The following review was written by ATRA team member Anita Ortiz and features sun shirts from Patagonia, Outdoor Research, and Minus 33. Product was provided at no cost for the test and review.
For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, June ushers in long days and warmer weather. Adventures start early in the morning and end late into the evening with sunny skies heating up the temperatures. Personally, I love hot days. I love being out in the high country all day feeling the warm sun on my back. What I don’t love is a sunburn. What I don’t love is my clothes getting sweaty and sticky. What I don’t love is having to reapply sunscreen every 4 hours while I’m out hiking the Continental Divide.
Simple solution– A sun shirt!
The sun shirt boom is real. It seems like every clothing company has jumped onboard the sun shirt train. But not all sun shirts are created equally.
Look at the tag before you buy…
UPF Ratings
UV light protection clothing helps to block the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. This will help you avoid sunburn, minimize skin damage, and possibly reduce your skin cancer risk. All sun clothing should have a UPF rating. This stands for ultraviolet protection factor and is an indicator for how effective the clothing is at blocking the UV rays. The higher the rating, the better the protection. A UPF rating of 15 indicates that the item will block 93% of UV rays. This is considered good protection. But a UPF rating of 50+ would indicate 98% of the UV rays are blocked. This is excellent protection. Some shirts don’t have a UPF rating anywhere on the label. Consider this clothing item to be less than a 15 and not so great in the sun. It’s important to read the tag!
A secondary bonus to the UV protection of most sun shirts, is the moisture-wicking and quick dry fabric of which these shirts are produced. All of the shirts I tested were made from recycled fabric (polyester or nylon) or a fabric blend. After a bit of research I discovered that polyester fabrics are considered better at wicking moisture and drying faster. This is not to say that nylon fabrics don’t wick moisture. They do, but perhaps not as much. However, nylon fabrics are considered softer and more durable. Of course, these are all generalizations, and after testing a few different sun shirts, I definitely had my own opinion.
The Shirts
Patagonia: Capilene® Cool Sun Hoody & Capilene® Cool Sun Shirt UPF 40
Okay, so the Capilene® Cool Sun Hoody should be worn out and about, not just while recreating in the sun. It is so well put together and detailed, that it is in the top rotation of my closet. I even wore the Capilene® Cool Sun Hoody from Patagonia to a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater a week ago. And ok, yeah, it was getting dark so I didn’t really need sun protection. But that’s just how awesome this top is!
Patagonia’s Cool Sun Hoody and Cool Sun Shirt are made from Capilene® Jersey. This is a recycled polyester fabric designed to have a built-in UPF rating thanks to the weave of the fabric. This very specific single-knit weave creates the UPF 40+ rating. While many other UPF factors are created by applying a surface finish to the fabric, the Patagonia UPF factor is developed within the stitch of the fabric–so it will never wash out. This is a bonus.
But how well does it keep you cool and dry? The quick answer is very well. The fabric initially feels heavier (5 oz/142 g) than some of the other shirts I tested. This is due to the slight waffle-like stitch, which is intended to raise the shirt off your skin for added cooling. I was a skeptic at first. But when put to the test on a sunny day, the fabric did its job. I was running in The Arapaho National Forest for hours wearing Patagonia’s Sun Hoody and never felt overheated or sweaty; moisture simply collected in the weave of the shirt…not on me.
As for the aforementioned details: Patagonia’s Capilene® Cool Sun Hoody features a 3-panel thoughtfully shaped hood, designed to fit over a cap, while the button closure holds it securely. The sleeves are loose enough for movement and can be easily pulled on over a watch. Additionally, you’ll find a thumb hole and a middle finger loop, designed to hold the sleeve down creating sun protection for the back of your hands. There is one small pocket. It is interestingly placed just below your armpit. I initially questioned this decision. But after a few days on the trail, I liked having the pocket in a supported area minimizing bounce. Finally, the finishing stitching of the Patagonia shirts is just nice – the lines are clean and minimal. It looks sharp and has less chafe points
Favorite thing: The thumb hole, but I especially like the middle finger loop!
