Sun Protection, what is your solution?

[Ian]

I had a chance to hike up to Camp Muir on Sunday.  With my family history, have already had one biopsy, and the fact that I am pigmentation challenged, I try my best to protect myself from the sun.

Conditions: 85*F, bluebird skies, no breeze, and on snow 99% of the day.  Hike is just a bit over four miles, slightly more than 1000′ gain per mile, for a total of 4600′ gain reaching 10,000′ elevation.  In these conditions, I’d be warm in any temperature above freezing wearing nothing more than a nylon shirt.  At 85*F, it was just d@mn hot so moisture management was a lost cause.  As a general rule, I try to use my clothing to the best extent possible to serve as protection from the sun, and save sunblock lotion for my face.

What worked:

• RailRiders Boneflats shirt.  There’s no free lunch and while hiking in just a t shirt would have been cooler, this shirt is the best compromise I have personally found for sun protection.

What sorta worked:

• OR Sun Runner hat.  I have no complaints with this hat for sun protection, but I found on such a warm day that not having air freely circulate around my heck and head was uncomfortable.  This may end up being my best option, and if so, I will just deal with it.

What did not work:

• Kiss My Face 30spf sun block.  I’ve not personally experienced any noticeable benefit from using their 50 spf sun block, I have had good luck with this sun block before, it was what I had on hand.  I just went with it with the hopes that re applying it as I hiked up would be sufficient.  It failed.  Miserably.  I now have a Batman symbol sunburn on my face.  While I think that in and of itself is cool, for the health of my skin and with the hopes of preventing skin cancer, I’d like to avoid this in the future.

What I’d like to hear your thoughts on:

• What’s your preferred sunblock, especially one with Zinc Oxide?  A distant second concern, how hard/easy is it to clean off of your face at the end of the day?  I’m currently looking at Blue Lizard but I’ve yet to try it.
• Sun Buff?  Seems like a hotter option than my OR Sun Runner but I see people wearing them.  Tried it?
• What else are you doing to protect yourself from the sun?

[W I S N E R !]

I just put down some thoughts on this here.

 

[Jonathon Self]

Personally, I don’t use sun screen. I find the stuff annoying. If you use it properly, you have to constantly reapply it, and it’s oily and expensive.

I’ve had good luck with an long sleeve OR echo shirt with a complimentary echo buff. I pair it with a large hat, and I’ve never had an issue with the sun. They claim the echo shirts only provide a UPF 15 protection, but I’ve never even been remotely burnt, and the echo cloth is incredibly wispy and breathable. I’ve wore an echo long sleeved zip into the mid 90’s and have been comfortable.

That’s really all I do. I don’t wear pants, but I don’t have a lot of issue with my legs. I’d probably look into some argon wind pants if I did. And given similar situations, I’d probably invest in some palmless sun gloves.

[jscott]

Sun Precautions sells a great drape hat with 100%  spf protection. Solumbra fabric. Much better than the Or sun runner, in that it gives broader protection. Great for mosquitoes too. Snow is murder; this helps. Otherwise, zinc sun lotion for sure. It’s messy but what are your options? Just wash with soap at night.

You don’t have to burn to risk sun exposure. Non-burning rays are related to melanoma as well.

[Jonathon Self]

@jeffrey, Very good point!

I’d still champion the Echo line of shirts, though. If I could afford more, I’d probably buy a closet full of them. They are probably my favorite piece of gear. Cool, very quick drying, and surprisingly warm in cooler temps. They also make a hoody which I’m tempted to try at some point.

Should try them out, if you can find a good deal.

[William Chilton]

“OR Sun Runner hat.  I have no complaints with this hat for sun protection, but I found on such a warm day that not having air freely circulate around my heck and head was uncomfortable.”

I have the same problem with hats in hot weather. An umbrella might be a solution. Some people clearly like them; personally, I’ve found an umbrella annoyingly to restrict my view.

[Matt Dirksen]

For me, I always wear long sleeves ( I prefer OR Echo L/S Zip), pants (REI Sahara’s or ExOfficio), a Tilley hat (LTM6IS), and OR Chroma fingerless gloves, even when doing yard work at home. With that coverage, I rarely need any suncreen.

However, if I do put suncreen on my face, I tend to use coconut oil (Carrington Farms  – from Costco). While it has a little spf, it is VERY multi-use, (like honey) as it can be used for both for consumption and first aid. I would suspect at 10k feet with snow, I might require something more potent, but I’d still bring the coconut oil along and try that first.

