The Finest Solar Shirts of 2025

Solar shirts are the unofficial uniform of climbers, mountain bikers, backpackers, and extra. In consequence, discovering the most effective solar shirt to fulfill all wants has change into a typical quest amongst outside fanatics.

A great solar shirt offers thorough pores and skin protection, protects towards a broad spectrum of UV gentle, and received’t get in the best way if you’re out having fun with the world. We consider solar shirts as wearable shade.

We examined over 25 totally different shirts and evaluated every one’s high quality and efficiency beneath numerous circumstances and actions. Whether or not you’re searching for the excessive efficiency of our high choose, the Anetik Ultraguide Hooded L/S, or a budget-friendly possibility just like the REI Sahara Shade Hoodie, we have now you lined.

Editor’s Observe: We refreshed this information on April 6, 2025, by including extra details about our testing course of, a worth & worth part, and a brand new worth choose to the lineup, the Patagonia Capilene Cool Day by day Hoody.

The Finest Solar Shirts of 2025

Different Solar Shirts We Examined & Love

Finest Solar Shirts Comparability Desk

How We Examined the Finest Solar Shirts

Our Knowledgeable Testers

This listing of solar shirt suggestions didn’t come straightforward. One of the best solar shirts crush it throughout energetic pursuits and take what you dish out with ease. For the primary model of this information, editor Austin Beck-Doss gathered dozens of solar shirts from the main manufacturers and a few smaller upstarts and headed to the crag, the path, and in every single place in between. 

In 2024, Rob Simpson and Ryan Kempfer took over this information. As a university pupil in Southern California, Rob bought his first outside job as a camp counselor and backpacking information simply outdoors Yosemite Nationwide Park. On and off for the following 25+ years, Rob led backpacking, mountain climbing, and winter tenting journeys all around the Sierra Nevada vary. Now Rob lives in Salida, Colo., the place he loves mountaineering numerous 14ers and exploring all of the Continental Divide and the Rockies have to supply. He’s at the moment on a 9-month journey exploring Baja and Europe, the place he’s placing a ton of substances to the check. Ryan is an avid outdoorsman who loves snowboarding and mountaineering and mixing each for backcountry pursuits. He lives and works as a information within the Tetons, the place he places gear by the wringer each day, each for enjoyable and work.

Our Testing Grounds & Course of

Our meticulous testing relies on our expertise sporting the product. We take note of the final attributes but in addition hone in on the meticulous particulars that may make an article of clothes stand out. We seemed for the mixture of high quality and performance, hoping we’d expertise the feeling distinctive to solar hoodies: you overlook you even have it on.

We paid explicit consideration to breathability, sturdiness, and general consolation. We wore these shirts within the environments and circumstances they had been designed for. Within the peak of summer season, with temperatures pushing triple digits, we hiked, fished, climbed, hunted, and biked in all types of sunshirts.

All the solar shirts on this listing obtained excessive marks of their namesake division. An optimum solar shirt offers ample protection of the arms, neck, and head. We examined the protecting potential of hoods with and with out helmets. We sought hems and sleeves which can be lengthy sufficient to do their job even throughout energetic use.

We primarily wore solar shirts as base layers, in direct contact with the pores and skin. This allowed us to gauge each the consolation and breathability of the fabric. To judge sturdiness and anti-odor properties, we made certain to put on every shirt a number of occasions whereas recreating in rugged terrain. We took these on spring backcountry ski excursions in Colorado and Wyoming. We fished the Arkansas River and went paddleboarding in Baja. We hiked, biked, and ran year-round in all of those locales to really check the efficacy of those solar shirts.

To collect correct specs, we weighed every shirt on our personal scale when potential and communicated immediately with manufacturers relating to UPF score, supplies, and anti-odor therapies. After a whole lot of hours of testing, we’re assured this listing represents the most effective of the most effective.

