Nice Climbs Sun Hoody?

I was looking to get a sun hoody and it's hard to argue with the price of the Nice Climbs one at $24.

How does it compare to the Patagonia tropic comfort/BD alpenglow with regards to keeping cool and durability and such.

I couldn't find many reviews.

My friends were wearing the Baleaf ones this week and they seemed equal in quality to my Patagonia one

While I haven't used the Patagonia or BD ones, I've had a Nice Climbs one for a while now, and it's been great. Quality seems good to me, and I like the fit. I haven't been hesitant to beat it up and it's holding up well. Hood seems to fall off of a helmet a bit easily, but I probably just have a big head. Basically I don't think you can go wrong with it, even disregarding the great price.

I reviewed the Baleaf, as well as two Patagonia sun hoodies in my OGL review:

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/clothing-mens/sun-shirt/baleaf-upf-50-hoody

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/clothing-mens/sun-shirt/patagonia-tropic-comfort-ii-hoody

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/clothing-mens/sun-shirt/patagonia-capilene-cool-daily-hoody

The Baleaf is cheap and really durable. But, the hood will come off very easily. The fabric isn't as breathable as the Patagonia and the Patagonia has a simple button to keep the hood from flying off. Hard to go wrong with something so cheap like the Baleaf, especially if you're hard on gear - it's just not as fashionable as the Pata stuff (shocking I know) and it'll start stinking a little faster. The Nice Climbs sun hoody looks very similar to me to the Baleaf. Good shirt for those offwidths, both climbing and belaying.  

I have the nice climbs one, and at a lanky 6’2” the fit on the L is pretty much spot on.  I haven’t noticed it gaining a permasmell yet, and I wear it for biking, climbing, and everyday activities.  I don’t abuse my stuff on offwidth, so if it came in merino it would be darn near perfect for me.

Ive got a nice climbs sun hoodie. Its my favorite for all but the hottest days. Its a little thick for when the temps climb above 90.

Brian H wrote: I have the nice climbs one, and at a lanky 6’2” the fit on the L is pretty much spot on.  I haven’t noticed it gaining a permasmell yet, and I wear it for biking, climbing, and everyday activities.  I don’t abuse my stuff on offwidth, so if it came in merino it would be darn near perfect for me.

Voormi makes a merino sun hoody:

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/clothing-mens/sun-shirt/voormi-river-run-hoody

It's as one would expect kinda... hot to wear and not as durable as literally any shirt made of polyester. UPF rating is a little lower (30). Damages quite easily. I'd say it's a handsome casual piece, but i'll get sweat pools in my pits just hanging at the house. Length of the shirt is less than any of the Pata sun hoodies. And the thumbie loops are kinda irritating and don't do much. Slimmer fit. Smells like (get this) wool if you've worn it for a while.

Oh and it's like $130. B/c of the durability issues, I'd suggest a different shirt tbh. But g/d does it look good.

I highly recommend the bamboo hoodie that Freefly makes. I’ve beaten the crap out of mine and they hold up quite well. Not stinky, and keeps me cool.

I have the voormi, too. It’s itchy and expensive. Can confirm it looks great though. 

Long Ranger wrote:

Voormi makes a merino sun hoody:

Oh and it's like $130. B/c of the durability issues, I'd suggest a different shirt tbh. But g/d does it look good.

at that price I will just keep buying cheap polyester shirts when they eventually get permastink.

Sun hoody nerd here, these Nice Climbs hoodies look cool but I can't find very much information about the materials used. Still for $24 it may be worth a try.
Anyway here's my opinion of the hoodies I've owned:
FreeFly - Great hoody, light weight, very soft and stretchy. Cons are that it's pretty pricey ($70), stains easily, seems to hold water/sweat (which can be a pro), and I find the neck and thumb loops awkward and irritating. 8/10
Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Hoody - Super light weight, very soft and stretchy, on sale now for $45ish, comfortable deep hood and low key comfortable thumb loops.I really like the poly elastane material.  The only cons to this shirt is that it's pretty delicate so don't wear it while bushwacking. 9/10
Outdoor Research Ensada hoody - Medium weight hoody but very soft thanks to the 39% modal, stains easy, breathes incredibly well for a heavier hoody. The thumb loops are extra annoying. this hoody is now discontinued but can be found on amazon for $80. I know this review sounds terrible but I actually love this hoody and prefer it for 3/4 of the year, 8/10
Patagonia cap cool and tropic comfort hoody. I've tried a couple of these and have always been left wanting. They're usually 100% poly, have short arm lengths, shallow hoods, and are just hot shirts compared to other brands. Very meh 5/10
Baleaf sun hoody (amazon) - Very cheap, 100% poly. Seams are very irritating and it really doesn't breath that well. I've worn mine a handful of times and always seem to bail on it and just go tarps off. 3/10

Hoodies I'd like to try
Nice Climbs - looks like a poly blend with long arm lengths. Looks promising especially for the price.
BD Alpenglow - Tried this one on once, it definitely breathes well and is light weight. It will definitely stain but seems like it has adequate arm and hood sizes. In my experience BD clothing tends to be less durable and for $90 it wasn't worth buying one for myself.
Duck Camp Hoody - Bamboo hoody! $60  Perhaps a better version of Freefly?
Columbia Terminal deflector - same materials as the Crater Lake but comes with a neck gaiter thing. $75
Outdoor Research Echo - I found one of these on sale and didn't get it for some reason (idiot). It's 100% poly but with previous OR experiences it has to be a good bit of gear. $65
A million more.
I'd love some recommendations if you have any. 