 

[BC Bob]

I have the OR Sun Runner.  It’s a pretty good solution though I do find the same problem — lack of air circulation around the neck on a hot, windless day.

I just bought the OR Helios and the Sombriolet.  The latter should give good sun protection and is light and airy.  Probably not so good on windy days so I might take the Sun Runner as well.

Perhaps a bit dorky on a guy, but good for solo trips!  I’ve had a patch of skin cancer on my face so fashion is not such a high priority.

This doesn’t look tooooo bad…  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3ixAkA50xs

[JCH]

I live in Florida and hate sun screen and bug spray. Avoiding the later is fairly easy by using Insect Shield clothing. You can avoid the former with clever choice of clothing…except for your face which you found out.  Snow and water are particularly tough as the reflection means the sun’s rays are coming at you from all directions.

I use a large brimmed ball cap, Costa del Mar sunglasses and an Insect Shield buff that covers my ears and chin (optionally pulled up to under my nose).  This does leave nose and some cheek exposed but the bill of the cap usually suffices for direct sun exposure.  The reflected sunshine can still get through.

So basically I have no complete solution :(  Cover up as much as possible and if it’s hot be prepared to sweat.

[Stephen M]

Rail riders Journeyman shirt, Eco mesh trousers and Sun Sombrero work well for me, I don’t have to worry about sun or bugs.

[Lester Moore]

Camp Muir is an unbeatable hike on a sunny day. On any extended outing on snow, especially at altitude, I’ve found that any uncovered skin will eventually burn to some extent, even with repeated use of sunblock. For most day trips on snow, the Sun Runner or similar hat along with long pants and long shirt work OK if I apply lots of sun bock, especially if reapplied often on my lips and nose (Alba spf 30 or more). At the end of the day, I’ll have some light red skin but not a real burn, but I don’t burn easily either.

For multi-day glacier trips (or maybe day hikes if you do burn easily), you can’t beat the protection of a nose shield added to your glasses, plus wearing a buff to cover your mouth and lower face, in addition to full cover hat and long sleeve clothing. If it’s hot, you just have to wear the protective clothing anyway and deal with the heat. I’ve been burned really bad on the mouth and nose Mountaineering in Peru – painful and uncomfortably for weeks afterward. It’s not worth forgoing the level of sun protection that you need just to stay a little cooler and more comfortably while hiking.

[Brad Rogers]

I burn easily and hate sunscreen so out west I normally wear long sleeves and pants.

I have found the Railriders Avdenture shirt in glacier blue to work well. The light color along with the vents help keep me cool.

For pants I like the Railriders Eco Mesh Pants.

I have been wearing the OR Sunrunner too and last but not least a pair of fingerless REI Sungloves.

[Matthew / BPL]

I’m a big fan of the solar hoodie, particularly Patagonia’s Tropic Comfort. I’m much more comfortable with the thin hood over my head than a hat. I do carry an OR baseball hat with mesh for when I’m walking into the sun but in many situations the hood is enough to keep the sun off my face and head.

Montbell makes a nice solar hoodie as well but I find it warmer. I wish they would sell it in a lighter color than charcoal, red or blue…

[Woubeir (from Europe)]

As I burn really easily (even in the shade on a hot day with sunblock on and a large umbrella), I use a light colored OR Echo L/S Zip-T, an OR Sun Runner (without the neck skirt), pants and sunblock on skin that still sees or might see the sun (btw, we only call lotion sunblock when it has a UPF of 50).

[Ben C]

+1 to a long sleeved OR Echo shirt.  It’s a lot more breathable than most woven shirts.  I have kept really cool in it despite the long sleeves.  It has really been nice.

I have never really needed anything on my legs while hiking.

I like a big hat.  I have an OR with a big brim.  It allows plenty of neck/ear ventilation.

Hands are hard.  I don’t love sunscreen but haven’t found a good solution for my hands.  I might try some of the light gloves.

[Michael Sirofchuck]

On Denali we used Desitin due to the combination of high altitude and snow reflection.  Zinc oxide + Norwegian cod liver oil provided 100% sun protection – and our skin was baby soft by the end of the expedition.

When I hike in AZ,  I wear a white cotton dress shirt I bought at Goodwill + a neck bandana + an REI sun hat.  Seems to do the trick.  The cheap shirt is nice because if it gets torn up by cactus/brush, I just buy another one for $2.

 

[Ian]

Thanks all for the replies, and by all means, please keep them coming.  Surprisingly, my hands didn’t get too much color but I am going to buy some sun gloves.