Purchaser’s Information: Tips on how to Select the Finest Solar Shirt

Each shirt on this listing affords solar safety, however every has a singular set of options, execs, and cons. Solar shirts are available in quite a lot of supplies and kinds. Some excel at sure actions, reminiscent of climbing or searching, whereas others are designed to do-it-all.

The recognition of sunshirts has lately ballooned, and there are extra choices to select from than ever earlier than. To assist inform your choice, this purchaser’s information consists of each related matter beneath the solar. For those who’ve discovered your self right here in quest of shirts designed for particular actions, we’ve bought guides to the finest operating shirts, suggestions for fishing, and even flannel shirts.

Forms of Solar Shirts: Button-Up vs. Hooded Pullover

There are a number of sorts of solar shirts in the marketplace, however the saggy button-up and hooded pullover are the most well-liked by far.

Hooded Pullover

Climbers, path runners, and mountain bikers typically choose hooded pullover solar shirts usually comprised of 70-80% polyester and 10-20% elastane or spandex.

Not all solar shirt hoods are created equal, however the most effective ones match comfortably and received’t blow off within the wind. Hoods supply immense solar safety advantages. We like hoods that cowl the neck, ears, and brow. In case your exercise of selection requires a helmet, select a hooded polyester solar shirt. Properly-designed hoods stretch simply over climbing and biking helmets and keep put throughout energetic use.

Different key options of many hooded pullover solar shirts are thumb loops (that are nice for back-of-the-hand solar safety), and high-cut collars that defend the chest and neck. A few of our favorites on this listing, embrace the KUIU Gila Professional LS and the REI Sahara Shade.

The draw back of a hooded solar shirt is identical as any pullover — they’re a little bit of a ache to placed on and take off. Plus, whereas many hooded solar shirts are gentle and breathable, most of them don’t include vents. Just a few exceptions embrace quarter-zip hooded pullovers with mesh aspect panels just like the Black Diamond Alpenglow Professional and the Out of doors Analysis Astroman Air Solar Hoodie.

Nonetheless, for essentially the most half, solar shirts on this model are often ventless. One closing draw back of hooded pullover solar shirts — they get smelly. Elastane and spandex, particularly, develop disagreeable odors extra rapidly than pure fibers like merino wool.

Professional tip: if you’d like a hooded solar shirt with out the stink, purchase one thing comprised of pure fibers and minimal elastane. Strong selections embrace the Free Fly Light-weight Hoodie, partly comprised of bamboo-derived fibers, and the Ridge Merino Solstice made principally from merino wool.

Dishevelled Button-Up

For actions like fishing, searching, and hen watching, select a saggy button-up solar shirt. Button-up solar shirts usually include a collar as an alternative of a hood,which suggests you’ll have to additionally put on a protecting solar hat if you wish to defend your face, neck, and ears. Some fashions of button-ups, like our general finest choose, the Anetik Ultraguide include a hood, providing you with the most effective of each worlds.

In contrast to the active-wear look of hooded pullover solar shirts, button-ups have a extra conventional look. Most button-up solar shirts look completely at dwelling on the bar or a yard barbeque. Plus, they’re straightforward to placed on and take off.

Anglers, particularly, are inclined to choose button-up solar shirts for a couple of causes, First, button-ups typically include pockets — a useful place to maintain bits of spare sort out reminiscent of lures and tip-its. Additionally, many button-up solar shirts have vented panels, which improve airflow and breathability in heat circumstances.

On this listing, the KUIU Mesa and the Mountain Hardwear Canyon are our favourite button-up solar shirts.

UPF Ranking Defined

Ultraviolet Safety Issue, or UPF, is the score system that gauges a cloth’s effectiveness at filtering ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) gentle. For instance, a cloth rated to UPF 30 permits roughly 3% or 1/thirtieth of accessible UV to go by it.

UPF rankings at all times fall between 15 and 50+. Clothes under UPF 15 don’t meet solar safety requirements. Any cloth that permits lower than 2% of UV to go by charges UPF 50+.

