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We tested 17 men's sun protection shirts from Janji, Mountain Hardwear, REI, Columbia, Black Diamond, The North Face, and more to find the best models for all your sunny excursions
Credit: Maddock Rigby
By Justin Simoni ⋅ Review Editor ⋅ Updated June 9, 2026
A quality sun protection shirt has your back on any sunny adventure, offering UV protection and keeping you cool without worrying about constantly reapplying sunscreen.
Our favorite sun shirt is the Janji Sunchaser 50 Hooded Long Sleeve. Its stretchy knit fabric and scuba hood that stays put make it a winner for hiking and trail running.
If you want sun protection without blowing your budget, we like the Baleaf UPF 50 Hoody for its excellent coverage and durability at a great price.
We've tested almost 30 different men's sun shirts since 2019, scrutinizing some of the most popular and intriguing models on the market. We wore all these UPF-rated shirts for months, subjecting them to hands-on testing in variable, sun-drenched climates across all sorts of adventures.
Editor's Note: Our sun shirt review was updated on June 5, 2026, with new products from Janji, and Patagonia, as well as updated products from Mountain Hardwear, Baleaf, and Patagonia.
For mid-summer sunny days when protection from the sun is paramount, but maximum comfort and breathability are desired, we reach for the Janji Sunchaser 50 Hooded Long Sleeve. With its scuba hood that stays in place no matter what sort of weather we run into and sleeves with extra-long cuffs that cover our hands and stay in place, thanks to thumb loops (next to the watch loops), it certainly has everything to feel covered up. “For all day, every day protection from the sun, the Janji Sunchaser delivers with great breathability. There are other shirts that may breathe better, but not many that have this level of protection”, our very photophobic tester attests.
The lightweight fabric is cut with running performance in mind, but true to sun-shirt style, it is still looser-fitting than a regular top. If you're looking for other accessories to make daily life a little easier, like included pockets or a front zip, the Sunchaser doesn't accommodate. “A front zip is helpful to blow off hot air next to your body fast. But omitting it does keep this shirt lighter and simpler, so it's all in what you're looking for”, counters our tester. If you need a zip and pocket for a maximum hooded sun shirt, look more towards either the Black Diamond Alpenglow Pro Hoody or Outdoor Research Astroman Air Hoodie, both which feature these useful details.
The Janji Sunchaser 50 Hooded Long Sleeve is an excellent choice when looking for a hooded sun shirt you're going want to where on long distance trips outside like backpacking. Credit: Justin Simoni
Hooded sun shirt or button-up: which one to choose? Each has its own advantages. Patagonia answered this question in the form of the River Rambler Hybrid Hoodie, which says, “Why not both at once?” This top is a hybrid button-down with full-length snaps at the front, a flip-up collar, chest pockets, and a detachable hood, plus simple thumb loops as you'd find on a hooded sun shirt. “Convenience is what this shirt is all about. I don't have to remember to bring an extra floppy hat, nor do I have to be on the watch for my hands getting a bit too much sun”, adds our tester. The main fabric on the River Ramnbler is seriously impressive at blocking the harsh UV rays of the sun, courtesy of its button-up side of the family, which uses a heavier, tightly woven fabric.
Sometimes products that do too many things struggle to excel at everything all at once. Partially, this is true with the River Ramblere. At its core, this is a button-up, with the only real concession being the lack of cuff buttons and roll tabs on the sleeves, being replaced with minimal thumb loops. The hood is detachable, which we actually think is a cool trick, but in windy conditions, it will blow off easily. “Despite some of these issues, it's a compelling product with useful features I haven't tested on many other shirts together”. For more straightforward classic button-up styles, reach for either the Mountain Hardwear Canyon Long Sleeve or Columbia Silver Ridge Utility Lite, though neither comes with a hood or thumb loops.
We made sure to maximize our time in or near the water to test the effectiveness of River Rambler when wet as well as to double check on its durability. Credit: Justin Simoni
The REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie proves you don't have to pay the most to get one of the best hooded sun shirts on the market. Its soft fabric stays loose on the body, keeping air circulating and your skin cool. The fabric itself is also relatively breathable while still providing the wearer with excellent sun protection. “My favorite feature of the REI Sahara Hoodie is the hidden cinch that really helps keep the hood from flying off in the wind,” admits our tester.
