OBSC The Original Bug Shirt: Reviewing after 9 years of Adventure
TLDR:
This niche protective clothing provides head to waist (except the hands) protection from all the biting insects that we have come in contact with. It has given Robert years of faultless protection. If you are looking to find a chemical free way of avoiding being a bug’s next meal then this is a contender worth looking into.
The claim on the label
When you go looking for a new piece of kit often the only information available is what the manufacturer or retailer supplies. Robert is an insect magnet. In any group, he's the one who will be bitten first. Since he prefers not to continuously douse himself in DEET or picaridin, finding a chemical-free solution was paramount. In Canada, he found the Original Bug Shirt, which seemed to offer a viable answer. Robert made his decision to get an Original Bug Shirt based on this information.
Manufacturer: The Original Bug Shirt Company (OBSC) (Link https://bugshirt.com/en-gb/products/original?variant=39441406591161 )
Product full name: The Original Bug Shirt
Price tag (at time of purchase): Approximately £40 / Under $75 CAD (Exact numbers are hard to track down from 2016.)
Retailer: Mountain Equipment Company (also known as MEC) Link (https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5047-909/original-bug-shirt-company-original-bug-shirt-unisex )
Key claims or standout information:
The fabric is lightweight and cool but very densely woven so that mosquitoes can’t bite through it and also provides UV protection.
The mesh used is “no-see-um”, to protect against even the tiniest no-see-ums and sand fleas.
The zippered mesh fronted hood can be easily thrown back, and fits over a baseball cap.
Adjustable zippered mesh hood has a drawstring to work with or without a hat.
Loose fit with mesh sides for breathability.
Sleeves have wrist seals to protect against biting insect intrusion.
A drawstring at the waist with bow cord lock provides a positive seal at the bottom edge.
The entire shirt folds into its own zippered front pocket.
Out on the trail
We know that manufacturers and retail staff's claims are all well and good, but the real proof is in the use on the trail. We try to give you an understanding of how much we have used the equipment and critically in what conditions before we cast judgement on its performance.
Estimated time of use so far: 100+ Days
Adventure we have used this on: Almost all of them since 2016 where there was any chance of biting insects, including, but not limited to: the NFCT, The Great Glen, Introduction To Canoe Touring, Canoeing The Wye, Canoeing The Thames, Canoe Touring Lake Båven, Klarälven Timber Rafting, Wales trip, and Salhouse Broad.
What we have used it for: Robert has used this for protection against biting bugs. It has been worn both over other clothing, as well as next to the skin.
How has it performed: While wearing it all zipped up and the wrist and waist seals fastened tight Robert has not received any bites. Considering it is an almost full covering from the waist up it has proven itself to be light and breezy. After nearly a decade of regular use, only this summer (2025) did the mesh finally fail, turning crunchy and starting to disintegrate. We suspect this was either the material aging out, or due to accidental exposure to a chemical it disliked, but it remains the only material issue we’ve had with the garment.
Robert does not wear this while canoeing. After a short test swim with a buoyancy aid, he found having the wet hood and the hat floating inside it and getting over his face to be profoundly unpleasant and potentially unsafe. For paddling, a quick release head net is always his choice. However, if it is a long portage, or for comfort around camp in the evenings, the bug shirt comes out. With regards to the types of bugs that Robert has knowingly used this shirt to protect himself against, these include (but are probably not limited to): Mosquitoes, Black fly, Midges, Horse flies, Deer flies, Gnats, and a wide variety of Ticks, all without issue.
Any modifications made: There have been four major changes over the years, though three are really maintenance:
Functionality: Accessory cord lanyards were added to all the zip pulls (2017) to make them easier to operate while wearing gloves.
Repair (2025): The wrist elastic had worn out and was replaced.
Repair (2025): The shoelace-style waist drawstring cord was replaced with a more functional elastic cord.
Repair (2025): Due to disintegration, all mesh panels were replaced with equally fine no-see-um mesh.
The Good The Bad and The Packable
Being realistic there is no perfect piece of equipment, there are always pros and cons and so we try to give you our balanced view of what we feel about it and answer the question: does it make the packing list for our next adventure?
The bits we liked: Not getting bitten by bugs while wearing it has to be up there with the best parts of this shirt. With many garments being able to pack it away into one of its pockets is a bit of a gimmick and rarely used, however the fact that this shirt so easily rolled up into the front pocket means that this is often how it is transported being stuffed into and pulled out of bags, sometimes multiple times a day.
The way the hood unzips at the front from the bottom to the top allows for you to quickly open the zip, stuff food or drink in, and pull your hand out, all while keeping a reasonably good seal. This means that snacking is possible without reducing your protection.
How it could be better: To get the separation of the mesh from Robert’s face he has to wear a hat with this shirt. The hood is designed to be worn with a baseball cap on, not a wide brimmed Tilley hat (Link https://uk.tilley.com/products/twc7-outback-waxed-adventure-hat?variant=39618041381041 ). This has meant that Robert carries an additional baseball cap, almost solely for use with The Original Bug Shirt. If the hood were designed with the articulation seen in high end rain jackets (like the Mountain Equipment Changerbang Link https://www.mountain-equipment.com/ ), an additional cap would be unnecessary. We think this would be better than trying to make the shirt fit a full wide brimmed Tilley hat under it.
What we think it is best suited for: Any adventure where you are going to spend significant time around biting insects and you don't fancy being insect food.
Are we going to pack it for our next adventure?:
If the adventure is going to be somewhere even potentially buggy this shirt is going to get packed.
Does it get our seal of approval?
The Original Bug shirt is not quite perfect, however it has given years of protection, saving Robert from countless bug bites and hours of discomfort.This piece of niche protective clothing gets our seal of approval, and will likely be replaced soon with exactly the same model (for hopefully another decade of use!).
