25 Best UPF Clothing Options for Protecting Your Skin, Tested by Outdoor Experts

Jun 10, 2023

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Give your precious skin the sun protection it deserves.

It’s that time of year when we’re all heading outdoors for long days in the sun. Whether you’re into hitting the beach, hiking the mountains, or traveling somewhere tropical with neon-colored adult beverages, summer is the time to do it all. We don’t want to be a buzzkill, but all that sun exposure isn’t doing your skin any favors, especially if you’re going out unprotected. Sunburns, melanoma, premature aging, and, yes, even cancer are all very real risks at any age.

It’s second nature for most of us to grab a good sunscreen if we’re planning to be out all day, and skin experts will tell you that’s a good idea. But sometimes, it’s still not enough. That’s when you need to consider sun-protectant clothing to doubly protect your precious skin against all that space radiation. The best UPF clothing options create a physical barrier to protect your skin, use embedded chemicals to fend off radiation, or a clever combination of the two.

Finding the best UPF clothing isn’t hard. Still, we dug into dozens of options, including everything from hats to shorts to hoodies to sunshirts. We personally tested every last garment for comfort, durability, UPF factor, and price, so you don’t have to. Here are the best UPF clothing options for 2023.

About the Expert: I’ve spent most of my life hiking, kayaking, camping, and exploring the great outdoors. For more than a decade, I’ve traveled the world, including all seven continents, and covered outdoor and adventure travel, sharing my advice on Forbes, Travel + Leisure, CNET, and National Geographic. These days, I personally evaluate outdoor gear (like the best UPF clothing) and tech gadgets for Men’s Health from my home base south of Boston. So, you might say I’m a little gear-obsessed.

The best board shorts allow you to move freely between the sand to the water and back again in comfort. Patagonia elevates theirs with a PFC-free DWR (durable water-repellent) finish and 40+ UPF sun protection.

Lightweight and breathable with a classic, adventure-ready style, this long-sleeve sun-protectant shirt is a perfect outdoor staple. It’s available in a half-dozen colors, and the UPF 50 rating means you’re protected on even the sunniest days.

Backcountry.com keeps it simple with this performance hoodie under its own in-house apparel moniker, Stoic. The eight available colorways are bright, bold, and ready for the outdoors. Most importantly, though: The UPF 50 rating means you can almost leave the sunscreen at home—almost.

Our favorite hoodies are buttery soft and versatile enough for standalone wear in the summer and layering up in the shoulder months. Howler Brothers’ Loggerhead delivers on all fronts and adds UPF 35+ sun protection to boot.

KUIU brings its considerable hunting apparel chops to bear on this basic sun hat. The wide brim keeps the sun out of your eyes and off your neck, while the UPF 50+ fabric helps protect your entire dome.

Few fabrics flow as freely and feel as comfortable against the skin as bamboo. It’s also ultra-lightweight and naturally odor-resistant. Free Fly’s Bamboo Lightweight Hoodie offers all of the above plus decent UPF 20+ sun protection too.

Surfers know a thing or two about protecting their skin, and Quicksilver knows even more about protecting surfers. This is actually a rashguard, but it’s loose enough that it wears like a relaxed long-sleeved and protects with rock-solid UPF 50 sun protection.

The best UPF sunshirts can be a little pricey, but they don’t have to be. This long-sleeve rashguard from Baleaf is lightweight, quick-drying, and UPF-50+ protectant—all for around $20.

If you’re serious about covering up in the sun, Coolibar’s Andros Fishing Hoodie is your man. Every last bit of this full-coverage garment—from the past-the-knuckle hand coverings to the full hood with a built-in gaiter/face mask—is made to shield you against sun exposure.

This water-centric hoodie is ultra-lightweight and packs down small enough to stuff in a pocket. It’s lightly woven and built for the hottest summer months with a quick-drying, moisture-wicking fabric to keep you cool, calm, and collected with UPF 50+ sun protection to boot.

Light, stretchy, and oh-so-comfy, this staple hoodie has a tech-T-like feel. It’s built for the trail but basic enough for just about any adventure. It’s heavier than most on this list, making it perfect for cool fall day hikes with solid UPF 50+ protection.

The trail-ready pant from Eddie Bauer’s flagship First Ascent line-up is built for all-season wear. It’s one of this year’s best UPF clothing options: Stretchy, ventable, and water-repellent—all while keeping the sun’s damaging rays off your legs.

For bulletproof technical wear, we’re big fans of Black Diamond. Its aptly named Alpenglow is a climber-friendly, partial-zip hoodie that sheds water like a champ and protects your precious skin with UPF 50+ protection. Quarter-zip openings let you shed heat when the adventuring gets serious.

Protecting your dome doesn’t have to mean wearing a Crocodile Dundee-style sunhat. This run-friendly cap from Ciele Athletics is lightweight, fast-drying, and rated to UPF 40 on the brim and front and back panels.

If you’re not down with the “ready-to-go-sport-fishing” aesthetic of many sunshirts, keep it simple with this budget-friendly (around $10 per shirt!) staple from Hanes. It’s quick-wicking, cool to the touch, and boasts solid sun protection with a UPF 50+ rating.

Those high-noon runs are the perfect time to be doubling up on skin protection. Devops’ Compression Leggings are rated to more than UPF 50, and they wear great in any weather. Bonus: A two-pack is available on sale for less than $25.

If you’re all about comfort, this long-sleeve T from Vuori is your man. The buttery soft performance-stretch moss jersey is the softest on this list, while the UPF 30 fabric both dries fast and wicks away sweat like a boss. Plus, we love the everyday-wear aesthetic.

Quicksilver’s Pierside straw hat has a timeless lifeguard-inspired vibe that has us craving nice long beach days. The tightly-woven raffia straw fiber is lightweight and comfy, with serious sun protection to boot. A drawstring closure ensures a nice, snug fit whether you’re chilling on the sand or riding the waves.

This slightly heavier-duty option from Wrangler’s Workwear line is a performance-minded hoodie with UPF 40 sun protection. That’s more than enough for most outdoor adventures, and we love that the polyester pique fabric is moisture-wicking and odor-resistant, too.

When board shorts aren’t enough, but full-length pants are overkill, Huk’s Next Level 10.5 Short is just right. They’re built with fishermen in mind, so they’re quick-drying, water-repellent, and rated to UPF 30+ for serious sun protection.

Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South Africa, and survived a near-miss great white shark attack in Mexico. His travel advice has appeared on the websites for Forbes, Travel + Leisure, CNET, and National Geographic. He loves the great outdoors and good bourbon, and (usually) calls Tulsa, Oklahoma home. Mike also enjoys speaking in the third person.

As Men's Health's Deputy Editor, Commerce, Christian Gollayan oversees all shopping content on menshealth.com. He relocated back to New York by way of Portland, where he was the Associate Managing Editor at TheManual.com. Christian's work has also been featured in InStyle, Food & Wine, the New York Post, and Tatler Asia.

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