SPECIFICATIONS
Sun Protection Level (UPF)
50+
Coverage
Long sleeve, hood
Features
Thumb loops, hood drawstring
Odor Control
No
Fit
Relaxed
We always feel greedy listing features we think are missing. “The Sahara would be almost perfect if it also including a small pocket somewhere for essentials like keys or cards, and some feature up front to help dump hot air fast like a half zip or a few button snaps,” quips our tester. But these “missing” features, if included, would only bring up the cost, weight, and complexity of this shirt, perhaps losing a little bit of the magic of what we love in the Sahara. If you do need pockets and zips, look at the Outdoor Research Astroman Air Hoodie and Black Diamond Alpenglow Pro Hoody, both of which have them. For even more features, you'll want to go full button-up, like the Patagonia River Rambler Hybrid Hoodie.
The hidden cinch allows you to keep the hood covering your head, no matter if you're wearing a helmet or not. Credit: Justin Simoni
For those on a budget, the Baleaf UPF 50 Hoody offers up all the essentials of a hooded sun shirt: the namesake hood, thumb loops, and sun-blocking fabric. “The Baleaf is a great choice for working outside in sunny conditions where you need something durable enough, but don't want to break the bank buying something too swanky”, opines our tester. It's not the most featured option, but it is relatively comfortable to wear and offers better UV protection than a standard t-shirt.
We have tested multiple versions of this shirt over the years, and while past iterations ran large, we noticed that the sizing of the Balead Hoody was smaller than we remembered from our last testing. Comparing the old and new on the scale, the fabric weight has shaved off a few ounces, at the cost of some of its sun-blocking abilities. “The thumb loops are located before the cuffs, so along with the smaller dimensions, using the loops will stretch out the arms a bit,” notes our lead tester. Still, the price is hard to beat for what you do get. If you have a bit more scratch to spend, look into the REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie, which is a big step up in quality and functionality, while still being more affordable than most tops out there. It also has a cinch on the hood to keep it in place, which we love. The The North Face Adventure Hoodie is another simple sun shirt with minimal features, and its fabric is super breathable.
Keeping the Baleaf UPF 50 Hoody in tow in our running vest pays off when the sun's energy starts hitting when running on our favorite trails and we need to cover up. Credit: Justin Simoni
It's hard not to love all the high-octane horsepower of the Black Diamond Alpenglow Pro Hoody. The front half zip and lighter, more air-permeable mesh panels on the sides help solve the seemingly impossible paradox between breathability and sun protection. And this shirt is surprisingly breathable for how much sun protection the UPF 50+ rated fabric provides. “I appreciate the uber-protective fabric is easy to move in,” one tester remarked. All the usual sun hoody features abound in the Alpenglow Pro, including thumb loops, an oversized hood, a drop hem, and an extra-long and loose cut in the torso. These features add up to one high-performance race car of a sun shirt.
SPECIFICATIONS
Sun Protection Level (UPF)
50+
Coverage
Long sleeve, hood
Features
Thumb loop holes, zippered chest pocket, helmet compatible hood
Odor Control
HeiQ Pure odor control (underarms)
Fit
Regular
But like any highly tuned gear, it comes with some sticker shock. The Black Diamond Alpenglow Pro is far more expensive than other similar options. You'll have to weigh the shirt's cost with its features to judge if the expected performance is worth the admission price. In our opinion, it's absolutely worth it if top-notch sun protection is at the top of your priorities. However, the Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Hoody may suit your fancy if sun protection and saving money are both priorities.
The Ketl Nofry Hoodie pulls off a feat we didn't think was possible: a hooded sun shirt that feels extra breathable, comfortable, and dry when we're wearing it out running, hiking, and cycling all day in the hot summer sun. The secret to its performance is its thin, breathable fabric. Although much lighter weight than others, it's rated at UPF 30+, which still blocks 97% of the sun's radiation and is enough for us to be outside all day without getting burned. The absolutely enormous hood will swallow up helmets of all kinds and cover up your exposed face better than most. Button snaps are found on the chest in lieu of a zipper — a lighter solution that we came to love.
