The American Outdoorsman offers style, comfort, and utility at a great price. There’s a good chance that you may not have heard of their clothing line before reading this article, but after you finish you may become a fan.
First up is the Montana Everyday Flannel shirt. A good flannel shirt is part of a complete outdoor kit. The Montana Everyday is made of 97% cotton and 3% spandex. This provides the comfort and warmth of cotton with a tiny bit of give. It also makes it super comfortable to wear and has made it one of my favorite shirts. I really appreciate the two front button-down pockets. Many designers use velcro instead of having buttons. While this may be fast to open, it makes noise. If I am trying to take wildlife photographs, a noisy pocket becomes completely useless. Another feature I really like about this shirt is the Ripstop inside collar band. This little added design feature on the Montana Everyday helps keep this shirt cooler in warmer temps. It also makes the collar more comfortable and more durable.
My favorite thing about this shirt though, is that I can wear it anywhere. It has a very classic styling that makes it look like an everyday shirt, but still rugged enough for the outdoors.
If you enjoy hiking or trekking down overgrown or and flatout non-existent trails, you already know the importance of having a good pair of trail pants. The American Outdoorsman has really knocked it out of the park with their Appalachian Trail Pants. I really like these pants. I like them so much, I even go mountain biking in them. They are that comfortable.
The Appalachian Trail pants have a great functional design as well as look awesome. the coolest thing about these pants is the use of Nylon Ripstop in the knees and the seat of the pants. the ripstop provides more durability and strength when kneeling and sitting. This helps to prevent unwanted tears and snags in these commonly worn areas. Nothing sucks more than hearing a distinct ripping after sitting on a log for a snack half the way up a trail. Quickly followed by a breeze entering where there used to be a pocket.
In addition to making the pants more durable, the ripstop also slides easily over my knees, so they don’t restrict my movement. Which is also why they make really great pants for cycling on overgrown trails. The openings at the bottom of the pants are also adjustable with snaps. I can tighten them down on on my boots when I don’t want anything potentially crawling up them, or I can leave them loose for more mobility and comfort.
The pants also feature eight pockets; two front pockets, two rear, two zippers pockets on the left leg, one vertical zipper pocket on the right leg and finally a small key pouch. This provides me lots of options and versatility with what I want to carry and access quickly. The pants also include a nylon web belt with a aluminum buckle. While the belt is comfortable, I would have liked to see a sturdier belt that would support a sheath, flashlight, or other gear that I‘d typically attach to my belt.
My biggest complaint is that the rear pockets are velcro. I would have much preferred either snaps like the ones used on the leg openings, or nice buttons like the one used on the front of the pants.
For both the shirt and the pants, sizing is right on the money. No need to order larger or smaller than your actual size.
So you may be asking yourself why have you not heard of American Outdoorsman before? Well, don’t beat yourself too hard, they’re relatively new. Both the Montana Everyday and the Appalachain (as well as a lot of other things I‘d love to have in my closet) are launching just in time for the holidays. Speaking of that, make sure to head over to their website. You‘ll see just how reasonably priced their clothing line is.
That being said, after miles of use on and off the trails, I really do love both of these and I can‘t wait to see what they have for the spring.
For more info: americanoutdoorsmangear.com
Montana Everyday Flannel MSRP: $59.99
Appalachian Trail Pants MSRP: $59.99
-Andy
A special thanks to American Outdoorsman for providing me some early samples to test.