# Work Shirts



## Haywire Haywood (Jun 30, 2007)

At the risk of being called a poser, I ask the following question.

Do you loggers actually wear the hickory, Chambray, or the stereotypical checked flannel shirts that I see advertised in Bailey's and Madsen's?

The reason I ask is that I am a dedicated 'T' shirt guy, but when I'm cutting and really get sweated down they hang on me and cling, and everything stretches out. I'm looking into buying a couple work shirts with a little more meat to them. I figure they'll be a little hotter, but might wick the sweat off me better and retain their shape when wet.

what say you?
Ian


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## slowp (Jun 30, 2007)

Disclaimer: I am not a logger but work with them. And, I watch fashion trends in the woods.

Hickory shirts are very popular on the West side of the Cascades here in WA.
In fact, they seem to be the standard uniform. As we are into the summer season of fashion, there are variations. The stores sell short sleeve hickory shirts. Some guys prefer the more rugged look, and simply cut their long sleeved shirts off and leave the sleeve edges unhemmed. The more extreme tear the whole sleeve off and go sleeveless. This may be because the sleeves are worn out. One logger forbids his sons to wear the hemmed short sleeve, he insists they go unhemmed. Then, I've also seen a "midi" hickory shirt. Apparently, the guy got his shirt torn and then just went ahead and tore the rest off, exposing the midsection of his torso. Not a pretty sight. T-shirts are just as common in the summer, but we don't have your humidity to deal with. Gotta add this: Hickory shirts should be made in pastels!! Sorry, I just watched _The Devil Wears Prada _and can't help myself. :hmm3grin2orange:
Laundry Hint: I got conned into helping move a yarder up a paved road the other day and was wearing the Carhart Dungarees. The brown pants turned black from the mix of asphalt, tires and grease. I thought they were doomed to be black. Washed them last night in a mix of Spray and Wash, Oxi-Clean,
and All. They came out brown again.


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## Gologit (Jun 30, 2007)

A lot of the guys I work with wear hickory shirts. Long sleeve or short sleeve is always a big debate but long sleeves will protect you better and if they're 100% cotton they're not much hotter than short sleeves. Get the kind with the flap pockets unless you like pockets full of bark and flack from your wife on wash day. I've had good luck with shirts from Bailey's. They seem to wear well and don't cost an arm and a leg.
One other thing...if you wear them every day for a couple of weeks they'll accumulate so much dirt, saw oil, and pitch that if it rains you probably won't get too wet.  
Pay no attention to Slowp and his fixation with pastels. He's a pretty good guy and seems to know his way around the woods but we've gotta sit him down and talk to him about this chartruse obsession he has. It worries me.


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## Engineeringnerd (Jun 30, 2007)

I'm waiting for someone to come out with a durable "CoolMax" or equivalent workshirt. All the performance polyester stuff I wear for running pills and scrubs way to easily for work. Hopefully someone will figure this out and even offer it in long sleeve to protect us southerners from the sun while staying cool.


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## Haywire Haywood (Jun 30, 2007)

boboak said:


> ....and flack from your wife on wash day.



Not a problem... she washes the dishes and I do the laundry  

thanks,
Ian


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## sILlogger (Jul 1, 2007)

during the summer im running throught woods wearing a wifebeater, as it get cooler a t shirt, and when it get cold a flannel, dead of winter <freezing= jeans, long underwear top and bottom, t shirt and sweatshirt, longer hair, and a full scraggly beard


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## McNeely (Jul 4, 2007)

This is the kind of entertaining threads that keep me floating around, good lord, this is hillarious. It looks like you're in full logging garb to me Haywood- at least by the looks of your avatar.


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## Haywire Haywood (Jul 4, 2007)

I like to wear the quilt lined flannel shirts as light jackets in cool weather, nothing to do with posing as a logger tho. I've been wearing those for 20 years, well before my current fascination with chainsaws and firewood.  

Incidentally, I bought a long sleeved denim button up shirt (no pocket flaps) here locally to try and I like it. It protects my arms beautifully, has a whole sleeve to mop sweat from my face, it's not any hotter than a short sleeve for some reason and an unintended benefit is that it frustrates the mosquitos.

I had to buy a medium to get one that wasn't overly baggy but the medium fits a little too well, I fear that a few trips through the dryer will have me wishing for a large.

Ian


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## slowp (Jul 4, 2007)

I'm delaying going out to a nasty job...cleaning out a shop. Here's an example of the PNW Summer Fashion Style for loader (shovel) operators. 
Note the torn short sleeve style and zipper. He prefers a plastic hard hat.
The hat style (brim all the way around) is the way to go.