SPECIFICATIONS
Sun Protection Level (UPF)
30+
Coverage
Long sleeve, hood
Features
Large hood for added protection, thumb loops, front button snaps
Odor Control
No
Fit
Regular
But the Ketl Nofry won't pack the very best sun protection that's available, so if you are planning on being out on a glacier, on a sport fishing boat all day long, or in the middle of the Mohave for days on end, you'd be better off wearing something that blocks out even more sun. The lack of pockets may turn off some, and an extra-large hood means that wind gusts will blow it off your head. The cut is also pretty trim and athletic, and it fits much tighter than most other shirts in this lineup; if you're between sizes, we recommend sizing up.
We loved the Ketl Nofry Hoodie for backpacking, as it dries quickly and has super comfortable fabric that protects our fair skin just enough to be worn all day. Credit: Justin Simoni
Product Comparison Table
Testing high activity performance of hooded sun shirts. Credit: Nolan Anderson
How We Tested Sun Protection Shirts
Our testing process begins with extensive research into the hundreds of sun shirts on the market. We hand-pick the best candidates and purchase them at full retail cost. Then, we spend weeks wearing these shirts for every imaginable activity. We run, hike, bike, climb, scramble, wander, balance on the slackline, and nap — all under the eyes of the glorious sun. These sun shirts even made it onto job sites and lumberyards to see how effectively they worked while we worked. We note each shirt's strengths and weaknesses across different scenarios and use that data to provide tailored advice to help you pick the best product for your needs and budget.
Our testing of sun shirts is divided into five different metrics:
Comfort and Fit (30% of total score weighting)
Sun Protection (25% weighting)
Breathability (20% weighting)
Versatility (15% weighting)
Durability (10% weighting)
We put these shirts through the wringer in a multitude of environments and situations to help you figure out which is the best for your lifestyle.
Why Trust GearLab
Justin Simoni is a Boulder, CO-based athlete, adventurer, and backpacking guide. He specializes in ultra-long-distance, self-powered, and self-supported challenges in the mountains of the American West. Simoni has tested these shirts to their limits while wandering all along the Front Range of Colorado on long bike rides, trail runs, outdoor workdays, and at the crag. He has worked closely with outdoor gear companies for over a decade, bringing his experience and expertise to the table.
We've taken these sun shirts all over to see how well they hold up to serious sunshine.
Analysis and Test Results
The primary job of all these seemingly simple shirts is to protect the wearer from excessive sun exposure. After that, they should also be durable enough to withstand life's adventures and offer sufficient breathability to wear comfortably and realistically in the hottest situations. Versatility is also important — if one shirt can fulfill multiple roles, it's one less piece of gear you need to buy. This is also important when you're trying to pack a bag with everything you'll need for a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Worse Value
Better Value
What's the Best Value?
Price never factors into our initial performance evaluations of each shirt, but ultimately, we want to ensure you're investing in your gear wisely, which includes considering value when making our final recommendations. Here are some top, high-value options we stand behind:
The Baleaf UPF 50 Hoody is sold at a hard-to-beat price and offers a durable shirt that will last through many of your future adventures. While it doesn't quite compete with the more technical and feature-rich options from the big brand names, it's still a solid choice, especially if you're shopping on a budget. We've had ours for multiple years.
The Baleaf UPF 50 Hoody has all the essentials for a hooded sun shirt: the hood itself to cover your head, and thumb loops to help cover your hands. Credit: Justin Simoni
The award-winning REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie has a slightly higher price tag, but offers better overall quality and performance, and still costs significantly less than other top performers. It excels in almost all our metrics except absolute durability.
We felt comfortable wearing the REI Sahara Shade hoodie all day long at the lake. Credit: Chris McNamara
Comfort and Fit
The most critical facet of any sun shirt is how it feels when it's on. After all, UPF protection won't mean much if the article of clothing is so uncomfortable you don't want to wear it. Almost every shirt we selected for our test largely did well in this category, but there are definitely some standout options.
