Cheap Sun Hoodie

I’ll fork out for totems, but hate the idea of a $90 sun hoodie. My idea of the best hoodie is something that is cheap and I won’t worry about thrashing. I had one of those nice climbs hoodies a guy on here produced and sold on Amazon for $25 or $30, which was good, but maybe a bit short arms + torso wise. The polyester withstood a couple of bike crashes, lots of climbing, and tons of day to day wear.  It seemed somewhat warm above 80 degrees, but I’m used to cool Alaska temps, not sure how it would fare in desert heat.  I worried it got perma stink a few times, but used Askos sports wash and it smelled brand new.   It’s finally too stained to wear to work so needed a second one.

This one though is better IMHO.  Seems to be made from the same material, and is longer in both arms and torso.  I’m a lanky 6’2” and got a Large.  The thumb holes actually fit (a first), and cover the whole back of my hand past the knuckles.  Cost $17.

Am I missing something here? Are expensive shirts that much better to justify it?

How’s the fit over a helmet?

I bought a few of those Amazon hoodies, but they never seemed right.  The I got this one from OR and it changed my life..well to some extent.  Great fit and really light weight, and not cheap!

I'm in the same boat. I have an old Patagonia one that is kinda thick and hot, and so, so stained it is disgusting looking. I bought the nice climbs and it feels like I'm climbing in a plastic bag, seriously I can't handle climbing in it the material is so terrible. It sticks to your body once you start to sweat. So I forked out 50 dollars for the OR when it was on sale, have worn it once and it has snags and holes already. 

So now I've bought a dorky as hell sun hat. Still not sure what my best solution is, but I grew up fishing and never wore sunscreen. Now I'm in my mid 30s and so many people in my family have had skin cancer, including one aunt who died from it (never heard of anyone passing from skin cancer besides her). 

Only you can decide brother!

But mark my words someday you all will be 60 and wish you'd taken better care of your skin.

I have an old wool mix one from OR that is amazing but unfortunately they don't make it anymore.  I tried their poly one but feel like I'm climbing in a winter coat.

If anyone knows of someone making a wool blend please let me know! Preferably one that doesn't cost a million dollars.

Sierra has a bunch of Sun Hoodies for cheap right now. A few are geared toward fishing so those may not have thumb holes, but they run from $10 to $22. put "hoodie" in the search field and scrub past the silly fashionable or thick ones and look for a sun hoodie style, They have ReelLife, Al1ve, Mt& Isle, Xcelcius, and on and on.  Good luck, I agree, finding a good hoodie is priceless. Next time you find one you like... get three. : - ) 

https://www.sierra.com/all/s~hoodie/?page=1&overrideSort=LowestPrice

Most of the cheap Amazon ones don’t breathe well so aren’t really wearable in summer.

IMO best for summer include NW Alpine, Rab Pulse and OR Echo.

The cheap ones are fine spring and fall and make a great base layer in winter. 

Doug Chism wrote:

Most of the cheap Amazon ones don’t breathe well so aren’t really wearable in summer.

i wear these in the summer desert all the time and have no issues: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MC7TXRK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

curt86iroc wrote:

i wear these in the summer desert all the time and have no issues: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MC7TXRK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ive got two of those exact type and find them unbearable in the summer. To each his own. 

I'm a big fan of the Loki Shadow Shirt. It retails for $80 but if you join the mailing list, they send out 30-40% coupons regularly. Or just call and mention that you heard about them from me and Seth will hook you up. Cool Grand Junction company.

Full disclosure: Loki provides me with complimentary gear, but I would buy their stuff even if they didn't.

I'm 5'10" and 137lbs and wear medium. It's not skintight like under armor but still wicks moisture very well. I've worn mine on plenty of offwidths and it's decently durable for being thin poly.

I've tried a bunch and I think it is a better buy to get the Patagonia hoodies on sale -- sometimes $30-$40 for the lower end models -- to the generics. The name brand hoodies seem to last forever (although upf is probably compromised), fit better, and smell a lot better. I also think the weight of the Patagonia hoodies tends to be perfect for Sierra climbing (probably too thick for a really warm climate). However, it looks like it might be hard to get deals on the Patagonia hoodies for a bit because of the recall?

