Which Sun Hoodie is the Best Value?

Summary

In this video, Stephen Outside reviews five sun hoodies at different price points to determine which one offers the best value. As someone who frequently spends time outdoors, he emphasizes the importance of sun protection and highlights the features he loves and dislikes about each hoodie. From budget-friendly options like Amazon Basics to more specialized and pricey alternatives like the Mirage Sun Hoodie, Stephen evaluates their performance in terms of material quality, sun protection, durability, and breathability. Ultimately, he recommends both the Amazon Basics and Patagonia Cool Daily hoodies for their affordability and cooling comfort, respectively.

Highlights

• Sun hoodies provide essential protection for outdoor enthusiasts, especially redheads prone to sunburns 🧢.
• Amazon Basics hoodie offers budget-friendly sun protection but can feel hot in dark colors 🔥.
• Aerie Sahara, while popular online, suffers from durability issues and unflattering fit 🌨️.
• Patagonia Cool Daily excels in breathability but has no official UPF rating and lacks thumb holes 🌞.
• Outdoor Research Astroman designed for rock climbers offers unique features like a helmet-friendly hood 🥾.
• Mirage Sun Hoodie made with Merino wool offers top-notch sun protection and anti-odor benefits for long hikes 🌻.

Key Takeaways

• Sun hoodies have evolved over 20 years, providing excellent sun protection for outdoor activities 🌞.
• The Amazon Basics hoodie at $20 is a great budget-friendly option offering decent protection but can feel swampy when sweating 💰.
• Aerie Sahara, though a trusted brand, lacks durability and comfort, leaving wearers feeling swampy too 🌧️.
• The Patagonia Cool Daily at $65 provides breathable comfort but lacks thumb holes and has lower sun protection after a recall 🌬️.
• Outdoor Research Astroman offers specialized features for rock climbers, with a $100 price tag for added benefits 🧗.
• Evolved Supply Co's Mirage Sun hoodie, also $100, is great for long-distance hiking with its natural anti-odor properties 🌵.

Overview

Sun hoodies have become a popular solution for sun protection among outdoor enthusiasts. Stephen Outside, a redhead who loves the outdoors, shares his experiences with five different sun hoodies. He discusses their advantages and disadvantages, from budget options to more expensive, specialized ones designed for specific activities.

The Amazon Basics hoodie stands out as a budget-friendly choice, offering sufficient sun protection but may feel too warm in darker colors during intense activities. On the other hand, the Aerie Sahara hoodie, despite being from a reputable brand, faces criticism for its lack of durability and comfort, leaving wearers in a 'swampy' state.

For those willing to spend more, the Patagonia Cool Daily hoodie is recommended for its breathability and comfort, though it has a lower sun protection rating after a recall. The Outdoor Research Astroman and Mirage Sun Hoodie each offer specialized benefits like features ideal for rock climbing and excellent long-distance hiking comfort, respectively, though both come with a higher price tag.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Sun Hoodies The chapter introduces Sun hoodies and evaluates five different products at various price points to determine the best one. Sun hoodies, developed over 20 years, have become an essential part of sun protective clothing in the outdoor industry. As a redhead who enjoys outdoor activities, the speaker shares their personal preference for Sun hoodies due to past experiences with sunburns and provides a review of popular options.
• 00:30 - 01:30: Budget Option: Amazon Basics Hoodie The chapter discusses a budget-friendly option for a sun hoodie, specifically the Amazon Basics Hoodie priced at $20. The narrator emphasizes the importance of a hood for sun protection, especially for the ears and the back of the neck, and mentions that the recommendation comes from Craig Adams, a known YouTuber specializing in hiking videos. The narrator clarifies that they are not sponsored and are sharing their genuine opinion to help others.
• 01:30 - 03:00: Ari Sahara Hoodie Review The chapter reviews the Ari Sahara Hoodie, highlighting its features that provide excellent protection from the sun. The hood offers substantial coverage, reducing the need for sunscreen on the face. The hoodie includes thumb holes, which protect the knuckles and hands from sunburn during activities like hiking. Its stretchy material is praised for comfort, and the sun hoodie has a UPF of about 30, although it is unrated. The material's thickness offers protective benefits, though it has some consequences not further detailed in this segment.
• 03:00 - 04:30: Patagonia Cool Daily Hoodie Review The Patagonia Cool Daily Hoodie Review chapter discusses the experience of wearing this hoodie during physical activities. It highlights the issue of feeling sweaty and swampy, especially in the dark gray color, which tends to get too hot in direct sunlight within minutes. The reviewer mentions this was a personal mistake and advises the audience to consider this when choosing colors for sun exposure. The chapter then transitions to discussing another sun hoodie from the brand Ari Sahara, noted for being a trusted name in outdoor apparel, and priced at $30, with recommendations found widely across the internet.
• 04:30 - 06:00: Outdoor Research Astroman Hoodie Review The 'Outdoor Research Astroman Hoodie Review' chapter discusses the features of the hoodie such as thumb holes, a protective hood, and a UPF of 50, highlighting its breezy and airy nature. However, the reviewer notes some drawbacks, including difficulty removing oil stains and experiencing a tear on the sleeve shortly after beginning to use it.
• 06:00 - 08:00: Mirage Sun Hoodie Review The narrator reviews the Mirage Sun Hoodie, expressing concerns about its durability as they have encountered multiple stains but no additional holes so far. They criticize the fit of the hoodie, describing it as too boxy, which affects their enjoyment of wearing it. The primary complaint is about its breathability, as they feel excessively sweaty within 15 minutes of wearing it, despite it being airy and breezy otherwise. Although they appreciate the brand Ari, they express significant displeasure with this particular product.
• 08:00 - 09:30: Best Value Conclusion The chapter discusses the Patagonia Cool Daily sun hoodie, priced at $65, which has become a personal favorite over time due to its outstanding features. The key highlight is its material, which is extremely thin and breathable, allowing sunlight to penetrate but still providing adequate protection from sunburns. This combination of protection and comfort makes it highly recommended for hiking.

