REVIEW: Arc'teryx LEAF Recce Shirt AR

Before the era of Combatshirts began, men wore BDU (Battle Dress Uniform) jackets. These were simple field blouses with buttons and the classic four-pocket design - two on the chest and two on the hips. Velcro or arm pockets? Not a chance. At that time, all patches were still sewn on. So it didn't take long for the first custom shirts - also called RAID BDU or DCU shirts - to appear, where the chest pockets were slanted, the hip pockets moved to the upper arms, and were equipped with Velcro. With the Army Combat Uniform (ACU), this design was also adopted, along with the popular Mandarin collar, and can still be found in use today. In the private sector, for example, Crye Precision (now in its third generation) offers a similar design with their Fieldshirt. Arc'teryx LEAF has released a Recce Shirt this year, in addition to the previously reviewed Assault AR Pants, which we have taken a look at.

The Recce Shirt is first and foremost an incredible beauty. Sure, it's just a patrol shirt, but the design is really well done and with the athletic cut, a real eye-catcher. Some of you older readers may even remember the "Schimanski jacket" - the classic M65 field jacket that people loved to wear on the streets in the 1980s. The Recce Shirt has the potential to become the Schimanski jacket of the 21st century... at least we think so. But tastes are different, as we know, so let's move on to the facts.

There are a lot of details packed into this "just" a field blouse. Arc'teryx has considered just about every detail and put it into this jacket.

The design is - as mentioned earlier - athletic and fits very well in the delivered size. The jacket is slightly longer at the back. The sleeves of the jacket are pre-shaped and have the typical pockets on the upper arms with a 4"x4.5" Velcro area.

Above the Velcro area there is a small plastic eyelet in the middle - this is used to secure S&S V-Lites.

The upper arm pocket itself can be opened from the front with a zipper and has several loops inside to secure equipment.

The zipper itself has a long zipper pull made of Paracord, which is covered with heat shrink tubing. This can be pulled through two holes at the top of the pocket and secured against unintentional opening.

The sleeve cuff can be closed with buttons, and you can choose between two to adjust how tight you want it. Another button is placed further back. This allows you to open the sleeve wide and roll it up easily.

There are two 10mm foam protectors included for the elbows.

These can then be inserted into the sleeves from the inside.

The armpit area is made of mesh, specifically TenCate Defender™ M 5.5 oz. - the same material used in the Arc'teryx LEAF Assault Balaclava. This is for better ventilation.

The front of the Recce Shirt is buttoned. Except for the first button, all are concealed under a placket, which is for protection when wearing gear - no button will tear off for sure.

The collar is a Mandarin stand-up collar, which is closed with Velcro and can also be worn flat.

On the chest, there are two pockets that can be operated with Velcro closure. Inside, you will find the same securing loops as in the upper arm pockets.

Both chest pockets can also be opened from the top with Velcro, providing access to two more slide-in pockets intended for smartphones or similar items. These are separate pockets and not a second entrance to the chest pockets, mind you.

To ensure that storage space is not lacking, there are two large mesh pockets on the inside - one on each side. These are not closable and are meant for drying equipment, for example.

Like the Assault AR Pants and the AR Shirt, the Recce Shirt is made of 50/50 Nylon/Cotton No melt/no drip - meaning flame retardant, and weighs approximately 670 grams. It is manufactured in El Salvador.

Please note: Even though the manufacturer states that the size of the shirt is "spacious" - allowing for layering - you have to pay more attention to the fit of the shirt compared to the pants. The pants have an elastic waistband that can compensate to an extent, which the jacket obviously cannot do - in our opinion, it is relatively true to size, but this of course depends on the stature of the wearer.

SPARTANAT is the online magazine for Military News, Tactical Life, Gear & Reviews.
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