Fly Product: TLTFF Review of TrueFlies Clothing

About two months ago I won a TrueFlies "Tuesday Hookup" giveaway contest on Facebook. I won the L/S Turtle Bay Tee in "Ibis" White and Fish Crest Trucker Hat in "Hibiscus with Rolled Marlin Undervisor". I fell in love with the feel of their shirt and design of their hat but unfortunately had accidentally given them a smaller size than I normally wear in the shirt. I decided, since Luis' birthday was right around the corner, these would be perfect for him. I gave Luis the shirt and hat and he loved them. He wore them on a few trips and was able to give me a great assessment on the shirt. When I contacted TrueFlies to let them know I had received the items and to shoot a thanks their way, they were kind enough to send some items our way to broaden the review. Within a few days of talking to TF, I had a new L/S Turtle Bay Tee in "Washed Sky" Blue (in my size) and a pair of their Oyster Creek Shorts in "Bonefish".




Here's a little bit about the items to kick off the review via the TrueFlies website...

L/S Turtle Bay Tee-

My childhood in a nutshell: Me and Robbie Barnes. Into everything, all the time. Basically inseparable, right up ‘til college. When he came back from Officer Candidate School, he was the same old Robbie, but different. Seasoned. He knew things. This shirt reminds me of him. Just when I think something so reliable and familiar couldn’t get any better, along it comes and upends my expectations. It’s a little mind-blowing, in the best possible way. 

Tech Specs

• 100% Polyester Jersey
• Peached Finish
• 100% Polyester Mesh
• SPF 30 Sun Protection
• Moisture Wicking
• Quick Drying
• 
  

Side Mesh Knit venting runs from the sleeve hem to the bottom opening, providing tremendous air flow around the body and underarms.

Ergonomic Saddle Shoulder design gives more freedom for casting.

Neck Trim - Collar seams are finished with a band of high-quality woven ribbon bearing our shrimp logo. Ultra soft. Supremely comfortable.

Tagless Label is heat-transferred to feel like part of the fabric. Makes the tag almost imperceptible and the shirt more comfortable.

Signature Pocket Shape with shrimp embroidery

Screened printed TrueFlies logo on the back of the Ibis color

Attractive heat transfer logo on back of Margarita, Washed Sky, and Mojito colors

Fish Crest Trucker Hat-

• Pre-Washed
• Marlin Undervisor to Reduce Glare
• 6-Panel Construction
• Woven Crest Patch with Embroidered Edging
• 3" Bill Length
• Velcro Closure Embroidered with TrueFlies Logotype
• 
  

100% Cotton Twill Front Panel & Bill, 100% Polyester Mesh Back

Oyster Creek Shorts-

“Dammit, Jim, I’m a fly-fisherman, not a contortionist!” There may be plenty of things that turn you all cantankerous out there. These shorts won’t be one of them. The back pockets, positioned slightly forward, have slanted openings and velcro closures. Which makes it easy to keep track of their contents. Though you may have to hunt for something else to complain about.

Tech Specs

• 60% Cotton, 40% Nylon Twill
• 175 gm/m2
• Dull Peach Finish
• Stain Resistant
• Water Repellant for Quicker Drying
• 
  

Gusset sewn into the inseam gives greater freedom of movement and a more open gait when stepping up.

Belt Loops are backed with a nylon webbing for increased strength and durability.

Embroidered Cargo Pocket has zipper closure, laser-cut to eliminate frayed edges. Securely welded, not stitched, to the leg for smooth, clean finish.

Signature Pocket Shape

YKK Zippers - Perfect sized zipper pull on cargo pocket

Heavier than our Captiva Air-Lite, yet lighter and quicker drying than 100% cotton.

The first time the TF gear was worn, Luis took it down to Miami for a day with one of our favorite guides, Cordell Baum aka "The BonefishWhisperer" for a shot at some Bonefish, Permit, and Redfish. Here's what Luis and I had had to say about the L/S Turtle Bay Tee, Fish Crest Trucker Hat, and Oyster Creek Shorts.

Very few items have a guaranteed spot in my suitcase when I travel. The TrueFlies L/S Turtle Bay Tee has not missed a trip in the 5 months of owning it. At home on the casting platform in the ninety degree heat as well as the airport terminal this shirt over months of abuse the shirt has performed without a hiccup.   

Fabric-

The Turtle Bay Tee is 100% polyester. Makes for very light fabric that’s breathable the side vents circulate air well keeping comfortable all day. I think it is the perfect choice for the tropics or hot days on the bay. The fabric is so soft and comfortable in fact I have caught my girlfriend trying to sleep in it. The stitching is excellent. I am well passed 50 washes and the logo still looks like the day I got it.

Fit-

I feel the shirt is sized a bit on the large side however the extra room is perfect for comfort. The cut is designed for extra room while casting, as a bonus I have discovered this is a great shirt to paddle board in as the vents keep you nice and cool while exercising without letting you get burned.