We adored the fit of the Janji Sunchaser 50 Hooded Long Sleeve, which features a super-stretchy polyester knit fabric that hugs the body while still keeping air moving around.
The impressive stretch found in the fabric on the Janji Sunchaser works well to fit your own body. The cut is loose enough to all good air flow between you and the shirt. Credit: Justin Simoni
Another one of our top-scoring hoodies, the REI Sahara Shade Hoodie, is an absolute winner. With soft, thin, and stretchy fabric and a loose-but-not-too-loose fit, this shirt feels good on the skin and lets air circulate. There are no tight spots, and the hood is highly versatile size-wise, with an excellent cinch strap.
The hood on the REI Sahara Shade hoodie is roomy enough to be comfortable, and can be tightened around the opening with a hidden cinch strap. Credit: Chris McNamara
The NRS Silkweight Hoodie's smooth fabric feels luxurious in hand and on the body, but its standout feature is the generous cut for your shoulders and arms. The appreciable amount of elastane in the fabric's blend also makes this one of the stretchiest shirts in our review. If you're aiming for a sunny day out paddling, rowing, or casting, you'll appreciate this frictionless mobility.
Low seams in the pit areas of the NRS Silkweight Hoodie help to prevent rubbing and maintain comfort during paddle sports like rowing and paddling. Credit: Justin Simoni
We were impressed by the Mountain Hardwear Canyon Long Sleeve and the Columbia Silver Ridge Utility Lite — two button-up shirts featuring an updated classic cut. Generally, this means the cut is slightly more fitted than the almost smock-like options that flood the market. Both felt great while wearing them, which made us want to wear them for everything. The Silver Ridge Utility Lite fits a little more loosely than the Canyon in our experience.
The Columbia Silver Ridge Utility Lite has a looser fit that allows for exceptional freedom of movement. Credit: Maddock Rigby
Regarding hooded sun shirts, it's really hard to beat the extremely stretchy and accommodating Black Diamond Alpenglow Hoody for comfort, as well as its brethren, the Black Diamond Alpenglow Pro Hoody, which includes a front zip that the former lacks.
The Black Diamond Alpenglow's hood is comfy and can accommodate a helmet. Credit: Nolan Anderson
Sun Protection
UPF, or ultraviolet protection factor, is a rating system specific to apparel's ability to block ultraviolet radiation. The rating ranges from 0 to 50+, and each number indicates the percentage of the sun's rays allowed through. Thus, UPF 25 is 1/25th, meaning that 4% of the sun's radiation can pass through the fabric.
UPF rating is influenced by several factors, fabric type being one. Synthetics perform the best, while more natural garments, like cotton and linen, have a natural UPF rating of around 5. Polyester has been rated as the top option, with a few shirts in our lineup comprised of nylon. Not to complicate things further, but the color of the shirt can impact sun protection as well. Darker colors generally give more protection than lighter colors as they absorb more sunlight. A darker color sun shirt may also run just a little hotter.
The stretchy tightly knit fabric pattern shown here works well to block sunlight. Credit: Justin Simoni
Not to be forgotten, woven fabric could, in fact, show better performance than knits, especially when used at heavy weights. Weaves can be manufactured more tightly, with less opportunity for the sun to get through between the threads. These inherently let less air through, too, which is why we often find woven shirts score less on breathability.
The tight weave of this fabric has threads that almost like in together, creating a physical barrier against both sun and wind. Credit: Justin Simoni
This light yellow hooded sun shirt may block less UV than the same sun shirt in a darker color. Credit: Justin Simoni
The cut and fit of a sun shirt also play a big role in ensuring you're protected. Many of the button-up shirts we've tested feature generous sleeve and seam lengths and collars that can be popped up. But it's important to pair them up with a hood that covers both your head and neck.
The Mountain Hardwear Canyon Long Sleeve protects the body well enough, and we paired it with a sun hat to cover our head and neck fully. Credit: Justin Simoni
A hooded sun shirt is a smart choice for springtime adventures in the mountains to protect you from UV reflected off the snow all around you. Credit: Justin Simoni
Our tests revealed that the Patagonia River Rambler Hybrid Hoodie had some of the best sun-protectant fabric in our lineup. The very tightly woven, heavy fabric used on this shirt is an excellent physical barrier, and unlike any other button-up, classic-styled sun shirt, this one integrates its own detachable hood to help cover your head, as well as thumb loops for your hands.
