Backcountry

Tahoe 2 Sun Hoodie - Women's

Great fit, love the material

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

Purchased the Paloma color which is a light, sort of concrete color gray. Fit was great, I typically purchase mediums and this was true to size. The material is awesome! It keeps me cool on the boat in the sun, and also keeps me warm when the sun goes down. We live in AZ, so the sun protection is key and it works.

Finally, an actual breathable sun hoodie

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

Size Bought:

XS

Height:

5' 2"

Weight:

100

Whatever magical combination of material this sun hoodie is made of gets a gold star from me. I've struggled across several brands to find an actual UPF sun hoodie that doesn't make me feel humid or more sweaty than I would be without it. None of them breathe, the material is usually thick, heavy, and slick, and if the point is to protect from the sun, it doesn't make sense to have something I can't comfortably wear during most of the year in Northern California. The Backcountry Tahoe 2 Sun Hoodie, however, is the most breathable, comfortable, lightweight, and overall actually functional sun hoodie I've ever worn. I forgot to put on sunscreen on my most recent hike, pulled the perfectly generous hood up to protect the back of my neck and immediately my neck felt cool. The hood didn't tug or pull awkwardly. It wasn't tight, but wasn't so loose that I worried it would slide off. It had a very gentle, reassuring fit. I can wear it over a baseball cap or under a sun hat. I also love the thumbholes that at least for me are a great fit with no tight or pulling sleeves. Overall the shirt has a loose fit on my petite frame (which is fine) is stretchy, and I managed to stay cool and unburned. Do I still sweat? Sure, hiking is hard work, but I'm not more miserable because of this shirt. I even brought a spare of my favorite non UPF long sleeve shirt just in case and never felt the need to swap. I actually forgot it was in my pack until I got home. I could have hiked much longer wearing it! The real test will be a 80°+ Summer hike, but it worked fine for the mid 70°s of Spring. I'm basically just waiting for more colors to come back in stock.

Favorite Sun Hoodie

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

Small

Height:

5' 6"

Weight:

140

I love this sun shirt with a passion. I own three different shirts from different brands and this is my favorite. I would typically deduct a star for the prominent arm seams, but everything else about the shirt makes up for it for me, and I stop noticing the seams after it's been on a few minutes. It's the lightest weight sun shirt I've found, so I don't feel like i'm overheating in it too badly, even on really hot humid days. Even when it does get sweaty or wet, it seems to dry quickly. It's a good length, never rides up. Some below have mentioned its hood is kind of big, but I think that's true of a lot of sun shirts. I love it, because I wear it climbing, so it needs to fit over my hood. I guess Stoic could fix this problem by giving it a pull strap.

Rather shapeless and the hood is too big

Familiarity:

I returned this product before using it

Size Bought:

M

Height:

5' 9"

Weight:

140

It's decent, but just doesn't do it for me. The large hood may be a plus for some people, but it was too much for me. The mid section was also loose - definitely not a trim, active fit as advertised.

Ideal sun protection

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Lightweight & breathable in the heat + excellent sun protection. My husband and I live in CO and the sun is intense here. We wear these with a sun hat plus some natural sunscreen.

Affordable Sun Hoodie

You've probably heard rumors of how great sun hoodies are. They're lightweight, breathable, offer sun protection, etc etc. Well this lives up to the hype and isn't quite as expensive as Black Diamond. I've worn this on several hikes/backpacking, fly fishing, and climbing trips and would recommend!

A Summer Staple

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

L

Height:

5' 7"

Weight:

185

I've been wanting a sun shirt for a long time now after a couple of one too many brutal sunburns on long trail days. Although not the most flattering color (green) and cut, I haven't been sunburned, and it is comfortable AF. Full disclosure, I was given this product by Backcountry but this is my honest opinion - I'm straight up here to make the outdoors industry more inclusive and comfortable for those of us that don't fit there stereotypical outdoor body type. I use this shirt not only while I'm hiking, but also while I'm ski touring. It's breathable, comfy, and the hood does a great job of staying up. Considering I'm in Colorado, sometimes this shirt is too hot for hiking, but spring time touring, I couldn't get enough of it. I will note, that this shirt gets real stinky, so I'd like to apologize to all my touring partners for those fragrant car rides home :) All in all, fantastic shirt.