About Us

Our Story: From the Fireline to SmokedShirts.net

You could say Ollie was born into the wildland fire community.

Back when his mom was pregnant with him, she was out on the fireline working as a Resource Advisor. Ever since that summer, wildland fire has been a constant part of his life. Every year, his mom would head out to work the fires, and every single summer, she’d bring back a tradition: a new fire t-shirt.

Growing up surrounded by these shirts, he fell in love with the culture, the grit, and the community behind them. But as he got older, he noticed two big problems with the fire shirts available today:

  1. The Price Tag: A single t-shirt shouldn't break the bank. A lot of apparel companies out there are charging premium prices for basic gear.

  2. The Quality: Too many modern shirts use "Print to Film" (DTF) styles. They leave a thick, sticky, plastic-like graphic on your chest that doesn't breathe and feels uncomfortable, especially after a long day.

He wanted something better. He wanted to bring back the classic, high-quality feel of silk-screened images—designs where the ink actually goes on to the fabric so they stay soft, and comfortable to wear.  While we don't use silkscreen, we do direct to fabric printing which creates a very comfortable experience as the shirts are worn. He also wanted to do it at decent prices that everyday families and crews can actually afford. We wish we could sell them for even less!

Driven by his young entrepreneurial spirit and this mission, he finally convinced his mom to let him start an online t-shirt company late last spring, when he was 15. He created the initial website on north bound I-5 near Weed CA on his phone! They were returning from a road trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (before it burned). With her blessing and backup, SmokedShirts.net was officially born. Now the whole family pitches in to support this venture.

Founded by a kid who is tech savvy and grew up on fire shirts, backed by a mom who lived the fire life, and dedicated to delivering comfortable, classic silkscreen style without the ridiculous price tag. 

Thanks for supporting our small, family-owned business.