Gear Review - Poncho Performance Shirts

Overview: Among my friends and family it's no secret that I love Poncho brand shirts. At last count I had sixteen of them hanging in the closet – originals, westerns, short sleeves, denims, upland, and my favorite, the flannels. And while that may sound excessive, I tend to wear them for virtually everything, so go easy on the judgment. The running joke is that I travel the country preaching the gospel of Poncho to anyone and everyone who will listen (I've been called the John the Baptist of the Poncho brand by one friend), though more often than not, people approach me to ask about the well-fitting shirts with the funny name.

For those that aren't familiar, Poncho Outdoors is a relatively new Austin-based company that specializes in lightweight shirts that fit better, dry quicker, and just plain look nicer. Poncho derives its nickname – and ethos – from St. Francisco – the patron saint of animals, ecology, and conservation. Like their namesake, Poncho is committed to conservation, as well as garments focused on premium performance and aesthetics.

While Poncho markets their shirts as performance apparel (and they certainly are) for me, these shirts are "everything apparel" – in the last two weeks alone I have worn Poncho shirts to the office, out to dinner, to a summer wedding and reception, to a whiskey tasting event, on a Striper fly fishing trip to Cape Cod, and to a Chris Stapleton concert with my wife (fun note, all the members of the band were wearing black western Ponchos too – and yes, I wore out the "I'm with the band" shtick pretty quickly). Needless to say, they're versatile.

All Poncho shirts offer UPF 50 sun protection and feature a built-in lens cleaner (which gets used more often than I expected). They range in price from $80 to $110 depending on style and fabric.

Although I typically review products individually, for for this gear review I am lumping all the Poncho shirts into a group and talking about them as a collection.

What I like:

Fit: I tend to fall into the taller (6'1"), slimmer (185 pounds) category of clothing and find that many brands of shirts simply do not fit me well. Typically when I order a shirt that provides enough length for my torso and arms, it fits me like an old circus tent – boxy and sloppy. Poncho solves that problem by offering their shirts in a regular cut as well as a slim cut. For me, the Large Slim has always been the perfect fit – the right length with a trim, athletic look. More than anything, it's the Poncho fit that people comment on.

Comfort: All of my Poncho shirts are extremely comfortable to wear during any activity. The Originals are made from lightweight, quick-drying performance fabric with a slight stretch. It breathes well, dries quick, and comes in regular or western style, and both long and short sleeve. The Flannels are made from light-to-medium weight, super-soft flannel material with a bit of stretch. And the Denims are slightly heavier-weight worn-in denim material without the stiff, scratchy feel – think soft, brushed touch with just a little bit of stretch.

The original is my go-to for warmer weather and the flannel and denim are my favorites for the cooler weather in fall, winter, and spring.

Care: One of the best things about Poncho shirts is how easy they are to take care of. I always wash mine in cold/gentle and line dry them. Right from the line they are ready to wear – no wrinkles, no fuss. Just easy. And they handle travel well.

Versatility: Poncho shirts can be dressed up or down – they are nice enough and feature such a perfect, wrinkle-free fit that they can easily pass grade as office wear (I'm in one almost daily). You can wear them untucked with jeans, khakis, or shorts or tuck them in and be ready to go for most any setting, from casual dinners to cocktails on the patio, fishing trips to concerts, social gatherings to family events. Expect compliments.

What I Don't Like:

In full transparency, I have to really nitpick to find anything I don't love about Poncho shirts, but here are a few considerations.

Fit Consistency: While fit is one of the best qualities of Poncho shirts, I have noticed a slight variation in fit among styles. While the originals and flannels are fairly consistent (with very slight variation in length and "slimness"), the denims, to me, feel a smidge shorter in the hem and the sleeves in the same size (Large Slim). I also find that the short-sleeve models tend to fit me a little less tailored than the long sleeves. I'm not sure why.

The good news? Poncho makes returns and exchanges a breeze, so on the rare chance your shirt doesn't fit exactly as you hoped when it arrives, getting set up with the right one is a pain-free process with top-notch customer service and free to-and-from shipping.

Durability: Ok, this one needs a BIG asterisks next to it, but you do have to be a bit more careful with the original material shirts than the others, especially when busting through brush, playing around with fishing hooks, or sipping drinks around a campfire. And I've learned to be more cautious with the lighter-colored shirts after adding a few in-the-field stains to mine that didn't wash out very easily. That all being said, I've had a number of my Ponchos for more than four years, wear them frequently, and rarely go gentle on them and they hardly show it.

Price: What can I say, I'm cheap. I hate spending money on clothes and find most shirts to be ridiculously overpriced. Poncho shirts ring up at around $90 which is no small chunk of change. That being said, I have found every one I have ever owned worth the price. Yes, they are a bit on the steep side, but in this case you are getting what you pay for – something that's rare these days. I've never recommended them to someone that has been disappointed with the purchase.

Perfect For: Poncho offers a huge selection of shirt fabrics and styles that all fit well, wear comfortably, are fuss-free, and feel at home in virtually any setting from the backcountry to the front office. They offer outstanding customer service, fast, free shipping, and almost always draw compliments. Beyond that, they make great gifts, and have become my default for those on the list that can be tricky to buy for.

Rating: 5 out of 5

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