The Greatest Solar Safety Shirts of 2023-2024

How We Tested Sun Protection Shirts

This list of sun protection shirt recommendations is the product of many hours of meticulous testing. We gathered dozens of sun shirts from leading brands and smaller upstarts, and carefully assessed their quality in the field.

While testing, we paid attention to breathability, durability, and overall comfort. We made sure to wear these shirts in the environments and conditions they were designed for. In the peak of summer with temperatures pushing triple digits, we hiked, fished, climbed, hunted, and biked in all kinds of sun shirts.

All of our recommended sun protection shirts scored highly in their namesake department. A good sun shirt provides ample coverage of the arms, neck, head, and hands. We tested the protective ability of hoods with and without helmets. We sought hems and sleeves that are long enough to do their job even during active use.

We primarily wore sun shirts as base layers, in direct contact with the skin. This allowed us to gauge both the comfort and breathability of the material. To evaluate durability, we made sure to wear each shirt multiple times while recreating in rugged terrain.

To gather accurate specs, we weighed each shirt on our own scale and communicated directly with brands regarding UPF rating, materials, and anti-odor treatments.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose a Sun Shirt

Every shirt on this list offers protection from the sun, but each has a unique set of features, pros, and cons. Sun shirts come in a variety of materials and styles. Some are purpose-built for certain activities such as climbing or hunting, while others are designed as do-it-all wearable sunscreen.

The popularity of sun shirts has recently ballooned, and there are more options to choose from than ever before. To help inform your decision, this buyer’s guide includes every relevant topic under the sun.

Types of Sun Shirts: Button-Up vs. Hooded Pullover

There are multiple kinds of sun shirts on the market, but the baggy button-up and hooded pullover are the most popular by far.

Hooded Pullover

Hooded pullover sun shirts are generally preferred by climbers, trail runners, and mountain bikers. Typically, these sun shirts are made from 70-80% polyester and 10-20% elastane or spandex.

Not all sun protection shirt hoods are created equal, but the best ones fit comfortably and won’t blow off in the wind. The sun protection benefits of a hood are immense. We like hoods that cover the neck, ears, and forehead. If your activity of choice requires a helmet, hooded polyester sun shirts are your best bet. Well-designed hoods stretch easily over climbing and cycling helmets and stay put during active use.

Other key features of many hooded pullover sun shirts are thumb loops (which are great for back-of-the-hand sun protection), and high-cut collars that protect the chest and neck. On this list, the KUIU Gila Pro LS and the REI Sahara Shade are some of our favorite pullover hooded sun shirts.

The downside of a hooded sun shirt is the same as any pullover — they’re a bit of a pain to put on and take off. Plus, while many hooded sun shirts are light and breathable, most of them do not come with vents. There are a few exceptions to this, such as the Black Diamond Alpenglow Pro which is a hooded pullover with mesh side panels.

Still, for the most part, sun shirts in this style are usually ventless. One final downside of hooded pullover sun shirts — they get stinky. Elastane and spandex in particular develop unpleasant odors more quickly than natural fibers.

Pro tip: if you want a hooded sun shirt without the stink, buy something made from natural fibers and minimal elastane. On this list, the Free Fly Shore is partly made from bamboo-derived fibers.

Baggy Button-Up

For activities like fishing, hunting, and bird watching, the baggy button-up sun shirt is your best bet. Button-up sun shirts typically come with a collar instead of a hood, which does mean you’ll need to also wear a hat if you want to protect your face, neck, and ears. For this reason, we don’t recommend button-up sun shirts for activities that also require helmets.

Unlike the active-wear appearance of hooded pullover sun shirts, button-ups have a more traditional look. Most button-up sun shirts look perfectly at home at the bar or a backyard barbeque. Plus, they’re easy to put on and take off.

Anglers, in particular, tend to prefer button-up sun shirts for a few reasons, First, button-ups often come with pockets — a handy place to keep bits of spare tackle such as lures and tip-its. Also, many button-up sun shirts have vented panels, which increase airflow and breathability in warm conditions.

On this list, the KUIU Mesa and the Mountain Hardwear Canyon are our favorite button-up sun shirts.

UPF Rating Explained

Ultraviolet Protection Factor, or UPF, is the rating system that gauges a fabric’s effectiveness at filtering ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) light. For example, a fabric rated to UPF 30 allows roughly 3% or 1/30th of available UV to pass through it.

UPF ratings always fall between 15 and 50+. Garments below UPF 15 are not considered UV protective. Any fabric that allows less than 2% of UV to pass through is considered UPF 50+.

Multiple factors can affect a fabric’s UPF rating. Darker colors tend to filter out more UV than lighter colors. Thicker fabric usually offers more protection than thinner fabric. A tighter weave may have reduced UV transmission compared to a loose and porous weave.

Brands are left to solve the complicated problem of creating a sun shirt that is light, breathable, and highly protective. The recommended products on this list possess a fine balance of breathability, comfort, and performance with impressive UPF ratings.

Brands conduct UPF tests on their own products. Just last year, Patagonia issued a voluntary recall on a series of sun shirts that failed to live up to their advertised UPF rating after independent testing.

