What is your favorite sun hoodie?

My favorite Sun hoodie ever is no longer made by Mountain hardware.  It was the Photon, which is similar in fit to their current crater lake, but the fabric feels “sticky”.  The photon had a waffle pattern to the fabric which seemed to create a better air gap between my skin and the fabric.  

I tried buying a Sun hoodie from Smart Wool, but I believe they are tailored for people with bigger bodies.  (it’s very loose around the belly.)

How do you like the current offerings from Patagonia?  or Mammut?  Black Diamond?  etc?  

What is your favorite?  thanks in advance!

Loki Shadow Shirt, made by a small family business in Grand Junction.

Over/under hood, face mask, roomy enough to stay cool but not so much that it's Jabba's sail barge. Option for integrated belay mitts that roll back at the sleeve, and two different fabric weight choices depending on the intended conditions. I'm 5'10a" 145lbs and medium fits well. 

I’ve been digging the arcteryx cormac hoody. 5’8” and a 150’. Small fits perfect. 

Unfortunately, my favorite is discontinued. NRS H2Core Silkweight Hoodie. It's light, has long arms compared to the body, a hood that stays on over the helmet in the wind, and no button for the collar (just a cross of fabric). I bought up quite a few when they were on the way out.

The BD Alpenglow Pro Hoody is my current favorite on the market. Armpit mesh, 1/4 zip, tiny chest pocket, similar elastic in the hood to the NRS I like. The fabric feels a bit heavier/thicker, but it's light enough.

Check out online second-hand stores for discontinued clothing you like. The ladies often have better selection, but you can find old favorites at good prices if you're lucky.

OR Astroman. I went on a bit of a vision quest to find my favorite sun hoody and this is by far it. Seems to be the lightest and most breathable by far with a chest pocket and half zipper

I just bought a bassdassh hoodie, fishing brand. 

Very light and cool, hood and mask with mesh on the mouth, top of the head and armpits. It also has thumb holes and it only costs $29.98(you can find for $24 on aliexpress) very good quality for price.

https://www.bassdash.com/collections/sweatshirts-men/products/bassdash-men-s-long-sleeve-fishing-shirt-with-uv-neck-gaiter-sun-protection-hoodie?variant=41815566352582

The OR Astroman has been my favorite to date.

I just got a BD Alpenglow Pro and I like it just about as much as the OR. 

The Black Diamond Alpenglow 

The hood is huge and material feels better/more airy.

I want my hood over helmet and to have enough extra to still shade my face.

Patagonia options have too small of hood where once it’s over a helmet it’s clearly not big enough. Even without the helmet I think it’s small. I also think Patagonia’s fabric is less breathable than BD.

I’m 6’2” 170lbs and wear large.

I just got an XL Patagonia because the new pattern looked cool. So I’ll report back after giving it a try this week.

Tanner James wrote:

OR Astroman. I went on a bit of a vision quest to find my favorite sun hoody and this is by far it. Seems to be the lightest and most breathable by far with a chest pocket and half zipper

are you referring to the OR Astroman Air Hoodie?  

BryanOC wrote:

are you referring to the OR Astroman Air Hoodie?  

It looks like they replaced the original with the air, which has some lower upf (30) panels in addition to the main parts (upf 50). Could be a great move if the construction, fit, fabrics are as good as the original. Original astroman is also my favorite sun hoody at the moment. BD alpenglow also good.

Specifically do NOT like the Patagonia one. Stretched out hugely very quickly and would not shrink back. Have been using a NRS one recently and it seems pretty good.

BryanOC wrote:

are you referring to the OR Astroman Air Hoodie?  

Yep that’s the updated I guess. I have 3 and they’re the only sun hoodies I wear all summer I think they’re notably cooler and lighter than both of the BD options 

https://voormi.com/products/mens-river-run-hoodie by far. The snaps allow one to dump heat, it's wool so it doesn't smell like the synthetic ones, and sewn in the states. 

bearded sam wrote:

https://voormi.com/products/mens-river-run-hoodie by far. The snaps allow one to dump heat, it's wool so it doesn't smell like the synthetic ones, and sewn in the states. 

