This outdoor shirt is a firestarter. Literally.

(Image credit: Terren)

published 3 March 2023

Multifunctional gear is way forward in the outdoors - carrying kit sucks, when you’re out on the trails, especially on multiday escapades, so the more jobs each product can do the better. Which is why we all love Leathermans and Swiss Army knives. But imagine if your clothes could chip in and do some more of the heavy lifting, instead of just looking good, keeping you warm and protecting you from the elements.

Well, you don’t need to bother imagining any more, because Tennessee-based brand Terren have just announced an outdoor-active shirt that, along with a load of other features, boasts an flint and tinder set up in the collar, so you’ll always be able to get a fire started when you’re wearing it.

The Daily Driver Shirt is made from bamboo, so it has natural anti-stink and moisture-wicking properties and is better for the environment than poly-made garments. It features four-way stretch, and as well as the flint-and-tinder collar, it boasts an in-built lens cleaning cloth for sunglasses and cameras (or phone screens for the matter).

We are big fans of bamboo clothing here, but is the other stuff just a gimmicky way of getting you to part with your hard-earned? Well, it looks good, but there’s only one way to really tell, so we’re attempting to get a review sample - watch this space.

The button-up shirt, which was launched on kickstarter this week and has already smashed its targets, comes in short and long-sleeve options, and you can chose from four outdoor-orientated prints: axes, carabiners, kayaks and bike gears. If already like what you see, and can't wait for our review, pre-order one here.

Author of Caving, Canyoning, Coasteering…, a recently released book about all kinds of outdoor adventures around Britain, Pat Kinsella has been writing about outdoor pursuits and adventure sports for two decades. In pursuit of stories he’s canoed Canada’s Yukon River, climbed Mont Blanc and Kilimanjaro, skied and mountain biked across the Norwegian Alps, run ultras across the roof of Mauritius and through the hills of the Himalayas, and set short-lived speed records for trail-running Australia’s highest peaks and New Zealand’s nine Great Walks. A former editor of several Australian magazines he’s a longtime contributor to publications including Sidetracked, Outdoor, National Geographic Traveller, Trail Running, The Great Outdoors, Outdoor Fitness and Adventure Travel, and a regular writer for Lonely Planet (for whom he compiled, edited and co-wrote the Atlas of Adventure, a guide to outdoor pursuits around the globe). He’s authored guides to exploring the coastline and countryside of Devon and Dorset, and recently wrote a book about pub walks. Follow Pat's adventures on Strava and instagram.