Downside: None yet. But I’m told they can get stinky. Time will tell.
Outdoor Research: Astroman Air Sun Hoodie UPF 30
I do love a good hoodie and the Astroman Air Sun Hoodie has some features that made this a top sun shirt option.
The Outdoor Research Astroman is made of a spandex/nylon blend fabric. Thanks to this fabric blend, Astroman is breathable and stretchy in addition to flowy and loose. I liked the loose fit, especially on this hoodie, which is more like a jacket than a shirt. OR has added an amazing touch of extra cooling by placing tiny laser-perforated holes in areas which need more breathability. Not only does this look extremely cool, but it allows a bit more air flow. The Astroman Hoodie comes in at 5.47 oz/ 155 g total weight, but most of this due to the zippers. It can easily roll up and stuff into a pocket. It really feels like you are wearing nothing, yet you have amazing UPF 30+ sun protection.
The ½ zip feature allows for easy accessibility and extra cooling when needed. A 3-panel hood holds tight during activity thanks to the zip up closure rising above chin level. There is also a small zipper pocket that will hold a gel or two, though with the hoodie’s loose fit, pocket items bounce quite a bit. Adding to the loose fit feel is the wide hem at the bottom of the Astroman which creates a polished look. One fit issue with the Astroman is the narrow elastic band at the sleeves and the lack of a thumb hole. It’s hard to get on over a watch and provides no back of the hand sun protection. In my opinion, these are both necessary for comfort and function.
Favorite thing: It is a hoodie that wears more like a jacket
Downside: Narrow tight elastic at the wrist
Outdoor Research: Astroman Air Sun Tank UPF 30
The Astroman Air Sun Tank takes everything the Astroman Sun Hoodie has to offer and puts it in a sleeveless tank top. This is both awesome and curious. In a sun shirt, long sleeves seem important. But I love this shirt so much that I’m willing to load up with sunscreen (or wear arm sleeves with a UPF index).
The Astroman Air Sun Tank is made of the same fabric blend as the Air Sun Hoodie. And it has the same laser-perforated vents for extra cooling. However, there are no pockets or zippers, embracing the true minimalist ‘tank top’ vibe. Without zippers, this shirt comes in at a skinny 2.75 oz/ 78g. The tank is so lightweight that it can dry from a soaking wet state in a matter of minutes. When I was wearing this sun top, I never felt hot or sweaty.
Another perk of the Astroman Air Sun Tank is its tall cowl neckline which can be pulled up for extra neck and face sun coverage. An adjustable back cinch customizes the neckline fit.
Honestly when I first wore the Astroman Air Sun Tank, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. It seemed too loose, boxy. I felt the cowl neck was restrictive and unnecessary. It only took a few wears to fall in love with this one. Now I wear it all the time.
Favorite thing: The tall cowlneck for neck and face coverage. IYKYK.
Downside: Sleeveless
Minus 33: Microweight 145 ¼ Zip Sun Hoodie-Woolverino UPF 20
A wool sunshirt just… seems… wrong. I grew up in Colorado where itchy wool was the winter clothing staple. So a wool sunshirt seemed like an interesting choice. Especially when the Microweight 145 Women’s ¼ Zip Sun Hoodie-Woolverino from Minus 33 looks like wool and feels like wool.
Turns out, I love this shirt.
The Microweight 145 Women’s ¼ Zip Sun Hoodie-Woolverino is a Merino Wool, Nylon, and Spandex blend in a micro weight jersey knit. So while it is largely wool, this sunshirt is surprisingly lightweight. The Microweight 145 is designed for warm weather. Minus 33 provides a great graphic outlining all their fabrics and the ideal temperature in which to use each. According to Minus 33 the Woolverino is best used at 30°F and up while active, 60°F and up while inactive. After an initial wearing, I let go of my old mindset and welcomed wool into another season.
