Looking for the best sun hoodies for your next outdoor adventure? From backpacking to canoe trips, here are some of the best sun hoodies to keep those shoulders burn-free.

Why this blog? Hey there! My name is Maddy and I work as an outdoor guide and travel writer. I’ve guided women’s trips and overnight sea kayaking trips since 2018, and between time guiding and time outside on projects as a writer I’ve had a lot of opportunities to test outdoor gear in real conditions. I’m happy to help you find the right gear picks for you!

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Best Sun Hoodies and Shirts for Adventure

In my opinion, a good sun hoodie has a few key characteristics. It needs a high UPF rating (sun protection), a hood, thumbholes, and to feel light weight and cool on your body even in the heat. Here are my top picks at a quick glance:

• REI Sahara Shade Hoodie
• Patagonia Capilene Cool Sun Hoody
• RAB Force Hoodie
• Arc’teryx Sunna Hoodie
• The North Face Adventure Sun Hoodie
• Stio Hooded Anorak
• NRS Silkweight Hoodie

1) REI Sahara Shade Hoodie

The REI Sahara Shade Hoodie is one of the best budget-friendly sun hoodies on the market, coming in at just under $60 USD. The fabric is soft to the touch, and it’s lightweight and pleasant to wear even when it’s hot out. Sun protection is rated to 50 UPF.

It has thumbholes and I would say runs a touch large — I typically wear a Medium for a fitted fit, and a Large for a snugger fit and the REI Sahara Shade Hoodie in a Medium is still pretty loose on me. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I tend to prefer a somewhat loose fitting sun hoodie for better air flow and a little bug protection. I would say though that my REI Sahara Shade Hoodie in a M fits similarly to the Patagonia Capilene Cool Sun Hoody in a large (shown below)

I especially like how the hood itself synches, making it possible for nearly 100% sun protection.

What does UPF mean in clothing?

UPF stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor and indicates the level of UV protection provided by your sun hoodie (or other outdoor clothing) when worn. The clothing is typically treated or made with specific materials to limit UV damage.

The higher the UPF rating, the more protection from UV the hoody has. The number actually indicates the amount of UV light able to penetrate the hoodie. For example, a UPF rating of 50 means 1/50 UV rays penetrate the fabric or 2%, and the hoodie protects against 98% of UV rays. Meanwhile a UPF rating of 40 indicates protection against 97.5% of UV light rays, and 60 protects against 98.4% of UV rays. Basically, the difference between UPF 40-60 is pretty marginal.

In my opinion, it’s important to note that all clothing inherently offers some UPF protection. For a long time, I typically wore merino wool baselayers in lieu of a sun hoodie while backpacking and sea kayaking. The advantage of this was primarily warmth – typically no hood and no thumbholes. Merino wool baselayers typically have a UPF rating between 20-25. I did notice I would still tan slightly through the baselayers, and I also noticed that the wool baselayers would deteriorate in the places most exposed to the sun.

2) Patagonia Capilene Cool Sun Hoody

The Patagonia Capilene Cool Sun Hoody is a little pricier coming in at nearly $90 USD but I would argue that the extra features on the make sense, specifically the zip pocket a few inches down from the armpit. This is basically a great place to stash car keys, there’s thumbholes and a nice button on the hoodie to better secure it on your head in wind.

I would say that the Patagonia Capilene Cool Sun Hoody is true to size, and probably one of the best sun hoodie options on the market if you’re looking for a do-it-all sun hoodie with as many features as possible.

(This is not the point of this article, but Patagonia spelling Hoody with a Y is criminal).

3) RAB Force Hoodie

If you’re looking for a lightweight barebones sunhoodie the RAB Force Hoodie is a really great pick. I used the earlier iteration (which used to snag but has since been updated in newer models) on my 70 Day sea kayak expedition of the Salish Sea. It smelled a little by the end, and has since been hand-me-downed to a younger sea kayak guide.

The RAB Force Hoodie has thumb loops, 40 UPF protection, is lightweight and comfortable on skin and costs $80 USD. One thing I would note is that RAB is European, so Americans (like myself) may find that their sizing runs a little small.

4) Arc’teryx Sunna Hoodie

The Arc’teryx Sunna Hoodie is my current go-to guiding sun hoodie. It’s lightweight, comfortable, I like how you can pull up the hood itself like a gaiter, and I like the slightly more engineered fit (it’s more flattering and moves better than any of the other sun hoodies on this list).

I used this on a sea kayaking trip in Baja recently as well as on many many sea kayaking trips in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The Arc’teryx Sunna Hoodie runs at $90 USD but I actually do think it’s worth the extra money. It doesn’t have a UPF rating, but I actually appreciate that because it would likely fall between 40-60 UPF which is sort of arbitrary. I have not tanned or burned through it.

In fact after five days wearing it sea kayaking in Baja my coworker asked if I had gone yet, and upon finding out I actually just got back remarked that I must be pretty serious about sun protection (I still looked winter on Lake Superior pale lol). I got a laugh out of that.

5) The North Face Adventure Sun Hoodie

The North Face is having a bit of a moment right now, and I picked up a very nice dusty rose Adventure Sun Hoodie early this spring to test it out. For it’s maiden voyage I wore it from mid Friday to end of day Sunday on a rock climbing and camping weekend. Here are my notes:

I wore the North Face Adventure Sun Hoodie for a little over 48 hours straight while spending two full days in the sun rock climbing and shooting photos for the event. The Adventure Sun Hoodie did a great job keeping cool and protecting from the sun (especially in the light pink color) and I liked the thumbhole placement. The hood of the sun hoodie fit nicely over my helmet and I found the Medium to be true to size. I find that the light colors show dirt really easy, and I did experience pilling after just two days of heavy use.

The North Face Adventure Sun Hoodie sports 40 UPF and runs $60 USD, making it a more budget-friendly sun hoodie option. Overall, I would say this is a good sun hoodie if you’re looking for a budget-friendly highly functional option, but the piling so soon really bothers me and I would probably go for an option that has a little more longevity behind it. (Compare to, say, the REI Sahara Shade Hoodie which I began testing at the same time and has not pilled yet under heavier usage).

6) Stio Hooded Anorak

If you’re looking for a sun hoodie that offers a little more than just sun protection, the Stio Hooded Anorak is a great option. It offers some wind protection, a little warmth and bug protection. This is a really great option if you’re in and out of canyons, getting splashed, or expect to be out in the wind.

It has a zippered pocket and a kangaroo style pouch, is rated 50 UPF, and synches at the wrists (no thumbholes) and a little water resistance. It packs into its own pouch. This is a more expensive option at $150 USD, reflective of the additional features.

7) NRS Silkweight Hoodie

The NRS Silkweight Hoodie is sort of the quintessential sun hoodie, and I’ve owned at least three of these throughout my career as a guide – it is often what is provided as the staff uniform with a logo on it! You’re looking at UPF 50 and about $90 USD and if I’m being totally honest, I would probably pick the REI Sahara Shade Hoodie or The North Face Adventure Sun Hoodie over this one.

They’re cheaper and I think the NRS hoodie fits a little weird and smells terrible quickly (it just really grabs on to that guide funk and hangs on).

That said, I haven’t used a new NRS Silkweight Hoodie in a few years, so they may have updated the design since my last fresh silkweight.

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