Tip of the Day - Another Sunscreen Alternative
Posted on June 26, 2008 by
Before our trip out to the Adirondacks a few weeks ago, we needed a couple small gear upgrades. One was some long sleeve hiking shirts. Something that would keep us cool, wick sweat, dry fast, and keep us covered. While shopping for shirts, I discovered some that also protect us from the sun.
Columbia Sportswear’s Omnishade lines for men and women has Ultraviolet Protection Factor built in. The shirts worked great while we were hiking, but I’ve also been using my shirt for gardening. It’s nice and cool even on hot days, and I don’t have to slather myself in sunscreen every time I go out to pull weeds. I’m sure the materials aren’t super eco-friendly, but it does provide chemical free sun protection. And the ripstop fabric hopefully means that we will have our hiking shirts for a very long time.
My husband’s shirt looks great on him. I’m not in love with the way mine looks. The arms were too short on the medium, so I had to go up to a large, and the shirt is just huge. But I’m going for function over form. Now I just need a big floppy sun hat.
Hmm, this could be a good solution for my farmer beau — he goes through tons of sunscreen, so it would be too expensive to use the really good stuff. The long-sleeved ones look kind of heavy, though. They really keep you cool?
yeah, i’m with Amanda in wondering if they are really cool enough? i get so hot having material on my shoulders and arms during hot days…the idea is intriguing though.
As someone who lives in the scorching southwestern desert, I can attest that long sleeves are the way to go to keep cool and protected from the sun. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but the right shirt can make all the difference. Shirts that are made for sun are made out of lightweight fabrics and often have vents or mesh built in to take advantage of breezes.
They really work wonders in arid regions. In humid places, you’ll always feel a little sticky, regardless of if you have a shirt on or not. The important thing is that the shirt will cover your skin and protect you.
Jennifer said what I was going to say. The shirts are lightweight and have pit vents. The first day we hiked in them, I wore a short sleeve wicking shirt. After that, I wore this one and was so much more comfortable. And it’s a lot more comfortable than wearing thick sunscreen.
I have to do a lot of research on stuff like this–I’ve lived on the coast my entire life, but it’s looking very likely that I’m moving to Colorado soon. I could tell you all about riptides, currents, and beach-appropriate equipment, but this is new to me—I’m gonna take a look at these shirts right now.
These look great! I usually just go with a regular long sleeve shirt and it seems to work pretty well to keep me from getting burned, but these would be nice for a long day outside. I think some of the clothing with SPF that I’ve seen before actually has chemicals in the clothing which I just think sounds gross, not to mention that it eventually just washes out - seems like a waste. Thanks for the tip!