And these two are modelling the winter style for out in the brush. On the left, we have the classsic olive green rain look, and on the right, he is dressed for those few dry days we have. Hats are of the aluminum variety and stylishly colored. Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize!

And, one shouldn't wear White's before Memorial Day or after Labor Day! That would be a major faux pas!


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## Gologit (Jul 4, 2007)

LMAO. Hey Slowp...that shovel operator looks like he's saying "It ain't side heavy unless I say it's side heavy...now tie it down and get off the landing".


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## sILlogger (Jul 4, 2007)

that loader operator needs to get out and cut some trees, cuz he is getting a lil front side heavy. ha ha.. bet he is h*ll of an operator none the less


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## Haywire Haywood (Jul 4, 2007)

Haywire Haywood said:


> I fear that a few trips through the dryer will have me wishing for a large.



Yep, one wash/dry cycle later and it's now the better half's gardening shirt. Fits her perfectly. I'll have to go with a large.

Ian


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## Gologit (Jul 4, 2007)

Haywire Haywood said:


> Yep, one wash/dry cycle later and it's now the better half's gardening shirt. Fits her perfectly. I'll have to go with a large.
> 
> Ian



Yup...they tend to shrink a little. And don't worry about seeming to be a "poser". Wear what works for you...that's what most of us do.


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## McNeely (Jul 5, 2007)

I wear denim Wrangler brand long sleeve denim shirts, they're almost bullet proof, spark/fire resistent, twig/stick protective! They'er awsome for welding, working in the brush, and generally working where average cloths fail. Stacked over some canvas pants, I don't know what you can't tackle on land. I look like a hillbilly, but what the hell? I'm no logger, but I've noticed quite a disspararity amongst the styles of local agriculturists. Funny thing... Utilitarian style...:monkey:


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## goof008 (Jul 13, 2007)

get the Coolmax type of stuff. you can find them cheap at walmart. They are the best for working in the heat. Not much protection for running the saw, but great for splitting/stacking, etc.


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## CoreyTMorine (Jul 14, 2007)

slowp, 

how high do you think tin pants will be cut this season? I ask because i just got a new set of wool socks base black over teal, fox and geese, and i'm dying to show them off. 

And could someone out there explain to me what the heck is shovel logging? I heard the reference back a few years ago and never did find out exactly what it was.


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## joesawer (Jul 14, 2007)

A "shovel" is an excavater type machine with a log grapple, heel, and often an extra boom.


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## Gologit (Jul 14, 2007)

joesawer said:


> A "shovel" is an excavater type machine with a log grapple, heel, and often an extra boom.



Sometimes they'll have a set of drums and blocks for yarding. If they're set up like that they're called a "yoder". Among other things.  They're also good for leaking hydraulic oil all over your trailer when they're taking it off the truck and leaking oil all over the driver if he walks under the grapples. Evil minded shovel operators have been known to hold the grapples above an unsuspecting driver's head and just let the oil rain down on his hardhat. When oil starts to drip off the brim he usually figures out what's going on. Usually.


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## slowp (Jul 14, 2007)

And shovels can make for humorous viewing when a hose breaks and causes lots of running about on the landing. Hmmm. Gotta be careful when figuring the length of tin pants. Cut them a hair longer than planned because they tend to accordian up a bit. I predict the midi length will again be popular. You might want to buy the little hiker boot style of caulks so you can better show off your new socks. I found some cute lavender colored earplugs at K-Mart.
I'm thinking I saw some teal colored ones somewhere. Unfortunately, I am forced to wear an orange hardhat so the ensemble is incomplete.


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## Billy_Bob (Jul 14, 2007)

Around here many loggers wear Hickory type shirts, but the sleeves are cut off and short and have ragged ends typically.

Sometimes they will wear a plain white T-shirt, but there is a requirement that these shirts must have at least 3 holes torn in them the size of a baseball here and there. Sometimes the whole side ripped and torn.  

For pants, many loggers around here wear "Prison Blues" which have the fasteners for suspenders. With these they cut off the stiched part at the end of each pants leg so they are ragged with threads hanging out. They do this so their pants legs will not catch on branches as they are walking around.