Absolutely love mine HOWEVER last time I wore it I got sunburned all over my arms through the shirt (and I don't burn easily)... I also don't see any SPF/UPF rating. Something to keep in mind depending on use case. 

I was resort skiing above tree line in California during the spring - so definitely a lot of sun. 

I have a quiver of sun hoodies and which one is my favorite is heavily dependent on the season. 

This winter I picked up a couple OR Echos and they are great winter base layers, but come sunny spring/summer the material is a little too warm and not as breathable as other options. 

In sunny spring/summer my Patagucci Capilene is the GOAT in terms of breathability, though it got recalled because it didn't meet the listed UPF rating, and it doesn't work well over a helmet, but it is so thin that it is not noticeable under a helmet. I would love more hoodies of a similar lightness. 

The BD Alpenglow Pro is okay as a winter hoodie, but the material it's made out of clings to your skin if you are sweaty and feels disgusting, so it's my least favorite. I have an NRS hoodie that has a similar material but is a little baggier, so I usually grab that before the BD. 

Jordan Rogers wrote:

I have a quiver of sun hoodies and which one is my favorite is heavily dependent on the season. 

This winter I picked up a couple OR Echos and they are great winter base layers, but come sunny spring/summer the material is a little too warm and not as breathable as other options. 

In sunny spring/summer my Patagucci Capilene is the GOAT in terms of breathability, though it got recalled because it didn't meet the listed UPF rating, and it doesn't work well over a helmet, but it is so thin that it is not noticeable under a helmet. I would love more hoodies of a similar lightness. 

The BD Alpenglow Pro is okay as a winter hoodie, but the material it's made out of clings to your skin if you are sweaty and feels disgusting, so it's my least favorite. I have an NRS hoodie that has a similar material but is a little baggier, so I usually grab that before the BD. 

Alpenglow Pro almost looks like a lightweight jacket instead of a light, breathable sun hoodie for warm days.  can someone confirm on it it’s cool enough for hot days?  

My current Mountain Hardware Crater lake has this same characteristic, where it “sticks” to your skin when you sweat.  The MH is great except for this problem.  Thank you for pointing this out on the BD alpenglow.  

I have a BD alpine glow (not pro) and I won't be buying one again. The fabric is really thin but doesn't seem to breath very good for how thin it is. The sleeves are a little short in my opinion and I like an oversized hood for sun shirts. BD did just but bight gear and I loved their solstice, so I have hope they bring that back just under their brand. 

Been eye OR and MH offerings for a while, they seem to be the most popular ones I see. 

Danny V wrote:

Absolutely love mine HOWEVER last time I wore it I got sunburned all over my arms through the shirt (and I don't burn easily)... I also don't see any SPF/UPF rating. Something to keep in mind depending on use case. 

I was resort skiing above tree line in California during the spring - so definitely a lot of sun. 

I have hundreds of days in mine, most of them at altitude in Colorado and have not experienced this. It’s finally wearing through on the shoulders and I’ll be getting another. The feel and drape of synthetic options (as discussed above) just don’t work for me

Free Fly Apparel, sun hoodie made from bamboo. I'm very happy with mine, got my partner one too. Stretchy, breathable, goes over helmet, thumb holes, - all the usual suspects. https://freeflyapparel.com/collections/tops-men-all?filter.p.m.custom.filter_style=Sun%20Hoodies&sort_by=manual

Some thoughts:

The Anetik sun hoody has the best skin feel of any I've tried.  The hood fits around a helmet but tends to slip off without using the drawstring:

https://anetik.com/collections/active-performance/products/copy-of-mens-low-pro-tech-hoody-master-hoody?variant=14595062497343

Color matters. Darker colors will be hotter but more UPF and white will be cooler but lower upf.  Yellow and red are more reflective of heat than green and blue.

I prefer the OR Activeice hoody over the echo and its been my goto because the Anetik helmet slippage annoys me.

BD alpenglow pro.