REVIEW: Helikon-Tex Defender MK2 Shirt

Do it with style! We are big fans of this life motto, even if the rest should be tacticool: Style is almost everything. Now we know that in private life, t-shirts (with motifs) have a high value, but style is almost always a shirt professionally. Helikon-Tex has now released the Defender MK2: a long-sleeved shirt with a classic cut and a fine design. We have worn it for you. Informal like this: shirt over pants, long sleeves. First look at the good piece. We couldn't have said that it specifically came from a tactical manufacturer. Which - in this case - is meant as a compliment. The shirt is not socially conspicuous.

Even a back can be delightful, even if it just scraped the concrete wall. The cut of the shirt is generous, but not baggy. For people who need it professionally: an inner waistband holster is not noticeable here. And it's nice and long, almost covering your butt when worn long.

Long short: then it has the advantage that a shirt doesn't slip out, even if you bend over, move, walk, jump.

Everyday application from the front: Helikon-Tex has opted for a light but firm fabric that dries quickly if you are exposed to weather conditions. For us, the shirt will surely become an Everyday Carry. The material is 58 percent cotton, 40 percent polyester, and 2 percent elastane. PolyCotton is what they call it. Or simply a good, sturdy fabric ...

Nothing is as masculine as a male collar. Buttoned Down just looks stylish. A shirt is a shirt.

From top to bottom, it's simply buttoned, and here too Helikon-Tex has opted for discreet, non-tactical buttons.

But there it is, finally, the MOLLE! No, dear friends, you have been mistaken. The Defender MK2 has a very nice feature, which is a loop designed to hold sunglasses.

Four pockets, where you only see two? They doubled the work here. The shirt has a pocket, closed from the top with Velcro, which you can access directly from above. And behind that, there is another pocket.

You get to this pocket by opening either of the two zippers. Both are equipped with fabric zipper pulls. Overall, a discreet solution here too: neither the Velcro nor the zipper pulls are noticeable in a negative way.

The zipper compartment has a fine mesh at the back, not the PolyCotton shirt fabric. So, the wearer can ventilate the shirt if it gets too hot by opening the pocket. There are also such vents under the armpits, ensuring that Defender MK2 gets some air and fresh air.

Last but not least: the buttoning on the sleeves. They can be tightened or loosened. We tend to roll up the sleeves, but for formal occasions, they are always long.

CONCLUSION: Tactical company, embarrassing shirt? Because overloaded with features, oddly designed, so it looks particularly "tactical"? None of that. The Helikon-Tex is a wonderful EDC shirt that looks refreshingly civilian and can be worn successfully in everyday life without anyone thinking, "here comes the idiot again, wearing his military gear." Do it with style! The Defender MK2 has style!

The Helikon-Tex Defender MK2 Long Sleeve Shirt is available in Olive Green, Khaki, and Black at Helikon-Tex for 50.99 Euros. There is also a short sleeve version, which is available for 44.90 Euros. In Germany, you can get Helikon-Tec at CAMOSTORE and

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