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## Gologit (Jul 14, 2007)

:bang:


slowp said:


> And shovels can make for humorous viewing when a hose breaks and causes lots of running about on the landing. Hmmm. Gotta be careful when figuring the length of tin pants. Cut them a hair longer than planned because they tend to accordian up a bit. I predict the midi length will again be popular. You might want to buy the little hiker boot style of caulks so you can better show off your new socks. I found some cute lavender colored earplugs at K-Mart.
> I'm thinking I saw some teal colored ones somewhere. Unfortunately, I am forced to wear an orange hardhat so the ensemble is incomplete.



:bang: :bang: :bang:


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## slowp (Jul 14, 2007)

*Fashion Faux Pas and an Etiquette Question*

Another fashion rule:

Don't be tucking your pants inside boots or you will be called a "Farmer Logger". As in "_They look like Farmer Loggers to me_." said in a low, disdainful tone with a spit at the end of the sentence.

An etiquette question: Was it proper for me to point out that the loader operator had chew on the end of his nose? :angel:


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## Gologit (Jul 14, 2007)

slowp;715193
[COLOR="Red" said:


> An etiquette question[/COLOR]: Was it proper for me to point out that the loader operator had chew on the end of his nose? :angel:



 No. Never do anything that damages a loader's self image or sense of confidence and well being. We want the loader operator to be calm and mellow and feel good about his social environment. Pointing out minor flaws in his appearance will only serve to irritate and confuse him. If he has chew on his nose, or even something hanging out of it,just smile pleasantly and go on about your business. On the other hand if his loader is on fire or somebody just backed an empty into his new pickup you might want to mention it casually to him. This is considered well mannered behavior. He'll thank you for it...after his riggin fit is done. He might even deign to share his lunch with you and call you by your first name.
Remember, the loader has to deal with truck drivers. All day. Every day. This alone is reason enough to cut him all the slack he needs.


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## CoreyTMorine (Jul 16, 2007)

slowp said:


> And shovels can make for humorous viewing when a hose breaks and causes lots of running about on the landing. Hmmm. Gotta be careful when figuring the length of tin pants. Cut them a hair longer than planned because they tend to accordian up a bit. I predict the midi length will again be popular. You might want to buy the little hiker boot style of caulks so you can better show off your new socks. I found some cute lavender colored earplugs at K-Mart.
> I'm thinking I saw some teal colored ones somewhere. Unfortunately, I am forced to wear an orange hardhat so the ensemble is incomplete.




Oh, Midi will be delightful ! I mostly wear 8' or 10" boots, as anything taller seems to cause my feet to fall asleep. I have seen those hiker calks that you speak of, they might work well with my fishing vest, charcoal over red, and with all of the pockets i could carry earplugs for any occasion. I have earplugs in yellow and hot pink, just let me know if you need either color.

Last year i got doused by a broken coupling; why is it that when the lines start spraying all over a guy the operator inevitably finds it nessasary to try and finish getting the log onto the truck?

As an interesting aside, hot hydraulic fluid is the best lens cleaner i have ever encountered; the pitch wiped right off of my glasses and all the little scratches seemed to disapear!


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## kkottemann (Jul 16, 2007)

I have a hickory shirt but find it too heavy for around here, especially during summer months... I mostly wear cotton shirts with the sleves cut off when doing tree work. when logging I wear the same cotton shirt but with a light weight flannel or cotton long sleve button up over it. My pants I keep long and do not cut because they usually end up torn to hell after a few weeks anyway. Boots are wesco's 16" keeps upper legs protected from briars and moccasins as well as comfortable while in spikes all day on residential removals.


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## kkottemann (Jul 16, 2007)

I have a hickory shirt but find it too heavy for around here, especially during summer months... I mostly wear cotton shirts with the sleves cut off when doing tree work. when logging I wear the same cotton shirt but with a light weight flannel or cotton long sleve button up over it. My pants I keep long and do not cut because they usually end up torn to hell after a few weeks anyway. Boots are wesco's 16" keeps upper legs protected from briars and moccasins as well as comfortable while in spikes all day on residential removals.


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## slowp (Jul 16, 2007)

Nice outfit, KKottemann. Now, I recommend trading in your yellow hardhat for an orange colored one. This would make your ensemble look more complete, and would complement the Stihl and chaps. 

I see where I've made another poor color decision. I should also have gone for the orange chaps, but instead, on impulse, chose green. We all make mistakes.


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## kkottemann (Jul 16, 2007)

your green chaps would go better with my yellow hardhat


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## slowp (Jul 16, 2007)

Yup, but they are made for short people although the chew on the nose loader operator pointed out that my toes would be protected better if I got the ones for taller people. I had to ponder that a while.


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