The River Rambler makes a perfect highly sun protectant shirt to wear on lake shores and rivers given its thick woven fabric and optional hood. Credit: Maddock Rigby
Check out the Columbia Silver Ridge Utility Lite for another button-up option. The fabric is tough and slightly more breathable than other button-ups we've tested, aided by features such as its pass-through back vent. If you're hanging around casually in the sun for hours on end, it's the shirt you want — as long as you pair it with a floppy hat. It's not a great shirt for active users, as it will probably cause you to overheat. It was designed for all-day fishing missions, where the sun reflects off the water, and you may be thigh-deep in a freezing creek.
The Columbia Silver Ridge Utility Lite has excellent coverage and UV protection, plus a bunch of features to keep you cool, like roll-up sleeves with a tab keeper and a pass-thru back vent. Credit: Maddock Rigby
The NRS Silkweight has a phenomenally large, stretchy hood that easily accommodates a paddling or climbing helmet, keeping you covered all day. Although we will drown the Outdoor Research Echo with accolades, it falls short in the critical area of sun protection. This extremely breathable fabric only has a UPF 20 rating, even for the darker colorways.
The NRS Silkweight's hood is absolutely enormous, and will easily swallow up any hat, or helmet that you're wearing. The generous cut also covers the side of your face and neck. Credit: Justin Simoni
For casual and fashionable, the The North Face Adventure Hoodie and the Cotopaxi Sombra Hoodie have you covered (literally). Both feature soft, stretchy fabric that protects by being a little thicker than some of the other hoodies in our lineup. They're less technical options, but the styles are easier to wear in casual social situations and around town, and still offer better protection than a cotton tee.
The TNF Adventure Hoodie (purple, left) and Cotopaxi Sombra (teal, right) are both high-coverage casual-wear sun shirts.
Breathability
A shirt won't be much fun to wear in the sun if it feels like you're wearing a wet blanket 30 minutes into your hike. And on top of that, some fabrics become less protective when wet. Thankfully, polyester and nylon don't, and almost all the shirts in this review are made from these materials.
Shirts with a tighter knit or weave can usually get away with a lighter fabric while still maintaining a high UPF rating. But this design can negatively impact breathability. A slightly heavier shirt with looser, thicker fabric is often a good compromise here.
Most of the shirts in our test dried equally quickly when left in the sun after a soaking. But one standout, the Outdoor Research Echo, dried far more rapidly thanks to its very thin, lightweight fabric and minimalist design. The UPF 20-rated fabric is among the lowest in terms of sun protection, so it's not what you want to rely on solely if you'll be in the sun for long periods.
The Echo's lightweight, thin, and stretchy fabric is some of the most air-permeable we tested and dries extremely quickly. Credit: Justin Simoni
Compared to others we've tested, the Ketl Nofry Hoodie is another quick-drying top, be it after a wash, a swim, or a particularly long, sweaty hike across exposed lowlands. It also has a V-neck that can be unbuttoned for quick ventilation when you need it.
On longer backpacking trips, we'd rinse out our Ketl Nofry Hoodie to keep it fresh, then hang it where it would dry quickly while we had a break and a snack. Credit: Justin Simoni
In our real-world tests, we were amazed to see the Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Hoody go from soaking wet after a dip in the local creek to completely dry after a quick bike ride down the hill and back into town, thanks to its own lissom fabric. A fabric's air permeability also helps it resist odor by allowing air to pass through easily. Specialized treatments — such as the HeiQ Pure, 'permanent' odor control used on the Capilene — performed well in our campfire smoke test.
a men's size “Large” Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Hoody only came in at 6.5 ounces. We found that lightweight knit fabric is a type that dries the fastest. Credit: Justin Simoni
The Kuhl Engineered Hoody is another great pick for more active pursuits. It employs panels of looser-knit fabric in strategic locations (arms, shoulders, and hood), allowing air to pass through more easily and keeping you cooler. Do note that this shirt's UPF 20+ to 25+ ratings block around 96% of the sun's UV rays, but are lower than most other shirts in our review.