Woubeir,

btw, we only call lotion sunblock when it has a UPF of 50

I’ll admit that all this is pretty far outside my area of expertise but from speaking with people who’ve heavily researched it, the SPF rating system is a bit asinine and that the difference between SPF 30 and 50 is so minor, that it can basically be ignored.

http://www.webmd.com/beauty/sun/high-spf-sunscreens-are-they-better

According to Spencer, an SPF 15 product blocks about 94% of UVB rays; an SPF 30 product blocks 97% of UVB rays; and an SPF 45 product blocks about 98% of rays.

“After that, it just gets silly,” he says.

Sunscreens with higher SPF ratings block slightly more UVB rays, but none offers 100% protection.

Spencer recommends SPF 30 products to his patients.

Even if I don’t burn, I don’t place too much confidence in lotion to protect me from skin cancer.  I tend to lean heavily on my clothing to protect me and think of lotion as my last line of defense.  Do not get me wrong, as I really envied the hikers that sprinted up the mountain in shorts and t shirt, but that’s not wise for me.

[Jonathon Self]

I just bought the OR Helios and the Sombriolet.  The latter should give good sun protection and is light and airy.  Probably not so good on windy days so I might take the Sun Runner as well.

Perhaps a bit dorky on a guy, but good for solo trips!  I’ve had a patch of skin cancer on my face so fashion is not such a high priority.

Eh, I use my OR Ghost Rain daily in the summer. I love it. I don’t care if I look dorky. :)

I think everyone would wear sun hats if they realized how awesome they were.

[Ian]

On Denali we used Desitin due to the combination of high altitude and snow reflection.  Zinc oxide + Norwegian cod liver oil provided 100% sun protection – and our skin was baby soft by the end of the expedition.

That’s genius!!  I never considered using Desitin in this way!  My only concern is with the Norwegian cod liver oil is that its freezing temperature is so low, that it might cause frostbite in the winter (DHA -47.2*f & EPA -47.2*f).  But, you said that you used it on Denali so I presume you’ve used it in low temperatures without problem?

[Ian]

Thanks all for the OR Echo suggestion.  I’m pretty happy with my Boneflats shirt but I really like the idea of having a hoodie

[Jonathon Self]

Thanks all for the OR Echo suggestion.  I’m pretty happy with my Boneflats shirt but I really like the idea of having a hoodie

Please share your thoughts if you try one out!

I’ve considered forgoing a wind shirt and using one of these. The echo fabric’s weave is tight enough that it blocks more wind than I would have guessed.

[d k]

Like you I am pigmentally challenged,  and have had a skin cancer taken out of my face that turned me into a sunblock user.  Funny how seeing a big empty bloody hole in your face will do that.   I now use the Sunday Afternoons geek bonnet hat plus sunblock when hiking.  DeVita Solar Body 30+ (cheaper than their face stuff and identical as far as I can tell) is my daily face sunscreen, Tropical Sands spf 50 on neck, hands, other exposed skin.  When backpacking I use the 50 on my face too, although it’s fairly white, or the Neutrogena baby sunblock which is 60+ I think.  All zinc or titanium blocks, or a combination of both.  I’ve tried Desitin but it’s just way too greasy for me.

 

I also use sun gloves (Coolibar fingerless or Sun Precautions hand covers) when hiking or driving since I had a bunch of spots frozen off the backs of my hands by the dermatologist.

[Simon Kenton]

http://www.jtreelife.com/collections/face-sticks/products/sun-stick-spf-50

 

I was the person with a bright red schnozzola until I was given a stick of that. I reapply every 3-4 hours with a quick swipe over exposed areas. No problems since. It even smells good (well I think it does) and you can get it on Amazon.

[d k]

P.S.  the sunblocks I mentioned are all easy to take off at the end of the day…on the minus side, they might be somewhat easy to sweat off, I’m not sure since I am such a dainty thing and tend not to perspire profusely.

 

I’m skeptical about the sun buff idea…I still feel like a big brim is better protection, though I know it won’t help with reflected sun from the snow.  I think the #1 place guys get skin cancer may be on their ears, it’s certainly high on the list in my acquaintances anyway.

 

Prior to my skin cancer, I wore a hat OR sunblock hiking.  Now it’s both, and not only hiking but any outdoor time more than walking to the car.

[Jonathon Self]

I’m skeptical about the sun buff idea…I still feel like a big brim is better protection, though I know it won’t help with reflected sun from the snow.  I think the #1 place guys get skin cancer may be on their ears, it’s certainly high on the list in my acquaintances anyway.

I use both. A buff has enough uses that it’s hard for me to think of a reason not to bring it. :)

I like to think of them as tubular bandannas.

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