A number of elements can have an effect on a cloth’s UPF score. Darker colours are inclined to filter out extra UV than lighter colours. Thicker cloth often affords extra safety than thinner cloth. A tighter weave might have lowered UV transmission in comparison with a free and porous weave.

Manufacturers work to unravel the sophisticated drawback of making a light-weight, breathable, and extremely protecting solar shirt. The really useful merchandise on this listing possess a superb steadiness of breathability, consolation, and efficiency, with spectacular UPF rankings.

Manufacturers conduct UPF exams on their very own merchandise. Simply final yr, Patagonia issued a voluntary recall on a sequence of solar shirts that did not reside as much as their marketed UPF score after unbiased testing.

In any case, respected manufacturers make all the solar shirts on our listing. As a normal rule, we suggest buying a solar shirt with a UPF score of a minimum of 30 — particularly if in case you have a good complexion or recreate at excessive elevations.

Supplies

Polyester is the most typical base materials for solar shirts for numerous causes. In comparison with bleached cotton, which has a pure UPF score of round 5, polyester affords much more safety. Plus, it dries a lot sooner.

In recent times, many manufacturers have included 10-20% elastane or spandex into their solar shirt’s polyester weave. Integrating stretchy materials is nice for airflow and mobility, but it surely additionally has some downsides. First, elastane can lose its springy high quality over time. A shirt made with plenty of elastane or spandex, most likely received’t retain its authentic form and slot in the long run.

Additionally, artificial fibers like elastane develop odors sooner than pure fibers like cotton or wool. Solar shirts are recognized for his or her gnarly stench that may develop after a single day of sweaty outside recreation. Anecdotally, we observed that shirts with a excessive elastane depend did in actual fact appear to scent fairly unhealthy after a exercise.

In our analysis and testing, we discovered that the majority hooded pullover solar shirts are comprised of 80-90% polyester and 10-20% elastane or spandex. In fact, there are some exceptions to this. The Free Fly Light-weight Hoodie is comprised of 70% bamboo viscose, and the Ridge Merino Solstice is comprised of merino wool.

Button-up collared solar shirts are typically made with out spandex or elastane, so that they aren’t as stretchy.

Breathability

Designed to guard towards sunshine, solar shirts naturally have to be snug in heat circumstances. A material’s breathability is outlined by its potential to let air go by. Breathability decreases drying time and likewise helps to attenuate odor.

On this listing, the Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake is the proper selection for these searching for a solar shirt for energetic use in heat climate. You will need to be aware that elevated breathability can typically result in a decreased UPF score like we see within the Anetik Ultraguide, which is extraordinarily breathable and has a gentle contact really feel to its cloth. A looser weave that permits airflow will let extra UV attain the solar beneath.

All the solar shirts chosen for this listing are comparatively breathable. Solar safety is crucial even in cooler circumstances, however naturally, a sizzling summer season day requires breathable clothes.

Odor Resistance

Solar shirts are recognized for being a bit smelly. There are a couple of causes for this. First, solar shirts are typically worn for energetic use in heat circumstances. Strenuous exercise plus warmth equals sweat, and sweat results in odor.

Secondly, solar shirts are often comprised of artificial supplies like polyester and elastane. Artificial fibers are comprised of petroleum merchandise — polyester threads are basically skinny ropes of plastic. In contrast to pure supplies like cotton and wool, synthetics don’t take up sweat.

As a substitute, the sweat combines with micro organism out of your pores and skin and turns into trapped in between the fibers. Elastane fibers particularly are extremely efficient at trapping micro organism. Over time, the micro organism builds up — and so does the odor.

