South2 West8 Bush Shirts

south2 west8 doesn’t get a ton of love in the states, not even close to needles or engineered garments, despite having the same awesome quality of construction and creativity. their designs are a good mix of both of those brands though, at times as garish and confounding as needles, and as functional as the military detailing in EG. it makes for a totally unique combo, tailored to the stream, the trail, and the saddle. with US retailers pumping the prices of all the nepenthes garments, i would recommend accessing them through an auction or proxy site. though with the abolition of the de minimis exemption, rare japanese garms are just that much more inaccesible… djpetesake voice i thought this wasn’t a social commentary!

the older garments are awesome but always cut way too small for me, but the quality has stayed top notch as with all the other nepenthes family pieces. they manufacture in japan for most of the technical style garments, though i’ve seen some european labels for some older styles of knitwear. cotton pieces seem to be typically made in india. that said, since this is tomato mountain, we’ll be focused on the functional garments made in japan. i have a few other styles from them i’ve collected but to kick off this series on writing about gear, we’ll start with the bush crew.

the south2 west8 bush crew is a lightweight, polyester, and semi-sheer top with elastic cuffs and an adjustable elastic hem. the fabric is one they use for a few other styles, including an elastic waist pant, and a hooded jacket. south2 west8 also uses a heavyweight mesh for a few other styles, but i’ve only had firsthand expereince with the lightweight material. it’s been a mainstay for the last few sping/summer seasons and has come in a variety of prints.

super breathable, it feels good to just have a little extra barrier between me and the wind when i’m running or biking, basically when it’s just chilly enough to want more than only a t-shirt. the material is super light but strong. i’ve fallen while both biking and running in these and they haven’t been damaged. one has a small hole from when it got snagged on something long ago, but other than that they’ve been great. also by nature of the material, they’re quick drying and have never been through a dry cycle.

it goes without saying that these look awesome with a graphic tee underneath. they accesorize well under an oversized tee, and also over a cotton crew. in general though, i find the best use case is with a t-shirt.

i think two is more than enough for me, but if a good camo ever comes around at a good price i could see myself picking one more up.

vin bandana

jansport bag

s2w8 bush shirt

cafe nyleta x e-wax tee

rei swiftland 7” shorts

lifelong by chup socks which will need their own post soon enough

vans slip-ons

thank you sarah for taking the awesome pics!