REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie - Women's Review

The Sahara Shade Hoodie is a stretchy sun shirt with a very relaxed, loose fit featuring low drop hems (front and back) with high-cut sides. It's made of Bluesign-approved 92% polyester and 8% spandex and has thumb holes as well as a drawstring inside the hood.

Comfort and Fit

The Sahara Shade is comfortable in the same way an oversized, baggy t-shirt is comfortable. It runs large by design, sacrificing style for functionality. Soft, smooth fabric that's stretchy in all the right ways adds to its relaxed comfort.

While at first, the long drop hems in front and back paired with surprisingly high-cut side slits seemed like an odd choice, the slightest breeze proves their worth on a hot day. If you want something your friends and family will think is cute, this relaxed top might not be the best option. But if you want a soft shirt that's easy to wear for days in a row, with sleeves that are long enough to actually use the thumb holes, the Sahara Hoodie is a pretty comfy choice.

Sun Protection

It seems that most sun shirts nowadays advertise a UPF of 50 or 50+, and the Sahara Hoodie is one of them (UPF 50+). By crossing the fabric in front of the neck, REI has added a little extra coverage to a spot often overlooked when applying sunscreen. The hood itself has a drawstring, helping you keep it on and/or closed in pretty much any situation. It lacks a toggle but pretty easily stays put when you pull it — or it can be overhand knotted in a pinch.

This top also has long enough sleeves with comfortable enough thumbholes to not just boast back-of-hand protection but actually be something we're willing to wear for long periods of time. However, on hotter days, the thicker fabric of this shirt can sometimes feel like too much, and we found ourselves often pushing or rolling up the sleeves.

Breathability

The Sahara Shade is made of a thicker, heavier fabric than most sun shirts we've tested. However, it's so smooth that it feels slightly cool against the skin. We also appreciated this extra thickness for paddle sports, where getting splashed is part of the deal.

Rather than phenomenally breathable fabric (though we want to stress that this fabric isn't not breathable), the Sahara relies on its unique, almost extreme cut and fit to introduce a breeze and help make up for what the fabric lacks. Even in just the gentlest wind, we found this method exceptionally well-designed to mitigate a slightly thicker fabric and keep us cool. It's not the shirt we enjoy using for midday runs, but it works well enough for hiking and light outdoor activities.

Versatility

On the style side of things, the baggy fit and oddly shaped hem fall solidly into the realm of “athletic” or “comfy” rather than something our panel of testers would describe as “cute” or “flattering.” If you're the type of person who appreciates the slightly oversized look, this might be right up your alley.

Across activities, though, we found a lot of use for this top in more casual to moderate uses, including day hikes, gardening, and taking the dog out for a long mid-afternoon walk. As long as it wasn't too blisteringly hot outside, we found there were plenty of activities for which the Sahara Shade is well-suited.

Durability

Upon close scrutiny, the fabric and seams of this sun shirt appear well-executed. We had no issues wearing it for months of testing, adventuring, meandering, running, exploring, laundering, and hanging out without it looking any worse for the wear. Its thicker fabric proved resistant to snagging on rocks and branches during our several months of testing.

Though one of the listed features of the Sahara Shade is an antimicrobial treatment meant to hinder the growth of odor-causing bacteria, it doesn't stand out as particularly odor-resistant. We put all our sun shirts through the run-seven-miles-then-leave-it-on-the-floor-overnight test, and while some impressed us with their lack of stench the next day, this one smelled exactly like we hoped it wouldn't.

Features

In addition to thumbholes and a front-crossed hood, the Sahara Shade also has a hidden drawstring inside the hood to keep it up even as you pound out the miles. It lacks any pockets, but with such a baggy fit, we wouldn't want one anyway.

Should You Buy the REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie?

The Sahara is on the less expensive end of sun shirts we've tested, though we wouldn't call it “cheap.” It combines a solid all-around performance with a very reasonable price, making it a good value. If you love baggy clothes and don't want to give that up just for the sake of athletic performance, we think you'll love this sun shirt and find it well worth its price.

What Other Women's Sun Shirts Should You Consider?