I have the nice climbs hoody and would not buy it again. The cut and material are okay for the price, but the stitching on the back is rough across my shoulder blades/lats and causes chafing issues with a pack unless I wear a layer underneath, To which I don't want to do in warm weather. To my hand it feels as cheap as it is compared to me brand competition.
Edit to add: my all time favorite sun hoody is the tab pulse, but it is expensive and not too durable. The Patagonia one remains the go-to.

Danny Parker wrote: Sun hoody nerd here, these Nice Climbs hoodies look cool but I can't find very much information about the materials used. Still for $24 it may be worth a try.
Anyway here's my opinion of the hoodies I've owned:
FreeFly - Great hoody, light weight, very soft and stretchy. Cons are that it's pretty pricey ($70), stains easily, seems to hold water/sweat (which can be a pro), and I find the neck and thumb loops awkward and irritating. 8/10
Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Hoody - Super light weight, very soft and stretchy, on sale now for $45ish, comfortable deep hood and low key comfortable thumb loops.I really like the poly elastane material.  The only cons to this shirt is that it's pretty delicate so don't wear it while bushwacking. 9/10
Outdoor Research Ensada hoody - Medium weight hoody but very soft thanks to the 39% modal, stains easy, breathes incredibly well for a heavier hoody. The thumb loops are extra annoying. this hoody is now discontinued but can be found on amazon for $80. I know this review sounds terrible but I actually love this hoody and prefer it for 3/4 of the year, 8/10
Patagonia cap cool and tropic comfort hoody. I've tried a couple of these and have always been left wanting. They're usually 100% poly, have short arm lengths, shallow hoods, and are just hot shirts compared to other brands. Very meh 5/10
Baleaf sun hoody (amazon) - Very cheap, 100% poly. Seams are very irritating and it really doesn't breath that well. I've worn mine a handful of times and always seem to bail on it and just go tarps off. 3/10

Hoodies I'd like to try
Nice Climbs - looks like a poly blend with long arm lengths. Looks promising especially for the price.
BD Alpenglow - Tried this one on once, it definitely breathes well and is light weight. It will definitely stain but seems like it has adequate arm and hood sizes. In my experience BD clothing tends to be less durable and for $90 it wasn't worth buying one for myself.
Duck Camp Hoody - Bamboo hoody! $60  Perhaps a better version of Freefly?
Columbia Terminal deflector - same materials as the Crater Lake but comes with a neck gaiter thing. $75
Outdoor Research Echo - I found one of these on sale and didn't get it for some reason (idiot). It's 100% poly but with previous OR experiences it has to be a good bit of gear. $65
A million more.
I'd love some recommendations if you have any. 

I'll echo your comment for the OR Ensada, one of my favorite sun shirts. 

The Patagonia Sun Shade is a top sun hoody for me. Holds stains but it is fairly lightweight and a nice deep hood.

For the OR Echo, I would avoid the hoody when compared to these other pieces for that use case. The t shirts and long sleeves are nice, but the fabric is only UPF 15 and thin. I have been burnt wearing it before.

Check out the OR astroman sun hoodie, fairly new offering and great fabric.

Thanks for all of the replies!

Echo @ UPF 15 is not enough
The Rab Pulse is just as light and is 30 or 35 UPF (not advertised, I had to email them). I use it for backpacking and approaches - probably won't hold up to climbing anything with cracks.
Those are the lightest and most breathable fabrics, though. Super light weight and weave.

I'd like to try the OR Astroman, but I aim for more than 30% off and haven't found a deal like that yet. I think that would be the lightest weight but still durable enough to climb in, material. For warm weather, I don't think the poly shirts that most sun hoodies are made of, actually breath well enough (BD/Pata/ and all the cheapies). I think my Rab boreas/borealis/ventus are darn close to the breathability of most sun hoodies and that is my go-to climbing shirt. Once I find a deal on the Astroman hoody, I think that'll be the warm(er) weather go-to...

​Previous MP discussion​​​

Check out Bight Gear's Solstice Graphene Sun hoody!  Its a game changer!  I absolutely love it!  Breaths great, durable, upf 55, and doesnt hold that synthetic stink.

​BIGHT GEAR​​​

I prefer my new OR Astroman, have used freefly as well, but feel like not as durable if you’re getting into granite

Neil Little wrote: I prefer my new OR Astroman, have used freefly as well, but feel like not as durable if you’re getting into granite

Any more info you can give on the OR? Fit, fabric feel/weight, etc - thanks!

(Limited reviews on this currently)

Sure, I like this to be looser so I went with a large. I think a medium could work but it would be kind of snug, but I wear medium most often. I’m 5’11, 170, 30” waist. I like the fabric and the sun protection, really like the hood, bc it goes over my helmet or over a baseball cap and then totally shades my face, neck, etc. Has a nice zipper pocket on chest. And a 1/2 zip. I’d prob ultimately prefer the fabric of free fly if not humid or not wearing for approach but I definitely destroy it quick and I feel like OR Astroman provides higher SPF.

What about this one? Good for climbing?

https://www.eddiebauer.ca/p/12938158/men%27s-solarfoil(r)-upf-hoodie?sp=1&color=Lt%20Gray

My buddy has one of the EB ones.  Should be similar to many of the alternatives mentioned; it's a heavier fabric style hoodie than a Tropic Comfort and not featherweight like an Echo or Pulse.  They run large, maybe by a full size, so if you're a transition size definitely do not go up.

Tropic Comfort II is relatively thin material - not as thin as the Echo, but the UPF for the TCII is much better - the knit of the fabric is much tighter than the Echo. I personally own and like the Echo, but we didn't review it 'cause of that low UPF. A thicker material would be something like the Baleaf, or the Columbia Terminal Tackle Hoodie - shirts not made to like, run a marathon in (but just sit in a boat).