I love sun hoodies for warm weather fishing for a couple reasons. Reason one, I am prone to sunburn. I like to avoid that burning feeling, increased cancer risk, and peeling skin of a sunburn. Reason two, they are comfortable. It’s hard to beat the soft breezy feel of a nice sun shirt. I have used sun shirts from different companies like Patogonia, Free Fly, and Simms. The clear winner, in my mind, is the Simms SolarFlex Hoody. Let me explain why.
As I mentioned above, my main criteria for a fishing sun hoody are sun protection and comfort. I have yet to wear a sun hoody that does not in fact protect from the sun. All even on that criteria. Hoodies are inherently comfortable articles of clothing so it is hard to make one that’s not. However, there are definitely some finer points of fit and function that create differentiation in my sun hoody rankings.
When I say comfort I mean not too hot in hot weather and not too cold in the morning and evening when the temps are a little lower. I want it to dry quickly but still feel soft. I also want the hood to fit over a hat comfortably while hot being so big that it obstructs my peripheral vision or blows off in the wind.
I’ve tried a Patagonia sun hoody (the precursor to the Tropic Comfort Natural UPF Hoody). It’s especially nice in hot weather because the fabric is thin while still providing good sun protection. It has endured years of use and still looks okay so it’s quite durable for having thinner fabric. I did manage to stain it with something that normal washing does not remove but overall it has held up great over the years. It’s been a great sun hoodie and I can’t really say anything bad about it.
I’ve tried the Free Fly Bamboo Shade Hoodie. This one is super soft and thicker than you might expect for a sun shirt. It’s made of bamboo which is pretty neat. If you’ve never had a bamboo shirt it is reminiscent of cotton but feels softer. This one is very nice in moderate temps but once the mercury starts to rise it gets too hot for my liking. One cool feature is a little zip pocket on the sleeve, perfect for some chapstick (sunburnt lips are not fun). The Free Fly hoody has been very durable and looks surprisingly new after several years of use.
I’ve also experimented with thin cotton hoodies from Prana and other manufacturers. These shirts are the best for lounging around the house. It’s hard to beat the softness and comfort of a cotton hoody. However, cotton is just not the best material for a fishing shirt. Water evaporates too slowly from cotton for my liking and it does not breathe as well as synthetic material when it’s hot. In all fairness these are not designed or marketed as fishing shirts but I had some so I gave them a try. Overall these are great for lounging or running errands around town but there are better options for fishing.
The Simms SolarFlex Hoody is sun hoody perfection. The material is light and airy when it’s hot but also substantial enough to take the chill off on a cold morning. The hood fits perfectly over a hat, providing good sun protection while not obstructing my peripheral vision. There are thumb loops if you want the sleeves to cover more of your hands but the shirt still fits nicely if you opt not to use them. The one I have is over 4 years old and is holding up well. It somehow has managed to remain stain free despite being smeared with gink, mud, sandwich condiments, and dog slobber.
Conclusion
Every sun hoody I’ve used does it’s main job of protecting from the sun. Hoodies are inherently comfortable articles of clothing so they all meet that basic criteria too. Beyond the basics of sun protection and comfort there are little details that make some fishing hoodies better than others. I think Simms nailed the little details with their SolarFlex Hoody. It’s the shirt I always reach for first when I’m fishing in the summer. I just ordered another Simms SolarFlex Hoody so I’ll update this post with my impressions of the new one.
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