Which Sun Hoodie is the Best Value? Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 I'm testing five Sun hoodies all at different price points to see which one is the best Sun hoodies are an absolute Game Changer and they've come about after 20 years of development Sun protective clothing has gotten really popular and this is one of the latest developments that I feel like is now widely adopted in the Outdoor World as a redhead who loves spending time Outdoors these Sun hoodies are one of the things that I've gravitated towards after getting numerous sunburns I reviewed a bunch of the popular ones to see what I like and what I don't like about them
• 00:30 - 01:00 and at the end of this video you'll know which one I think is the best value before we start though I'm not getting paid for this video I just really like sun hoodies and I want to help you guys out all right with that out of the way let's start with the budget option and work our way up this first Sun hoodie was recommended by Craig Adams on YouTube he does amazing hiking videos that you've probably seen this is the Amazon Basics hoodie and it only cost $20 one of the areas that I always get burnt is on my ears in the back of my neck so having a hood really helps with
• 01:00 - 01:30 this and this hood is so nice gives plenty of coverage around my face so even my face doesn't have to have sunscreen sometimes the thumb holes also mean that my Knuckles and my hands won't get burnt when I'm hiking and it has amazing stretchy material that feels great the fit and feel of this sun hoodie is so amazing it feels like a home this sun hoodie has about 30 UPF but it's unrated but the material is pretty thick so you have some consequences because that when I start
• 01:30 - 02:00 working up as sweat I will feel pretty swampy in this and it's not the best feeling I also got this in a dark gray and that makes a huge difference in the direct sun where this thing will feel way too hot within a few minutes that was my mistake just a reminder for you guys all right moving on to the next Sun hoodie this sun hoodie is from a really trusted outdoor brand it's the Ari Sahara and it cost $30 this sun hoodie is recommended all over the internet
• 02:00 - 02:30 however I have different thoughts about it it has all the typical features you would want like thumb holes a nice hood that protects your face a UPF of 50 it's really Breezy and Airy there are a few problems with it though on the very first day that I got this I spilled some oil on it while I was cooking and it never came out and then in the first week while I was wearing this I got a tear on my sleeve since the the first
• 02:30 - 03:00 week I've gotten a few more stains but I haven't gotten any more holes so I'm still skeptical about the durability but long term it seems to be doing all right the fit is also way too boxy for me and I don't enjoy wearing it but the worst part about this sun hoodie is how much I feel like I'm in a swamp when I wear this thing within 15 minutes I'll start sweating and it can be as Airy and nice and Breezy but I'll still be sweating Ari is a great company but I hate this
• 03:00 - 03:30 sun hoodie moving on to the next Sun hoodie this is one that I've been wearing for a long time and it's become a favorite over time the Patagonia cool daily for a $65 there's one thing that makes the sun hoodie absolutely amazing to hik in and it's the material it's made out of this material is super thin and insanely breathable like you can see the sun through it which is alarming but I've never gotten burnt while wearing it so because of this you have all the protection you need and you don't have
• 03:30 - 04:00 the swamp heat to go with it when you start sweating this thing dries super quickly so because of that you have evaporative cooling and you start to feel much cooler than you would if you wearing another piece however there are some things that I wish could be better about this sun hoodie the hood itself is really shallow so my face feels a bit more exposed and I have to use sunscreen to protect my face there also aren't any thumb holes so so my hands also can get
