After realizing that I had two TRU Combat Shirts in my closet, I thought, "Hey, I should do a review of them." So, here it is, your review of the Tru-Spec TRU Combat Shirt.
I purchased my shirts from U.S. Cavalry, where you can get the ACUPAT version for about $50.99 and the Multicam version for $70.99.
Both versions that I own are made of "50/50 nyco Cordura® rip-stop sleeves with 60/40 cotton nylon Cordura® brand Baselayer; BOTH ARE CONSIDERED NO MELT, NO DRIP." according to the USCavalry webpage. The camouflage versions of the TRU Combat Shirt are made differently from the one-tone versions.
The Combat Shirt is a design used by several companies, along with every branch of the U.S. Military. Tru-Spec was not the first to make such a design, but they have made some very neat improvements on it that will hopefully catch on with other manufacturers. The TRU Combat Shirt is designed to do several things, 1.) keep you cool when wearing a plate carrier or similar armor component, while retaining the camouflaged look of a regular uniform, and 2.) protect you from fire, should your uniform ignite from an IED blast or similar explosion.
I think I will start off by reviewing the collar first:
All versions of the TRU Combat Shirt have a turtle-neck-style collar. This is similar to the mandarin-style collar of the ACU, and works in a similar way, but has the feel of a regular t-shirt-style collar. This is the one part of the TRU Combat Shirt that I do not like. I wish they had kept the mandarin-style collar, the way that Crye Precision did on their Combat Shirt design.
Next, is the right sleeve nametape and insignia Velcro patches:
I like this feature, which is also present on the Army Combat Shirt (ACS). It allows you to place a flag, nametape, and rank insignia (or insignia cover, like I did) without having leftover Velcro. This way, you can retain as much of the camouflage pattern as you want, without having the one-tone interruption of Velcro. I did not like, however, that the Velcro space that Tru-Spec places on the sleeves of their TRU Combat Shirt is a little bit more than is needed for each patch. Not much, but enough to be annoying for OCD gear-whores like me.
Third, is the left sleeve Velcro patch:
The left sleeve of the TRU Combat Shirt is home to a medium-sized patch of Velcro in a rectangular shape. This is useful for placing a wide variety of personal or team patches on your uniform. As you can see, I have placed an American flag on the Velcro, and there is still a lot of room leftover for more patches. If you do not want to place a patch on there, then you can simply purchase a camouflage shoulder-cover http://nametapes.com/multicamvelcrobackedcover.aspx
The second aspect of this shoulder Velcro, is the IR-tab cover. At the top of the Velcro, you can see a strap. That strap can be fully lengthened to cover the IR-tab (if you use one) or retracted to show the IR-tab. The IR-tab is not included. I don’t really use this function, because I don't have any use for an IR-tab; but I don’t mind it, either, because I can see how useful it would be if your activities required an IR-tab.
Next, I will move on to the rear of the TRU Combat Shirt:
The back of the TRU Combat Shirt is partially covered in camouflage material, and partially covered in the normal torso material. This is one of the features that I disliked about the TRU Combat Shirt. I don’t see how it would be useful, unless you rolled with a chest rig, but then you wouldn’t need a combat shirt. If anyone can explain to me any useful reason for having all of this camouflaged material on the back, then I will revoke my statement; but for now, I think filling that space with moisture-wicking material, like the rest of the torso, would be more useful to the user.
Both sleeves also feature built-in elbow pads. I like these more than even the Crye Precision built-in elbow pads, because these ones are more low-profile, and since most people do not use elbow pads very often, the lessened profile of these pads are great! The Army Combat Shirt (ACS) actually has extremely similar elbow pads on the ACS sleeves.
Finally, I move to the cuffs of both sleeves:
The cuffs are like any ACU cuffs, except slightly thinner. I approve of that change, because I always felt the Velcro cuffs on the ACU were a little too large, not that it makes much of a difference either way. Anyways, they function the same way, adjusting via the Velcro on the end.
All-in-all, the Tru-Spec TRU Combat Shirt is a great piece of equipment for anyone who wears a plate carrier (PC). I can say from experience, that the TRU Combat Shirt makes one hell of a difference for those hot summer days at the range, or on the field. To give the TRU Combat Shirt a rating is up to you, since I am just here to provide the evidence – you have to be your own jury to decide if this is the right uniform blouse for you.
