I grew up in the late 1900s, in a time when attitudes toward sunburns were extremely lax compared to today. Red, peeling skin was seen as a minor and temporary inconvenience and the natural outcome of an active childhood, not a reckless lifestyle choice with potentially deadly consequences.
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There were little brown bottles of coconut-scented low-SPF “suntan oil” around, but no one took it very seriously. We were kings—buttered up in Hawaiian Tropic, Jams billowing in the breeze, sipping ice-cold Crystal Pepsi with candy cigarettes dangling from our lips. I’d typically burn and peel once in June, at which point my Italian blood would take over, and I would darken up for the rest of the summer. The next year, like the Beach Boys featuring John Stamos, we’d do it again.
Perhaps I’ve caved to cultural pressures, or perhaps my tolerance for mild discomfort has lessened with age, but I no longer like being sunburnt. Yet I also do not particularly like wearing sunscreen. It’s greasy, gross, and expensive. It smells medicinal. It’s always expiring. It stings your eyes when you sweat. I always miss some little spot that gets scorched to hell and bubbles up like an angry volcano.
I am, therefore, very thankful for the rise of the sun hoodie. In the last few years, I’ve found myself acquiring more and more of them and wearing them on a near-daily basis in the summer months. They’ve become one of the most indispensable pieces of clothing in my closet. Do you need a sun hoodie? No, you need two or three sun hoodies.
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You probably don’t mind slathering yourself in sunscreen before hitting the beach. Chances are, you’re not mad about applying sunscreen before lounging around the pool. Perhaps you’re even fine with rubbing on a layer two or three times at an afternoon baseball game. But what about when it comes time to do some gardening? Do you really want to spray yourself with Coppertone to pull weeds?
The sun hoodies I own and recommend below are all made from polyester and are lighter than a Pima cotton T-shirt. Yet while a typical cotton T-shirt only offers protection equivalent to SPF 5, meaning 20 percent of the sun’s UVB radiation is blocked, sun hoodies typically offer the equivalent of SPF 50, meaning 98 percent of harmful UV radiation is blocked. Some attain that result through the right weave of the right kind of polyester, others through treating the fabric with titanium dioxide. Ti
Analysis
Sun hoodies as they currently exist were invented in the early 2010s and first became popular through outdoor activities. Mountaineers were early adopters, as they’re pretty much indispensable for anyone who will be at high altitude on a clear day, doubly so if there’s snow around, reflecting the sun’s rays back onto your glacier glasses. I’m sure the first place I ever saw a sun hoodie was on a friend standing atop a mountain.
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.
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