The Kuhl Engineered Hoody is made up of different fabric panels each with unique breathability characteristics. Credit: Justin Simoni
The Black Diamond Alpenglow Pro Hoody is made with a much thicker and, thus, more protective fabric, but it still has some interesting tricks up its sleeves to increase breathability. The most obvious is the half zip on the front. The sides of the chest and inner arms also feature a more ventilating mesh material to help dump excess heat. The stretchy fabric of the shirt also makes rolling up your sleeves over your elbows to catch the breeze simply a breeze.
The Alpenglow Pro features unique and extremely elongated venting fabric panels under the pits to really enhance the breathability of the shirt, without compromising its sun protection. Credit: Justin Simoni
If you don't need so many bells and whistles, the non-Pro version of the Black Diamond Alpenglow Hoody drops them but keeps the super-stretchy material to help keep you cool and comfortable. It also lacks thumb loops, though, so if that's a dealbreaker, the comparable Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Hoody is what you want to grab.
The Crater Lake Hoody is made with an incredibly stretchy material, which assists with comfort as well as coverage. Credit: Justin Simoni
Versatility
Can you wear the same shirt to the crag and the dinner table? Can you go to work in the morning, then go fishing in the evening without changing your top? Can you backpack for six days and then check out the next mountain town in the morning without having to pack two shirts? Can you travel cross-country, make the regional board meeting, and then take off on a trail run? Those are the scenarios we're thinking up when we write about versatility. This doesn't contribute as much to the overall scores as other metrics, as it's rather subjective. But it's still an important facet for many folks to consider. Many of the top performers in this category are button-ups, which can pass undetected as regular shirts by casual observers.
The Mountain Hardwear Canyon Long Sleeve scored high in this category thanks to its unique dobby polyester, which looks and feels great, especially in the neutral, sleek color option we tested. The Columbia Silver Ridge Utility Lite also looks good, feels good, and has just enough features to be useful on and off the trail without looking too weighed down by accessories no one really needs.
The Mountain Hardwear Canyon Long Sleeve comes with a ton of pockets to hold essentials, perfect for fish trips, general travel, or daily errands. Credit: Justin Simoni
The Patagonia River Rambler Hybrid Hoodie also comes with two chest pockets, a gear loop, and an embedded microfiber cloth for cleaning lenses. The most technical piece of the shirt, its hood, can be removed to fit better into more casual situations.
Useful pockets up front are found on the River Rambler. Credit: Justin Simoni
Remove the hood of the River Rambler for Clark Kent duties and no one at the Daily Planet will ever know you took a super hero lunch break by the river. Credit: Justin Simoni
The Outdoor Research Astroman Air Hoodie may have been designed for long days of multi-pitch climbing first. Still, a shirt that's good for climbing usually works admirably for almost any all-day outdoor adventure and looks good back at the campsite, brewpub, or Sprinter party while swapping stories. With a quick rinse, then left to dry out while taking a nap, you could take this shirt on a cross-country backpacking trip and still feel comfortable on the flight back home.
No matter if you're 25 miles on a backpacking trip to get to town, or napping by the creek after a late brunch once there, the Outdoor Research Astroman Air Hoodie seems to work as an awesome sun-protective top no matter what want to do with it. Credit: Maddock Rigby
Patagonia's Capilene Cool Daily Hoody is also worth mentioning here. It simply looks great, in our opinion, and we wouldn't feel strange wearing it off-trail, at casual events, or just hanging out around the house all day. The REI Sahara Shade Hoodie carefully balances great sun protection, style, features, breathability, and value, making it suitable for many applications. It's hard to doubt that this shirt is nothing but a wise investment in the goal of avoiding sunburn.
Hanging out at the lake in the REI Co-op Sahara hoodie, beverage in hand, and skin protected. Credit: Chris McNamara
Durability
Fabric integrity matters in a sun shirt because worn-out, loose material exposes the skin to a greater risk of UV radiation exposure. Thankfully, testing revealed that most of our shirts could withstand what was thrown at them without issue.
