Best sun shirt

I bought this a few months ago. Bummer is that after the first day, the hem on the bottom came undone…and I have no idea how to sew. Hopefully just my luck and not a problem with the product line.

It seems functional…although the fabric is a bit thicker than I had hoped. Hopefully others will have suggestions, as I'm looking to replace this.

Patagonia's warranty is top notch, I'm sure they'll repair or replace it for you.

I just noticed OR makes an echo women's hoody but not a men's version?!

Those sexist pigs!

Here's a good shout out to Sun Precautions gear by John Albea:
http://hikelighter.com/2013/08/07/sun-precautions-ultra-athlete-shirt-and-pants/

I think they offer(or used to)a hooded version if I am not mistaken. (I love hoodies, but I personally prefer my Tilley hat to a hood, esp. when out in the sun.)

Has anyone tried the Ex Officio Sol Cool Ultimate Hoody? It has the little cooling dots… wonder if it really works though. I have come across some reviews of the older models on here that said the material was not very comfy… not sure if that is still the case either.

Hey Eric,

I tend to think that the best sun shirt is one that provides high SPF/UPF and that provides high ventilation without compromising sun contact with skin.

The Patagonia Sunshade does “ok” at 45 UPF (not the best out there) and does very “poorly” in the breathablity/ventilation side of things.

At this point in time I personally think that the best sun shirt on the market is the Sun Precautions ‘Ultra Athlete Full Zip Shirt’. It is going to give you maximum ventilation with a 100+SPF rating. I have a full review of this shirt that I wrote 9 months ago. I am still wearing the shirt on an almost daily basis (I am at this moment) – I did switch over to a full zip version and went with the ‘stone’ color rather than the white.

Next in line I would probably recommend the Collibar ‘Long Sleeve Cool Fitness Crewneck Shirt’ if you prefer a more traditional style shirt. I do not yet have a review of this shirt as I am still testing it out.

Happy to answer any specific questions about any of this.

Thanks,
+John Abela

Christopher, before your sun shade got ruined how was the performance? Was it comfy against the skin, did you stay cool in heat, did it wick well?

John, my face will get burned while wearing SPF 85 sunscreen, but I've never seen any signs of sun exposure through any shirt… cotton, nylon, or polyester. Does anyone have a different experience?

@Paul, shirts with venting areas (such as the underarm and face netting fabric of the exofficio that chad linked too) can allow sun contact with skin. In order to prevent this you have to have fabric vents over the netting fabric, which SunPrecaution Ultra Athlete shirts offer.

"this from patagonia looks good http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/mens-sunshade-technical-hoody?p=52655-0 have any of you tried it."

I have several of what might be the predecessor of that shirt. Was called the Sun Hoody and had a kangaroo style pocket. They're definitely NOT hot weather shirts. The fabric is just too heavy. Otherwise I think they're awesome shirts.

I also can't picture any hoodie style shirt being a good hot weather option.

Nathan: I also can't picture any hoodie style shirt being a good hot weather option.

Yeah that does seem kind of odd… almost tempted to buy it just to try it… would have to deal with the ventilation fabric allowing sun contact through in some way… if the whole hoodie approach does actually work, that could be kind of neat. could be a vial thermal layer as well as sun protection.

I just used a white OR Echo L/S Zip-T in hot, sunney weather and while I nomally burn easily, there was no burning here. Excellent.
My review is here

Hey Eric,
To answer your question, it was ok. It wicked a little…but seemed to hold on to some of the moisture…perhaps by design to keep you cooler.
On an 85 degree hike I did feel the need to pull up the sleeves.
It also has these weird stiff side panels….can't really explain the point of those.

I wish there was an arcteryx phase sl hoody. Light, wicking, and doesn't show my nips as bad as the OR echo.

I've used my io bio hooded merino shirt with a visor for sun protection the last couple years & at this point,I definitely prefer it over any visor/bandana or unweildy Sunday afternoon hat (I tried to like it). Its just simpler and easier to take on and off then other options. Wearing the hood loosely either over or under the visor, depending on wind, still allows for a lot of airlow. In summer though, even the light merino gets hot, so I've been on the look out for something lighter for desert and summer in the alpine. That ex officio looks just about right though. Just put in an order, so I'll see how it goes and report back.

Serge, looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the Ex O when you get it…

@chad I'll be sure to at least post some first impressions. I'm pretty picky about what I hold onto, especially a $60 (sale) shirt, so not sure if I'll get it into the field, but I'll definitely report back. cheers.

@Serge, if you don't like it and its a large, lets work out you sending it my way for me to try out :)

Serge,
I use a white OR Echo Zip-T/light grey TNF El Cap L/S (was only available for 1 or 2 tears) with an OR Sun Runner cap since maybe 2005 and that combo performs great. The nip thing with the Echo is for me a non-issue and I'm certainly not skinny.

@ John, I'll PM you if it doesn't end up working out.

@Woubeir One of my ski/hiking buddies uses and loves his sun runner cap. I may end up with something similar to that, although I find the attachment system just a touch fiddly.

Serge,
while I mostly use the Sun Runner without the skirt, sometimes I use it with it and the attachment system supposed to be a touch fiddly was actually never a problem.

You could try sunveil.com; they make some nice sun protection clothing (corona jacket and compass jacket both have detachable hoods I believe). Fabric is very light. Disclaimer: I supply the fabric to Sunveil.

Sun Precautions/Solumbra makes some good products and aimed at folk who need maximum protection. They are expensive and not really UL.

Ex Officio and most of the major outdoor clothing manufacturers make button down nylon shirts with UPF ratings. They expensive, heavy and hot IMHO.

The Patagonia Sun Hoody and variants are really surfer/beach stuff. They are thick and heavy.

The hood is the real hang up. I would look for a light colored base layer long sleeve top with a good UPF rating and add a Sunday Afternoons Adventure Hat. The vase layer fabric will keep you cooler and drier than a nylon button down.

I if you like baseball style caps, the OR Sunrunner is good or you can make your own using any baseball style cap with a bandana and a bit of line for the cape. Billed runner's caps tend to have vents and are light. I like the Nike Dry Fit caps in white.

" I like the Nike Dry Fit caps in white."

Me too. Any tips on getting the smell out of them though?

Borax and hot water?

I wash most of my untreated and not outer wear synthetics with hot water, a good soap, and borax. Usually helps. I also oftentimes after the wash and rinse cycle, put a little pre-dissolved water/borax solution in towards the end.

Seems to temporarily help with synthetic stink issues, but it's not good for outerwear type stuff that will be used for rain protection or the like, since it tends to decrease the hydrophobicity of the synthetics some (leaves a water attracting residue i think).

Which made me realize something recently. When i talked about my cheap nylon microfiber boxers a little while ago on my thread here asking about good wicking nylon shirts, well i recently washed them without using the borax treatment and no they do not wick as good as i thought they did. Previously when i tested them, they had been "treated" to the above borax solution, which is apparently what increased the wicking action. Felt i should correct that.