Stay Strapped or Get Clapped: T-Shirts That Work Well with Combat Vests

When you’re strapped up and prepared for everything to go south, your combat gear is your top priority.

Every mag, tool, snap enclosure, plate positioning, and more has to be 100% perfect to maximize your combat effectiveness, whether you’re working an armed detail or you’re just taking precautions in high-risk areas. 

However, while you’re caught up on tweaking the angle of your prybar or making sure that a new high-intensity flashlight is accessible in an instant, you probably neglect something a lot of us do: your normal clothes. 

Knowing what T-shirts work best with combat vests is crucial to make sure your combat gear isn’t just perfect but you’re also comfortable and able to facilitate the use of that combat gear without your normal clothes hampering the process. 

Today, we’re going to go over key details you need to consider, and if you can’t meet these requirements, it’s time to start piecing together a combat-worthy wardrobe. 

Let’s get to it!

The Key Points for Any Under-Vest T-Shirt

Any time you wear a combat vest, anything you wear under it is going to affect your experience with your gear. Since you plan on relying on that gear to protect your life and the lives of others, any negative influence is completely unacceptable. 

Here are 5 key points that make the best t-shirts for combat vests.

1: Snug but Comfortable

First and foremost, your t-shirt shouldn’t be baggy or overly tight. Baggy shirts can bunch up under your vest, create hotspots, and generally get annoying.

Shirts that are too tight can affect your movement even more than the vest does, and if you’re not mobile, you’re ineffective. You’re not in a fashion contest trying to show off your gains. You’re trying to ensure your effectiveness in a fight. 

An optimum t-shirt will be snug with a bit of natural give. You shouldn’t have to tug on it to open a gap between your skin and the cloth, but it shouldn’t be flopping all over the place while you walk, either.

These are the characteristics of high-quality combat clothes, so keep that in mind while shopping.

2: Proportions

Next, you want to look at the proportions of the shirt in three categories. Getting a shirt that meets our first requirement takes care of the chest and abdomen for the most part, but your shoulders, neck, and the length of the shirt need to be considered. 

The shirt should fall naturally at your waist. It shouldn’t be long enough to need tucking in, or it can flop around, get caught on things, or affect your ability to grab items on your vest.

Imagine your hand getting caught up on a long t-shirt when you need to grab your firearm. When milliseconds count, that can be costly. That’s exactly what veteran-made T-shirts are created for, and that’s why they’re the best fit for wearing them under a combat rig.

The neck hole should also allow ample movement, but it shouldn’t be so wide that your skin is exposed to your vest straps. If you’re wearing your vest for long periods of time, that’ll get uncomfortable fast.

If it’s too tight of a hole, you might have problems scanning your environment for threats and maintaining situational awareness. 

Finally, the shoulders cannot hinder rotation in any way. They not only need to be snug but loose, but they also need to be cut properly so you can fully rotate your arms without any issues.

You’re already going to have a vest pulling at your shoulders. You don’t want to compound the problem with a poorly-cut t-shirt. 

3: Breathability

Next up, you need the shirt to be made of breathable material. Your combat vest isn’t going to be the most comfortable thing in the world, and it covers the majority of your torso.

The front of your torso is going to get a lot hotter and sweatier than normal. 

Having a shirt that maximizes breathability can help deal with that problem. The vest will largely block those features up front, but having a highly breathable shirt that vents heat from the sides and any exposed areas will keep you comfortable in your vest longer. 

4: Durability

You might be used to looking for this trait in all your clothing if you’re extremely active, and if you’re picking up combat vests, we’re willing to bet you’re not a couch potato. However, the shirts you wear under your vest are going to face a unique form of wear and tear.

Not only are t-shirts for combat vests rubbed more around the shoulders and side-strap areas, but you have to account for extra weight pulling on the shirt, clips getting caught on certain points as you try to get the vest on in a hurry, and the risk of your gear getting snagged on it in certain positions and draw methods, too. 

You want your t-shirt to be capable of taking that abnormal abuse and keep on ticking. 

5: Badass Factor

If you’re getting strapped up with a full combat rig, you’re probably expecting the potential for something to pop off. Whether that’s shooting in your vicinity that you need to step up and stop or your security detail being required to jump into action. 

Do you want to be rocking a combat vest and kicking ass in something that looks like it’s better suited for an old man’s beach trip? If so, maybe you should pair your combat vest with hiking sandals and a straw hat, an old-timer.

Everyone else needs a confidence-boosting, combat-ready, badass t-shirt to highlight the vest while it’s on and remind society’s assholes that you mean business when it’s off.

Men’s T-shirts with quotes are a phenomenal option for achieving those results, as well as men’s tactical T-shirts that are an obvious indicator that you mean business.

It’s purely visual and doesn’t outclass the other requirements we talked about, but if you’re going to be a sheepdog, you should look the part.

Get the Best T-Shirts for Combat Vests at Combat Iron Apparel

Of course, if you want to streamline your search for t-shirts that work best with combat vests, you just have to stop by our store. 

Our brand is veteran-designed, veteran-owned, and veteran-operated. Our team knows what goes into making clothing that works great in everyday life but kicks ass on the battlefield, no matter whether it’s a deployment or just being prepared for today’s craziness.