Despite how affordable it is, the Baleaf UPF 50 Hoody is a knockout regarding durability. It's what the cockroaches will be wearing after the apocalypse. Durability and sun protection often go hand in hand when the material used is thick, and that's the case with the Baleaf.
Baleaf makes some of the more durable sun hoodies you'll find, and at a great price. Credit: Chris McNamara
We used the masked version of the Baleaf UPF 50 Hoody to do some treework, pushing this shirt way past its intended use, yet it held up surprisingly well. Credit: Chris McNamara
Fishing shirts typically excel at durability, and the NRS Silkweight also uses a heavier fabric that'll take some abuse from its wearer. The material is also soft, ultra-stretchy, and comfortable for being one of the heavier shirts we've reviewed (against its nomenclature).
We thought the Cotopaxi Sombra Hoodie a very handsome sun hoody, with great durability to match its style. Credit: Maddock Rigby
The Cotopaxi Sombra Hoodie also scored well in durability, largely due to its excellent stitchwork and high-quality fabrics. It has an additional lining at the bottom, cuffs, and around its hood, and keeps features to a minimum, having a simple and small back pocket as its only real accouterment.
So many sun layers ready to go out and play! Credit: Justin Simoni
How to Choose the Best Sunshirt
What is UPF?
UPF is an acronym for “Ultraviolet Protection Factor”. A higher UPF number corresponds to greater protection from Ultraviolet radiation. A UPF of “50+” is the highest you'll realistically see on any clothing and equates to 1/50 UV transmission. In other words, 98% of UV is blocked from reaching your skin. Similarly, a UPF of “20” corresponds to 1/20 UV transmission, or 95% UV blockage. All the sun shirts in this review have a UPF rating between 20 and 50+. You can think of it similarly to SPF, but it's specific to clothing. Only clothing tested for its UPF should be labeled as such. Clothing that doesn't have a UPF rating doesn't mean it has no sun protection; it's just that the sun protection level hasn't been tested/determined.
You can do your own at-home test to see if the fabric of your clothing blocks ultraviolet light using an inexpensive UV card and a source of UV light (like the sun or a UV bulb, shown here). Credit: Justin Simoni
How Do Sun Shirts Block UV?
The main way a sun shirt protects the wearer from UV radiation is actually very simple: the fabric itself blocks sunlight from reaching your skin by absorbing or reflecting it. Sun shirts also try to cover as much of the wearer's skin as possible, often with extra-long sleeves, torso lengths, and even hoods. Some sun protection clothing may also contain an additional chemical treatment that absorbs UV light, but these treatments generally wash out over time, making the garment less effective after a few years of regular wear.
Several different fabric strategies are used to give sun shirts different qualities. Tightly woven fabric — often made of nylon — can be manufactured very thin and lightweight but still blocks out a lot of sunlight. Woven fabrics may also lack breathability, as air cannot easily pass through them either. You're most likely to see such fabrics in shirts made for activities like fishing, where you're likely to stand in one place for a long time, or in swim shirts that also keep you warmer in the water.
More breathable, knit fabrics — usually made of polyester — can also make a great fabric for a sun shirt. Often, knit fabric is thicker or even multilayered to compensate for its looser weave, but air and moisture move more easily through it. For a small weight penalty, you may get better breathability and drying performance. These sun shirts are usually designed for wearing on the go: hiking, backpacking — or even on a run.
The color of a sun shirt can also affect sun protection. Darker colors will absorb more light than lighter ones, while the pigment particles themselves can contribute towards what the fabric physically blocks out. White sun shirts more than likely contain no pigment, so they add nothing to UPF. Black dye adds the most to the UPF rating. Darker colors can make for marginally hotter garments, though. Additionally, the fabric itself can reflect the sun rather than absorbing it. The shinier the fabric, the more light it reflects.
A good sun shirt should have features that allow you to cover much of the skin of your upper body. Credit: Maddock Rigby
How Much Sun Protection Do I Really Need?
