11 Comfy Sun Shirts to Keep You Cool in Blaring Conditions

Field magazine

What is a UPF rating?

When shopping for a sun shirt or sun hoodie, you’ll often come across UPF ratings in the product specs. They tend to appear along with a number, as in “UPF 50” or “30+ UPF sun protection.” UPF stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor, and it’s a standard that measures the effective sun protection of a fabric. (Too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun can damage the DNA in skin cells, which can cause cells to grow out of control, which can lead to skin cancer. Over 80% of skin cancers are caused by overexposure to UV radiation.)

Just like SPF, which is specific to sunscreen, UPF is a rating of how protected your covered skin will be from UV rays. Simply put, the higher the UPF number, the more protection.

How We Test & Curate

To really get a feel for the differences between all of the sun shirts on our list, I spent time wearing them lounging around the house, grilling in the backyard, hiking in the foothills of Boise, and running some brisk spring training miles in preparation for a race this summer.

Spring in southwest Idaho is the perfect proving ground for a sun shirt — trails have finally thawed out enough to run or mountain bike nearly every day, temperatures are constantly going between the 40s and 70s, and oh, it’s pretty darn sunny out here, too.

I love a bit of performance gear just as much as the next guy, but when evaluating these sun shirts I made sure they were at home on the trails, on the river, and at the outdoor bar that just reopened for summer. Excelling in the sun for an hour is one thing, but can I wear it all day without it smelling? Does it look good with running shorts and my most worn-in Patagonia Baggies? In this case, being well-rounded is an absolute win for a sun shirt.

Read on for a full rundown of our top 10 picks for the best long sleeve t-shirts, button-ups, and hoodies with UPF protection available now.