- Written by Mat Young. Outdoor Professional, Tasmania Guide, and an Ambassador for K2 Base Camp. -

Tested in Tassy - Outdoor Research Echo Sun Shirt Review

So, why is everyone so hot on sun shirts? What’s so good about them?

I hope to answer those questions below, so if you’ve looked at them before or you’re curious about a relatively new product that’s light, breathable and good for keeping the sun off in the outdoors, keep reading.

I love my sun shirts: They're ripped, frayed and full of holes from stomping through the bush and grinding against rocks. As someone with fair skin and a job in the outdoors, protecting myself from UV is a high priority so mine gets A LOT of hard use. I genuinely never expected them to be as durable as they have proven to be, but 3 years in and my first sun hoodie is only just reaching retirement age!

Sun shirts have been around for a while and they’re very popular with outdoors people, particularly climbers, in North America. They are finally beginning to catch on in Australia though, where their utility as a cool, breathable, UV-protecting layer is obvious.

These are all I wear in the outdoors these days, you’ll rarely catch me on a climb, trail run or hike without the protection of a sun shirt. I first started using a sun hoodie climbing in Brisbane, where the humid approaches leave you soaked with sweat and long days exposed to the sun would inevitably have me looking a little pink. Scrambling all over the Glass House Mountains I’ve lost count of the time spent baking on the rock like a lizard. Switching from a normal t-shirt to a sun shirt was a game changer. They’ve proven their worth so much that I now wear them alpine climbing and ski touring as well, basically if I’m getting after it, I’m wearing a sun shirt.

Years of spending the majority of my time outdoors have led me to realise that the best way to protect yourself from UV is simply to cover up, and I brief my clients accordingly. This is where the lightweight Echo Sun Shirt's fabric comes into its own, instead of stifling you on those hot, humid days it breathes and wicks sweat, drying quickly and keeping you cool. I usually work in a sun shirt with the same ActiveFresh and AirVent tech fabric, but hands down, I prefer the hoodie. Having a hood that can protect your neck and ears is a huge advantage. You can put it on over a hat, under a helmet and forget about it; no re-popping of the collar, no re-applying of the sunscreen.

ActiveFresh™ provides active odour control that eliminates bad smells with long-lasting, durable freshness and doesn’t jeopardize fabric’s breathability or softness. ActiveFresh™ is made from bio-based, silver-free technology that inhibits environmental odours, food-related body odours, and bacterial odours by actively preventing the buildup of bad smells during high-exertion sports.

AirVent™ is the fabric technology you'll want on hot, humid days when ventilation is key and slowing down isn't an option. The lightweight, ultra-fine yarns used in AirVent™ fabrics use an open texture, and mesh design to provide superb airflow and breathability for high-exertion endeavours. The wicking qualities of each AirVent™ piece pull perspiration away from the skin as you sweat, for outstanding moisture management that dries quickly without sacrificing durability.

A great example of how much they work, was an alpine rock climbing trip to Tuolume Meadows last year. One of my hoodies had a small tear in the shoulder, I didn’t think much of it until we climbed Tenaya Peak, later that day, while my skin was otherwise protected, I realised I had a perfect triangle of sunburn on my shoulder, whoops. I forgot about it, and we went and climbed Mathes Crest the next day. Silly me, by the end of the second day exposed to that harsh alpine sun, my small triangle of sunburn had begun to blister. Funny in hindsight, but an impressive example of how well the Outdoor Research Sun Hoodie protects you from the sun, provided you patch any tears that is.

Down here in Tassie the UV is the harshest that I have ever known, worse than Queensland, in fact the highest rating on the UV index was created because of the Tasmanian sun. So if outdoors people are to have any longevity down here, they have to get SunSmart. K2 is one of the few places in Australia where you can shop a wide range of sun shirts, so if you’re planning a big adventure this year, spending heaps of time in the sun or just wanting to be a bit more SunSmart in general, I’d be popping into K2 and trying on a sun shirt.

Happy adventuring, Mat.