The answer depends on how much sun protection your skin naturally has, how long you plan to be out in the sun, and how intense the sun is at your location. For fairer-skinned people, on all-day adventures out in the sun, in locales with a high UV index, a higher UPF shirt may be the best choice. Our main tester comes from Northern European stock and loves to adventure all day in the — frequently snowy — mountains of Colorado, so a high-UPF shirt is usually the best bet. If someone tans easily and is only going out for a few hours at a time, sporadically, in a setting that's usually under heavy tree cover, they may be just fine with a lower-UPF shirt.
If you're at all worried about getting the most protection, aim for a UPF 50 or 50+ shirt to be on the safe side. Even though a UPF 20 shirt has only a little less protection than a UPF 50 shirt, the total amount of sun you're exposed to is multiplied by how many hours you're out each day you're out. It adds up!
Button-ups look like a classic dress shirt and feature a full-length array of buttons in the front. They may include ways to keep rolled sleeves from working back down, like this shirt's sleeve keepers. Credit: Maddock Rigby
Do You Want a Collared or Hooded Shirt?
Our review contains two main sun shirt designs. The first design looks much like a blousy button-up shirt. Usually, these button-ups utilize more sun-protective fabrics than a work or dress shirt and have multiple pockets to conveniently place often-used items. You'll probably want to pair these button-ups with a wide-brimmed hat, since these shirts don't have anything for your head. They also tend to lack the extensive hand coverage found in models with thumbholes. These shirts are a good option when style matters—like when exploring upscale urban centers in summertime.
The second typical sun shirt design resembles a loose-fitting hoodie and is made from lightweight fabric. Like the button-ups, the fabric is chosen for its sun-blocking properties. The hood is attached to the shirt, so you always have a convenient way to cover and protect your head. A few have helmet-compatible hoods (i.e., larger and with more coverage), and some even feature holes in the back for threading a ponytail through. Though not always, many of these sun shirts have thumbholes or some sort of loop to connect the ends of the sleeves to your hands, helping keep your wrists and the backs of your hands covered. Some of these hoodies have chest zippers and small pockets. This style is generally geared toward long hours in the sun when coverage matters more than appearance.
Hooded sun shirts help to cover the back of your neck, the top of your head, and - to varying degrees - the front of your neck as well. Credit: Maddock Rigby
How Do You Balance Protection with Breathability?
In general, the better the fabric is at sun protection, the worse it is for breathability. When choosing the best sunshirt for yourself, read reviews to learn how breathable it is. Often, sun shirts offset the fabric's poor breathability by using front zippers, buttons, and snaps to let you open the shirt to quickly expel hot, humid air from your body. Button-up sun shirts are often less breathable than hooded sun shirts, so they tend to have features to keep rolled-up sleeves from creeping down and may include additional back vents. Generally, the lower the UPF rating of the sun shirt, the more breathable the fabric itself is, so balance how much sun protection you need with how much breathability you desire.
Some sun shirts, like this one, also include perforations in the fabric to enhance breathability even more. Credit: Justin Simoni
Other Notable Sunshirts
We couldn't get to every shirt we wanted to test in this update. Here are a few more that caught our eye, and that we would like to test in the future.
The Patagonia Capilene Cool Sun Hoody is the 40+ UPF-rated cousin of the Patagonia Capilene Daily Hoody that we included in this review. Both shirts have similar cuts and specs, but the Sun Hoody should offer more UV protection. Our women's team tested the women's version and loved it.
The Outdoor Research Echo Quarter Zip is a non-hooded pullover shirt that stands out for its ultralight moisture-wicking claims. It only offers 15 UPF-rated fabric, but it is incredibly breathable and could be a good option for days when the UV index is a bit lower, and you know you'll be outdoors all day, working up a sweat.
The Cotopaxi Solta is a snazzy-looking button-down that blends the casual with the technical. It offers a 50+ UPF rating, has a few pockets, a built-in microfiber cloth for cleaning sunglasses, and vented back panels to keep the breeze flowing.
Conclusion
What's wonderful about sun shirts? Well, there's a wide variety to choose from, so you can find the perfect wearable gear for your favorite sunny weather activities. From blousy button-ups to super comfy sun hoodies and everything in between, we hope our rigorous selection process and months of testing lead you to your perfect new layer.