Here is how things went: My first trail run in the Minus 33 sun shirt was on a very sunny Colorado day (did you know that Colorado boasts 250ish mostly, or completely sunny days per year?) Honestly, I was not a fan. It was hot! Hot! like wool would be hot. I immediately pulled the shirt off and tied it around my waist. My daughter, whom I was running with, told me that I was not giving a fair chance. So back on it went. And I was surprised. I did get hot, but not for long. As my temperature rose, the cooling capability of the Woolverino kicked in. Before long I felt just right.
The Microweight 145 Women’s ¼ Zip Sun Hoodie-Woolverino has some other nice features too. First off, it is a slightly shaped regular fit. Not too loose-not too baggy. You can easily use it as an underlayer if the weather conditions are less than sunny. Next, unlike all the other shirts I tested, the hood on the Minus 33 is a slim fit. This hood can go under a helmet or hat, rather than overtop. Also, the Minus 33 Sun Hoodie has a ¼ zip front with a mock neck which can be pulled up for face protection (or warmth). There are thumb holes to hold the sleeves in place, a credit card-sized pocket, and a lack of tags. I have a weird thing about itchy tags which may (or may not) make a rustling noise. Apparently I’m not the only person bothered by this since Minus 33 took care of the issue.
When you put all these features together in a multi-season shirt, you’ve got my approval. I find myself grabbing this shirt at all times of day for all purposes. However, while the Microweight 145 Women’s ¼ Zip Sun Hoodie-Woolverino has the word sun in its name, the UPF factor is only 20. So on a super sunny adventure, this might not be the best choice.
Favorite thing: Multi-season wear and layer-ability
Downside: Low UPF rating
Outdoor Research: Women’s ActiveIce Spectrum Sun Long Sleeve Tee UPF 50+
Outdoor Research takes the prize for best sun protection with this shirt. The ActiveIce collection fabric is a 91% polyester and 9% spandex stretch knit mix. It claims to be breathable, lightweight, quick-drying, and it wicks sweat all with a 50+ UPF rating.
Here are my thoughts.
On first feel, this shirt seemed heavy–it was the heaviest of all I tried at 6.36 oz/ 180 g. But mostly it just felt like polyester. I associate polyester with the vintage button up blouses I wore in the 70s. And it’s not a great first impression. But I gave it a try.
My initial trial was up above treeline in the Colorado Rockies. In the thin air and high altitude of Colorado, UV radiation can be up to 50% stronger than at sea level, so I really could use the UPF 50+ rating of this shirt. However, I had to merely trust that the harmful rays were being reduced, as there was no immediate tell-tale sign of this happening. However, I did experience the cooling factor. The day started out chilly but immediately warmed up, as often happens in the Rockies. The ActiveIce Spectrum Sun Long Sleeve Tee did keep me cool and comfortable. In fact, according to Outdoor Research, their ActiveIce fabric actively lowers skin temperature an average of four degrees as you sweat. Again, no way to scientifically confirm or deny this claim, but I did stay cool. This was clearly not the polyester blouse of my youth.
The Outdoor Research ActiveIce Spectrum Sun Long Sleeve Tee is fairly clean and simple. No pocket, no hood, no muss, no fuss. It does have thumb holes, a loop in the back for hanging on a hook, side slits at the hem for better movement, and a three panel back design. In all its simplicity, though, The Spectrum Tee loses any individuality. It’s just a shirt. And an oversized one to boot. Plus, it still feels like polyester.
Clearly this shirt impressed me the least. But it still wins the prize for best UV protection so it earns a place at the table. And isn’t that what this review is supposed to be about?
Favorite thing: A stellar 50+ UPF
Downside: It runs large
In Summary
Through all the hours and days I’ve spent testing sun shirts from various brands, there are a few general conclusions I will offer. First, wearing a sun shirt is a good idea. Second, any sun shirt is better than no sun shirt. Third, a well made long sleeve shirt can actually be quite cool. And finally, a great shirt can be super stylish too.
In case you had not already guessed, I wrote this review in my order of shirt preference. It’s hard to say if I’d suggest purchasing one over another because they all shine in different ways. But, if I absolutely had to rank order these shirts, it would be in the order presented. Happy shopping and happy sunny day adventures.