In any case, all of the sun shirts on our list are made by reputable brands. As a general rule, we recommend purchasing a sun shirt with a UPF rating of at least 30 — especially if you have a fair complexion or recreate at high elevations.

Materials

For a variety of reasons, polyester is the most common base material for sun shirts. Compared to bleached cotton, which has a natural UPF rating of around 5, polyester offers far more protection. Plus, it dries much faster.

In recent years, many brands have incorporated 10-20% elastane or spandex into their sun shirt’s polyester weave. Integrating stretchy material is great for airflow and mobility, but it also has some downsides. First, elastane can lose its springy quality over time. If your shirt is made with lots of elastane or spandex, it probably won’t retain its original shape and fit in the long term.

Also, synthetic fibers like elastane develop odors faster than natural fibers like cotton or wool. Sun shirts are known for their gnarly stench that can develop after a single day of sweaty outdoor recreation. Anecdotally, we noticed that shirts with a high elastane count did in fact seem to smell pretty bad after a workout.

In our research and testing, we found that most hooded pullover sun shirts are made from 80-90% polyester and 10-20% elastane or spandex. Of course, there are some exceptions to this. The Free Fly Shore is made from 70% bamboo viscose and the VOORMI River Run is made from merino wool.

Button-up collared sun shirts tend to be made without spandex or elastane, so they aren’t as stretchy.

Breathability

Sun protection shirts are designed to protect against sunshine, so naturally, they need to be comfortable in warm conditions. A fabric’s breathability is defined by its ability to let air pass through. Breathability decreases drying time and also helps to minimize odor.

On this list, the Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake is the perfect choice for those looking for a sun shirt for active use in warm weather. It is important to note that increased breathability can sometimes lead to a decreased UPF rating. A looser weave that allows airflow will let more UV reach the sun underneath.

All of the sun shirts selected for this list are relatively breathable. A few styles, such as the VOORMI River Run are built with thicker material. Sun protection is essential even in cooler conditions, but naturally, a hot summer day calls for breathable clothing.

Odor Resistance

Sun shirts are known for being a bit stinky. There are a few reasons for this. First, sun shirts tend to be worn for active use in warm conditions. Strenuous activity plus heat equals sweat, and sweat leads to odor.

Secondly, sun shirts are usually made from synthetic materials like polyester and elastane. Synthetic fibers are made from petroleum products — polyester threads are essentially thin ropes of plastic. Unlike natural materials like cotton and wool, synthetics don’t absorb sweat. Instead, the sweat combines with bacteria from your skin and becomes trapped in between the fibers. Elastane fibers in particular are highly effective at trapping bacteria. Over time, the bacteria builds up — and so does the odor.

If you’re looking for a sun shirt that won’t ever smell, your search may continue forever. Luckily, some sun shirts are more odor resistant than others. If you want to minimize the stink, we recommend following these three tips:

• First, don’t buy a sun shirt with a high elastane/spandex count. Most sun shirts are made from 10-20% elastane/spandex.
• Second, look for a sun shirt made from natural fibers. Bamboo is an increasingly popular alternative to polyester that may be less prone to unwanted odor.
• Third, purchase a sun shirt that has an odor-resistant treatment.

On this list, the Black Diamond Alpenglow Pro is noticeably impressive in the odor resistance category. It has a relatively low elastane count and it’s treated with Black Diamond’s HeiQ Pure Odor Control Treatment.

Hood

If maximum UV protection is your goal, you’re going to want a sun shirt with a well-fitted hood. The benefits of a hood are obvious: neck, face, and ear protection. However, not all hoods offer the same utility and value. For the most part, pullover sun shirts have hoods, and button-up sun shirts do not.

A hood that won’t stay on during active use is almost worse than no hood at all. During our testing, we wore sun shirts while hiking, climbing, and biking in windy conditions. The best hoods stayed on against the odds.

If your activity of choice requires a helmet, you’ll need a stretchy hood that can fit over it. One of our favorite hooded sun shirts is the Outdoor Research ActiveIce Hoody. The hood is well-fitted, helmet-compatible, and highly protective. We wore this sun shirt over a helmet for many months, and the material maintained its fit and elasticity.

Thumb Loops

The fingers and hands see a lot of sun exposure, making them susceptible to skin cancer. A sun shirt with well-placed thumb loops can help protect these vulnerable areas from excessive UV.

Most sun shirts with thumb loops are in the hooded pullover category. In most cases, a thump loop is a small opening that fits over the thumb and keeps the wrist and back of the hand covered by the sleeve.

Though most pullover sun shirts on this list come with thumb loops, a few styles surprisingly do not.

We love the thumb loops on the REI Sahara Shade. They’re positioned comfortably, and keep the entire hand’s back protected.

Fit

The way a sun shirt fits will define its performance. As a general rule of thumb, sun shirts should have a semi-loose fit. A loose-fitting sun shirt breathes better, and it’s less likely to limit your range of motion. If you usually wear a snug size medium at the office or out at the bar, we recommend sizing up to a large size when you purchase a sun shirt.

One more reason to size up: for your sun shirt’s thumb loops to properly protect your hands, it needs to have full-length sleeves.

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