It’s September and for most people river season has come to an end (or at least the part of the season where you’re trying to stay cool and not sun burned.)
What sun hoodies did we use, and did it withstand the wear & tear of the commercial river season? What about smell? Tell me your recommendations!
I love my Arcteryx Cormac sun hoodies. I know everybody sees Arcteryx and thinks “no thanks, crazy expensive,” but the Cormac hoodies are $90 which is really comparble to (and in some cases cheaper than) competing brands. They stood up to several seasons of commercial wear-and-tear back when I was guiding, and now they’re thriving through my 60+ days of kayaking in the summer. In fact, I still have and frequently wear the Cormac that’s pictured in my profile picture, which was taken…shit probably 12 years ago.
I also have a few sun hoodies from the SEND collective that they occasionally sell on Instagram, because I’m convinced that if I wear the same sun hoodie as Dane Jackson it will make me equally good at kayaking (it hasn’t worked…yet).
I would advise against smelling any of my sun hoodies though. That’s not necessarily an issue with the specific hoodies and more a result of me being a sweaty boy who sometimes wears them multiple times without washing. The river is almost a washing machine, right?
I’ve used many different sun hoodies over the years. I like the bamboo mix ones because they are soft and don’t smell, thought they get thin petty quick so I usually ended up wearing two of them even in the summer in the Grand Canyon they are still pretty airy. They are also hard to move in when they are wet like swimming in the river. In general I like sun hoodies that are loos in the arms, shoulders and waist to allow good air flow.
If I’m in the water swimming a lot I like the NRS ones because they are pretty stretchy, they worked well for surfing, but they smell pretty quick and don’t breath that well.
UV Skinz, based in Sonora California makes a nice sunhoodie that holds up well and is more loose fitting that most sun hoddies these days. I like the hood drawstring in windy conditions but it makes me a little nervous when rafting but it can easily be pulled out.
A friend of mine that does landscaping in the central valley swears by the Men’s PFG Solar Stream II Hoodie, he says it is the closest to our all time favorite the original patagonia sun hoodie in terms of breathability and protection.
Sun hoodies are a great way to protect your skin. However also being a smelly person such as Nick I have yet to find some that doesn’t get pretty stinky, even with regular laundering. Get yourself some sink the stink to wash your stinky stuff.
I would say the Patagonia sun hoodies I have stood up lots and lots of use. They are a few different models but all seem to hold up.
FreeFly is hands down my favorite. Bamboo doesn’t stink and they don’t stretch out in the water so they are easy to swim in. Their underwear is also top notch for moisture control.