Because they dry fast, they’re also great for swimming. They’ve replaced traditional rash guards for a lot of people. I wear mine to the beach and into the pool. When I go on vacation, I take three or four sun hoodies with me and often end up doing laundry in town when I no longer have any sun hoodies that aren’t salty from sweat and/or the waves of the ocean in Maine.
On a hot, sunny day, they’re also often cooler than bare skin. Yes, long-sleeve sun hoodies do bundle you up, but because the fabric is so light and breathable—and I wear mine just a little baggy—they block sunlight and shed heat so well that I find them more comfortable than any other clothing or no clothing.
What to Wear
Here are four favorites from my sun hoodie collection—I have a few more that I wouldn’t recommend or that are now past season and out of production.
Heavy Rotation: The sun hoodie I wear the most is the EMS Sunguard Overhead Hoodie. It’s very soft and comfortable with a generous cut that wicks sweat away. I wear it in the city pool, and after a few minutes sitting back on the lounge chair, it’s dry enough to wear into a grocery store without it dripping everywhere.
Heavy Duty: One of the heaviest sun hoodies I have, and the one I’d wear up a mountain, is The North Face Summit Series Direct Sun Hoodie. This is a slightly thicker hoodie, though it’s still light and very breathable. Because it has a zipper, you can also get more ventilation if you need it, so the weight is never an issue. When zipped all the way up, the shirt also has a collar to protect your neck and jaw from wind or sun. There is a proprietary finish applied to the fabric of The North Face’s SPF-rated clothing, which varies by garment.
More Discreet: “Day-to-night” garments that transition seamlessly from the office to a casual dinner and a night out are something of a cliche in women’s fashion. But sometimes you really do want something that can pull double duty. When I’m going to be wearing a sun hoodie into a bar or restaurant, I reach for the Blackstrap Brackish Sun Hoodie, which looks more like a regular shirt than any other arrow in my quiver. I have it in the shark tooth jory, a red and black pattern that looks like something I’d wear even if I was not trying to keep the sun off my back. I also really like that it’s safe to wipe lenses off on—I’ve scratched up too many pairs of eyeglasses and am extremely careful about what I’ll wipe them with.
Totally Natural: I tested an earlier version of the Free Fly Bamboo Lightweight Performance Hoodie and really like it. Bamboo is supersoft and is naturally odor-resistant, though less than wool. This hoodie wears a little on the warmer side and only offers SPF 20 protection, but it dries relatively quickly, and the loose cut is excellent.
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