less densly woven in nz we use to wear a swanndri instead of a rain shell they would keep most of the water out (by sucking it all up) hunters walkers and road workers would be seen wearing them (most outdoor jobs they would be issued as uniform) sadly they are no longer made in nz(gone to china and increased in price) and nearly everyone has changed over to man made fibres (look up swazi, huntech) i myself cant fathom the big fanfare around wool gear we have had it in nz for a hundred years and i myself wouldnt wear it in the outdoors(apart from socks) as it take ages to dry and dosent wear that well(the merino thermals get holes in them super fast)it was funny that major outdoor companys were one day trying to sell you manmade gear and were poo pooing wool to turn around and do the same thing to synthetics theres alot of marketing around merino wool and have read a few fun things that icebreaker have written like wearing synthetics will make you sad and wool is good for your live force(it was in one of there catolgues) and i think that the nz army does still issue a dpm jacket in heavyduty wool but now they have gortex raincoats so that dont triple in weight.
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