• 04:00 - 04:30 burnt and that's a little annoying at times I've gotten pretty used to thumb holes and this is a feature I feel like they would really benefit from adding and the third point which is kind of a big downfall is that this used to be rated at UPF 50 however Patagonia had some quality control issues and the rating was actually on average around 34 so they did a voluntary recall because of this you can still buy this hook which is the same it just doesn't have
• 04:30 - 05:00 an official UPF rating all right this mix Sun hoodie jumps up to the $100 Mark for this price you get a lot of extra features and your sun hoodie will be way more specialized for your activity it's the Outdoor Research astroman this sun hoodie has amazing material it's soft it's slightly stretchy and it feels like it can go through anything that I throw at it the hood is also amazing and it has thumb holes which which I missed on the
• 05:00 - 05:30 Patagonia cool daily it even has some new features which the other ones don't have such as this nice little pocket these features are great for a lot of different activities and long distance through hikers seem to really love this hoodie but it was originally designed for raw climbers astroman is actually the name of a route in Y national park This Hood is big enough so that you can fit a helmet underneath it that way you can remove your hood or put it back on with without taking up your helmet the
• 05:30 - 06:00 thumb holes are also really uniquely designed it's designed so that as much of your arm is protected without getting the way of your hands while you're rock climbing it's a great design for most outdoor activities but it's an amazing design for rock climbing all right the next Sun hoodie is also at the $100 Mark but it's specialized for a very different reason it's the Mirage Sun hoodie from evolved Supply Co and zpack
• 06:00 - 06:30 as you can probably guess by the cottage companies that make it this sun hoodie is super specialized first of all it's made with Marina wool Marina wool has a natural UPF of 50 and it also has natural anti-odor properties this means if you're going to be in the Sun for long periods of time and for days on end this is a really ideal Sun hoodie for you since you won't be burnt and you won't smell too bad compared to other shirts the hood provides plenty of coverage for your face and these thumb
• 06:30 - 07:00 holes are some of the best that I've seen I don't know how they did it but it's such a simple design and your thumb just seems to find its way naturally into the hole so you don't have to fiddle with your sleeves all the time trying to get your thumb back where it should be so that your knuckles don't burn also it provides such good coverage for my Knuckles that I don't think I even need sung gloves for this so this sun hoodie was designed for longdistance hikers in mind you're constantly protected from the Sun your knuckles
• 07:00 - 07:30 won't burn because you're holding tracking poles you can vent off heat with your zipper and if you're hiking 80 miles in between towns you're going to be out there for a few days and you'll smell pretty bad on the other side Marino wool will make it so you smell slightly less offensive than everyone else around you and the shirt is cut longer so if you're using a backpack your shirt won't rise up and expose your back I hate when that happens and that seems to happen on so many other Sun hoodies it's the little details of this
• 07:30 - 08:00 sun hoodie that make a huge difference and it puts it way farther ahead of the other ones if you're really into through hiking however it is $100 so it's a lot of money Marina wool is one of the best materials to wear in the desert which is why I'll be wearing this sun hoodie for my 1,000m section hike of the Pacific Crest Trail I'll be posting weekly videos if you're interested in following so which of these five Sun hoodies do I think is the best value for outdoor events and chill activities
• 08:00 - 08:30 I don't think you can do better than the Amazon Basics hoodie it does extremely well for protecting you from the Sun but it can get pretty bad and swampy if you overexert yourself but if you're going to work up a sweat during your activity then I recommend the Patagonia cool daily hoodie for $65 you get amazing material that Wicks away sweat so well you stay really cool and it works for most activities all right right I hope that
• 08:30 - 09:00 really helps thanks for watching