As an aside, the Rab Pulse is a great lighter weight option for running but gets really torn up rock climbing. I was OK wrecking them when I got them cheap from the UK for $35 but not at $80 msrp.

The baleaf one on Amazon isn’t bad. A little on the thicker side. The one I like a lot I picked up at a rando Walmart on a grocery run for a climbing trip. It’s a light blue hoody made by russell. Was really cheap and it’s been through the ringer and feels great in the south texas heat. 

I've been super happy with Free Fly Apparel. Made from bamboo, soft, breathable, verdict is still out but holding up well so far.

https://freeflyapparel.com/collections/men-spring-new-arrivals/products/mens-bamboo-lightweight-hoody

Shaniac wrote:

Sierra has a bunch of Sun Hoodies for cheap right now. A few are geared toward fishing so those may not have thumb holes, but they run from $10 to $22. put "hoodie" in the search field and scrub past the silly fashionable or thick ones and look for a sun hoodie style, They have ReelLife, Al1ve, Mt& Isle, Xcelcius, and on and on.  Good luck, I agree, finding a good hoodie is priceless. Next time you find one you like... get three. : - ) 

https://www.sierra.com/all/s~hoodie/?page=1&overrideSort=LowestPrice

Ordered a couple of the cheap hoodies from Sierra:

• $10 Al1ve hoodie in M is actually kinda nice. Fits between a Patagonia S and M (basically perfect) material is nice enough. Obviously not as nice as a Patagonia hoodie and is clearly going to smell much much worse but good for the price.
• $20-30 Adidas Terrex Hoodies. Sizing is pretty similar to Patagonia. These feel pretty nice, material feels pretty similar to the BD sun hoodies. 

I am trying to find some shirts made from a cotton or nylon, 

I have one of those cheap  BALEAF Amazon ones and they do work in the heat but the thing that is a deal breaker is how bad the smell retention of the shirt, If you are planning on wearing it for multiple days in the sun sweating, the polyester obsorbs oils and makes it really bad to wear, I would not recommend.

I wore the baleaf one for 2 days and was over it. But then I switched to a cotton one I wore it for 3 days and it still was fine to wear more.

$10 option: I had better luck with a 32 degrees base layer, (Link here)but I didn’t wear it long enough to notice any smell, (it was made of poliester and cheap so I assume it would amplify odor eventually) no hood but 7-13 dollars depending where you buy them. No hood but I paired it with my Sunday afternoons sun guide cap. (Link here)It fits under my helmet and snaps around the helmet straps.

I have some of the reel life hoodies - they've actually held up really well. I generally toss mine because they're super gross before they actually start ripping up. For their fairly cheap price from places like sierra, I definitely recommend them.

Heywood L wrote:

I am trying to find some shirts made from a cotton or nylon, 

I have one of those cheap  BALEAF Amazon ones and they do work in the heat but the thing that is a deal breaker is how bad the smell retention of the shirt, If you are planning on wearing it for multiple days in the sun sweating, the polyester obsorbs oils and makes it really bad to wear, I would not recommend.

I wore the baleaf one for 2 days and was over it. But then I switched to a cotton one I wore it for 3 days and it still was fine to wear more.

$10 option: I had better luck with a 32 degrees base layer, (Link here)but I didn’t wear it long enough to notice any smell, (it was made of poliester and cheap so I assume it would amplify odor eventually) no hood but 7-13 dollars depending where you buy them. No hood but I paired it with my Sunday afternoons sun guide cap. (Link here)It fits under my helmet and snaps around the helmet straps.

i definitely hear ya on the baleaf and odor issue. mine stink after a day or 2, but usually a dip in the river gets them back to wearable condition. 

im not sure i wanna be wearing a cotton sun hoody on multi day expeditions, glacier travel etc..

Got a Stoic Tech Hoodie on sale recently and its really nice. More breathable and lighter weight than the Baleaf, longer sleeves yet a more athletic cut ( wider in shoulders and arms ) than most climbing gear, yet not bulky in the waist. Not as cheap as many on the list right now but watch when they go on sale, they discount them like 60% plus they can get down to the 25-30$ range.