Best Florida Gun Shirts & Gunshine State Hats: Every Colorway, and Which One to Actually Buy

Short answer: the best Florida gun shirt is the one built for the way you actually sweat. If you want the classic look, get the Gunshine State Florida Pistol Flag cotton tee in black ($24.95). If you're outside all day — boat, range, job site — skip cotton and get the Gunshine State dri-fit performance long sleeve ($49.95). Both carry the same Florida-shaped-like-a-pistol flag design, printed in Pompano Beach, and both pair with any of the nine Gunshine State snapback colorways ($29.95).

That's the whole decision in one paragraph. Below is the longer version: every shirt and hat in the lineup, what each one is actually good for, and how to pick a colorway you'll still wear in two years.

What is a "Gunshine State" shirt?

Florida's outline looks like a pistol — panhandle as the barrel, peninsula as the grip. Pair that with the state's gun culture and permitless-carry law and you get the nickname locals have used for decades: the Gunshine State. Our design turns the state outline into a pistol laid over the Florida flag's red saltire, so it reads as Florida first and a joke second. If you want the full history behind the shape, we wrote that up separately in Why Is Florida Shaped Like a Gun?

The practical version: it's the shirt that gets a "hey, Gunshine State" from someone in a gas station line in Okeechobee, and gets nothing but a nod at a beach bar in Pompano. That's the sweet spot for Florida apparel — recognizable to people who live here, not a screaming tourist graphic.

Which Gunshine State shirt should I buy?

Best all-around: the black cotton tee — $24.95

The black Gunshine State cotton tee is the default pick. Soft-washed cotton, standard fit, the pistol-flag graphic across the back. Black hides everything, holds the print contrast best, and works from a Friday shift to a Saturday tailgate. If you only buy one, buy this one.

Best for hot afternoons: the gray tee — $24.95

Black in a July parking lot is a decision you feel. The gray Gunshine State tee runs noticeably cooler in direct sun and is the one most guys reach for by mid-August. It's also the most forgiving colorway if you're the type to wear a shirt three days in a row on a fishing trip.

Best newcomers: steel blue and light blue — $24.95 each

The two blues are the newest additions. Steel blue is the dressier one — deep enough to pass at dinner, and it matches a gun gray hat almost exactly. Light blue is the beach-day version: lightest color in the lineup, so it's the coolest in full sun and the most obviously "Florida" of the four.

Best for all-day sun: the dri-fit long sleeve — $49.95

If you're on the water or working outside, a cotton tee is the wrong tool. The Gunshine State dri-fit performance long sleeve is moisture-wicking polyester with full arm coverage — it dries in minutes instead of staying wet against your back, and it means you're not reapplying sunscreen on your forearms every hour. Yes, long sleeves in Florida make sense; we explained the physics in Do Dri-Fit Shirts Actually Keep You Cooler in Florida Humidity? Browse the rest of the range in dri-fit long sleeves & hoodies or the short-sleeve performance shirts.

Cotton or performance fabric — which one is right for Florida?

Use the day, not the season. Cotton is better when you're mostly indoors, in and out of air conditioning, or want the softer feel: bars, work, errands, evenings. Performance fabric wins any time you'll be sweating for more than an hour straight — boat days, the range, yard work, tournaments, standing in a parking lot in August. Most locals end up with both: a couple of cotton tees and one or two shirts from the performance dri-fit collection.

Which Gunshine State hat colorway should I get?

The hat is a 3D pistol patch on a performance snapback, $29.95 in nine colorways. All of them sit in the Gunshine State collection, and they're built on the same shell as the rest of our Florida performance hats.

• Safest pick: black or gun gray — goes with every shirt in your closet, patch stays the focus.
• Coolest in real sun: white or light gray — reflects heat instead of storing it. Best on the boat.
• Most Florida: sky blue, island blue, or royal blue — the blues photograph best against water and pair with the light blue tee.
• Loudest: stars & stripes camo — the one people ask about. Fourth of July, tailgates, hunting camp.

Two easy combinations that always work: steel blue tee + gun gray hat, or black tee + camo hat. If you'd rather have a curved-brim mesh option, the Florida trucker hats and Florida flag hats cover that, and our trucker vs. rope vs. performance snapback guide explains how the builds differ.

Is a Gunshine State shirt a good gift?

It's one of the better ones for a Florida man who already owns too many shirts, because it's specific without being a tourist item. For gifting, the safe move is a $24.95 tee in gray plus the $8 Gunshine State UV sticker for a truck window or Yeti — under $35 and it looks like you thought about it. Sizing note: our cotton tees run true to size; if he's between sizes or wears his shirts loose, size up one. More ideas in Best Florida Gifts That Aren't Tourist Trash and the Florida souvenirs & gifts collection.

How do I keep the print and patch looking new?

Cold wash, inside out, tumble dry low or hang dry. Never iron directly over the pistol-flag print. For the snapbacks: hand wash the shell with mild soap and let it air dry on something shaped — a hat form or a rolled towel — so the crown keeps its structure. Saltwater is the real enemy on any performance hat; rinse it with fresh water the same day it gets sprayed, and it'll outlast three cheap hats.

Where can I buy Florida gun shirts?

Ours ship from Pompano Beach, Florida — same-state shipping for anyone in Florida, and usually a couple of days to the rest of the Southeast. Everything lives in the Gunshine State collection, and if you want the rest of what we make, start at hats, tees, or the Florida Man collection. We're a small local brand, not a licensing operation — the designs come from people who actually live here.

Quick recap

• One shirt, no thinking: black cotton tee, $24.95
• Hot and outside: dri-fit long sleeve, $49.95
• Best hat to start with: gun gray snapback, $29.95
• Gift under $35: gray tee + UV sticker

Enjoying these guides? Add True Local as a preferred source on Google to see more of them in your search results.