The tag less label is a great touch no more chaffing when wearing a backpack or your GoPro Chesty.

My one complaint in this category is the sleeves do not have any elastic cuffs. Although leaving that out adds to value of the shirt since it will never stretch out at that point.

Functionality-

This shirt does what it is design to do. Keep you comfortable so you can concentrate and on the task at hand. In my opinion a well thought out shirt.  If it’s fishing, paddling, traveling or lounging around watching TV this shirt is up for the task, especially when you have a nice little pocket to keep your goodies in.

Cost-

The only thing we had a problem with was the cost. Coming in at $59.99, this shirt is a bit pricey for us frugal fisherman.

Overall, hats off to True Flies for producing a quality product, the TF L/S Turtle Bay Tees got a 4.5 out of 5 stars from us at TLTFF.

Moving on, the TF Oyster Creek Shorts. Let me start this off by first saying that I've worn these shorts so much in the last few months, that my wife claims I don't wear anything else. I've put these bad boys to the test!

Fabric-

It wasn't until a recent Striper trip on the Bay with friend of TLTFF, Mike Dunlap aka @chesapeaketjam that I got even a stain on these, not due to maintaining awareness of what I get on them, but due to sheer ignorance of the fact that I had gut-hooked a fish and it bled all over me...bummer right? Nope, due to the awesome water-repellant and stain resistant qualities of these shorts, the blood, yes blood, came right out with some hydrogen peroxide...4 hours after the blood made its way into the shorts! These shorts are super comfortable and lightweight due to the mixture of 60% cotton and 40% nylon twill. They have a slight touch of stretch that accommodates for that run across the flat or balancing act you may be doing up on the poling platform when you drop down low to avoid a friends cast or hide from a fish.

Fit-

Thanks to my college lacrosse workouts and runs, I have some pretty large thighs. I hold a few records at Messiah for leg lifts, something I'm pretty proud of...until I go to buy pants or shorts. Large thighs make regular jeans look "skinny" or whatever the hipsters call them these days. When it came to giving TF my size for shorts I was nervous...but then I noticed they have a perfect sizing chart (found on every page where an item of theirs requires it)! With my size 36 waist, I fit right into the large shorts. They literally fit like a glove too, not too big and not too small. They are the perfect length, sitting right above my knees.

Functionality-

With the gusset sewn into the inseam, like I said before, these shorts have just enough stretch to accommodate for big steps or cartwheels. They never seemed to wrinkle in the 20+ washes/drys they've been through. They fold perfectly into your bag, making room for that one extra reel you may want to bring. With the belt loops, you can wear your favorite belt and make them fit even more snug so your not showing off your undies like a hoodlum. The belt loops have a build in nylon webbing behind them to give them extra strength and durability but oddly enough, this was the only part of the sorts I had an issue with. One of the belts I use is a military-grade double o-ring belt that holds itself around your waist with a velcro patch. Every time I would feed the velcro through the belt loops on these shorts, I noticed the nylon would slowly come apart. Over time the nylon has worn away and is pretty patchy. Again, that was really the only thing I found was an issue with these shorts. 

Cost-

Coming in at $69.99, these shorts were pretty far out of our ideal price range. This isn't to say that these shorts aren't worth this much, but that I won't be buying another pair anytime soon. This is the upper end of cost for these types of shorts.

Overall, I gave the TF Oyster Creek Shorts 4 out of 5 stars. Again, these are some of my favorite fishing shorts but the wear and tear of the belt loops, and the extreme price dropped a star.

On to our final item, the Fish Crest Trucker Hat. With a velcro back, this hat doesn't get more customizable to the size of your dome. The fact that it is pre-washed helps colors from running when your sitting in that 90 degree heat chasing tail. The "Marlin Undervisor" helps reduce glare with its lighter, less reflective color, helping you spot that one slab sitting in the grass bed no problem. The logo looks great and this hat is meant to stand up to the test of being your "goto fishing hat". Coming in at $26.99, its a bit pricey but not out of the range we'd like to spend for a quality hat. Overall, the Fish Crest Trucker Hat was given 5 out of 5 stars.

We had a blast with this review and are stoked to be outfitted in some truly quality product by TrueFlies. A huge thank you goes out to the TF team for hosting awesome giveaways on their Facebook and for allowing us to do this great giveaway! We will be keeping a close eye on this company as they are doing it right and outfitting fly fisherman with all the right stuff. From hats to pants, shorts to polos, TrueFlies gets you comfortable and looking good for that next hookup and picture for your office wall.

Check out TrueFlies on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Tumblr for more excellent content and be sure to head over to their website and get you some TF gear!



*This review was completely unbiased and these products were sent to us for review purposes only. This review, as with all of our reviews was, completely fair with no intentions coming into it of giving it a "good" or "bad" rating. We do our best to keep all reviews as fair as possible with biases being thrown out the door.

Boom...Morgan & Luis