For those who’re searching for a solar shirt that received’t ever scent, your search might proceed endlessly. Fortunately, some solar shirts are extra odor-resistant than others. If you wish to decrease the stink, we suggest following these three ideas:

• First, don’t purchase a solar shirt with a excessive elastane/spandex depend. Most solar shirts are comprised of 10-20% elastane/spandex.
• Second, search for a solar shirt comprised of pure fibers. Bamboo is an more and more in style various to polyester which may be much less susceptible to undesirable odor.
• Third, buy a solar shirt that has an odor-resistant therapy.

On this listing, the Patagonia Capilene Cool Day by day Hoody and the Black Diamond Alpenglow Professional are noticeably spectacular within the odor-resistance class. They’re handled with Black Diamond’s HeiQ Pure Odor Management Remedy.

Hood

If most UV safety is your objective, you’re going to desire a solar shirt with a well-fitted hood. The advantages of a hood are apparent: neck, face, and ear safety. Nevertheless, not all hoods supply the identical utility and worth. For essentially the most half, pullover solar shirts have hoods, and button-up solar shirts don’t.

A hood that received’t keep on throughout energetic use is sort of worse than no hood in any respect. Throughout our testing, we wore solar shirts whereas mountaineering, climbing, and biking in windy circumstances. One of the best hoods stayed on towards the percentages.

In case your exercise of selection requires a helmet, you’ll want a stretchy hood that may match over it. One in every of our favourite hooded solar shirts is the Out of doors Analysis ActiveIce Hoody. The hood is well-fitted, helmet-compatible, and extremely protecting. We wore this solar shirt over a helmet for a lot of months, and the fabric maintained its match and elasticity.

Thumb Loops

The fingers and fingers see quite a lot of solar publicity, making them vulnerable to pores and skin most cancers. A solar shirt with well-placed thumb loops can assist defend these weak areas from extreme UV.

Most solar shirts with thumb loops are within the hooded pullover class. Most often, a thump loop is a small opening that matches over the thumb and retains the wrist and again of the hand lined by the sleeve.

Although most pullover solar shirts on this listing include thumb loops, a couple of kinds surprisingly don’t.

We love the thumb loops on the REI Sahara Shade. They’re positioned comfortably, and maintain your complete hand’s again protected.

Match

The way in which a solar shirt matches will outline its efficiency. As a normal rule of thumb, solar shirts ought to have a semi-loose match. We notably recognize the match of the Patagonia Capilene Cool Day by day Hoody; it’s good, not too free and never too tight.

A loose-fitting solar shirt breathes higher, and it’s much less prone to restrict your vary of movement. Nevertheless, when you often put on a comfortable measurement medium on the workplace or out on the bar, we suggest sizing as much as a big measurement if you buy a solar shirt. Another reason to measurement up: to your solar shirt’s thumb loops to correctly defend your fingers, it must have full-length sleeves.

Worth & Worth

Funds

You will discover a high quality finances solar shirt for beneath $70. A lot of our award winners, together with the REI Sahara Shade Hoodie, Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Hoodie, and the Patagonia Capilene Cool Hoody, are fairly priced. They’re sturdy, snug, light-weight, and have 1 or 2 extra options that make them stand out.

Mid-Tier

Solar shirts on this class run from $70 to $100. These will typically be a bit increased efficiency than these within the finances class and will have wicking abilbiites or odor management therapies or might have better UPF rankings. For instance, the Out of doors Analysis Astroman Air Solar Hoodie ($99) is a technical efficiency piece that’s extraordinarily stretchy and strikes with you.

Premium

Solar shirts with added versatility, extra storage, and sturdiness will clock in at over $100. Our high general choose, the ultra-versatile Anetik Ultraguide Hooded L/S ($120), can do all of it and with model. It has 5 pockets and might transfer seamlessly from a hike to a fishing expedition to city. Others on this class are technical items with distinctive options like giant mesh underarm aspect vents discovered within the Black Diamond AlpenGlow Professional ($120), a high-performing solar shirt that’s ideally suited for climbing and high-output actions.

Incessantly Requested Questions