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Locations/Conditions

During the field-test period I have had the opportunity to test the Coolibar Sun Block Hoodie during several outdoor adventures. They included a 12-day wilderness canoe trip to the White River in Ontario, Canada, and a 9-day backpacking trip to Isle Royale National Park in Michigan.  All of these trips were to hilly boreal or deciduous forest, rocky island trail and a wilderness river system. I have also worn the Sunblock Hoodie locally for a variety of activities including dayhikes, berry-picking and more. All testing conditions were at low elevation or low altitude 600 ft (183 m) to 2000 ft (610 m) with mostly semi-warm to cool conditions and mid-to-high range humidity (70-95 percent).


Test # 1 (Wilderness Canoe Trip) --
White River - Ontario, Canada
112 mi (180 km), 48 portages
August 5-16 2006
Temps: High 82 F (28 C) Low 42 F (6 C)
Mostly Sunny, Several Thunderstorms, Mid-High Humidity


Continuous Wear and Tear

The Sun Block Hoodie received maximum use during this 12-day trip. I wore it as my main layer throughout each day of the 112 mi (180 km) river trip. Needless to say it went through some rough times. On cool mornings, I wore a light wool underlayer beneath the hoodie. Usually after the first hour of paddling, I could take that layer off and just wear the hoodie. Of course I wore a life vest over the hoodie during all the hours on the river. I normally would take the life vest off during the portages. This exposed the hoodie to much overgrown brush and vegetation on the portages which hadn't been maintained in more than 20 years.


Best worn as Outer Layer

A couple of times it started to rain while paddling. I wore my raincoat over the hoodie. Unfortunately, I didn't tuck the bottom edge of the hoodie underneath the shorter raincoat and it wicked water upwards. I became uncomfortable and chilled as the day went on so I changed into a dry wool top instead.

 
Wash and Wear Literally

I couldn't believe how dirty the hoodie became after a few days on the river and in the brush. Being a clean freak by nature, I would take it off and wash and scrub it in the river and then put it back on immediately over, instead of under, my life vest so that it could fully dry in the sun while I was paddling. This was possible only because the hoodie is so oversized (it measures 48 in (122 cm) underneath the arms and 49 in (124 cm) at the bottom edge). It usually would dry quite quickly within an hour and then I would switch back to wearing it underneath my life vest.  While it was drying the wetness of the sleeves felt good against my arms and I even dunked the shirt at other times when I was too hot.

The SUNTECH fabric of the shirt being slightly brushed or velvety by nature seemed to pick up dirt faster than I expected. The hoodie that I am testing is the color White so even though it is probably the best color for not absorbing light rays, it may not be the best color for outdoor adventures. With that said, I think the former is the most important factor.


Care 

When I got home from the trip, I had to soak the hoodie a few times in OxiClean (an alternative to bleach) and scrub the excess dirt and stains out before I could wash it with my whites in warm-to-hot water. The shirt doesn't exactly look like new anymore as it seems to be slightly dingy and some of the stains didn't come out. There is a light blue stain produced by an unknown source that lightened after treatment but didn't disappear.

 
Sun Factor Superb UVA/UVB

The Coolibar Sun Block Hoodie worked very well to lessen the sun exposure that I received during a highly sunny paddling trip. In addition to the sun itself, the reflective rays off the water added to the exposure experienced. I didn't wear sunscreen on the areas of my body that the hoodie covered and I didn't experience any sunburn on those parts during the entire trip. My hands, ankles and hands had sunscreen applied to them and the only areas that received more sun than I wanted were my hands. They did have sunscreen on them most of the time but the cumulative rays resulted in my hands being suntanned but not burned. I also noticed that even though the hoodie is oversized the sleeve length is a little short when doing an activity. When my arms hang straight down, the sleeves only reach to my wrist bones and when my arms are bent it exposes several inches of the skin on my arms. 

 
Test # 2 (Backpacking Trip) --
Isle Royale National Park, Michigan
88 mi (142 km)
September 5-13 2006
Temps: High 81 F ( 27 C) Low 32 F (0 C)
Sun, Clouds and Rain, Mid-High Humidity

Layers

The Coolibar Sun Block Hoodie was worn on this 9-day backpacking trip during a variety of weather conditions. I normally started hiking each morning just after sunrise so I layered the hoodie with a long-waisted sport top underneath and a light fleece jacket and a wind jacket over the hoodie on some occasions. It was usually in the 35 to 40 F (2C to 4C)  range when I started hiking and on most days the temperatures would only rise into the 60 to 65 F (16 to 18 C) range. As the sun rose higher, the temperatures would climb and I was able to take off the outer layers. I was quite comfortable in the hoodie while hiking but I had to layer again during breaks. With the cool temperatures of the evenings I found it worked best to take the hoodie off and replace it with a light layer of wool against my skin. The nylon fabric of the hoodie felt too cool next to my skin necessitating its removal for the evening. The hoodie was stowed until the next morning before it was worn again.


Hoodie Plus Pack

Although I had worn the hoodie on a canoe trip with my portage packs, there was not a lot of continuous time with a shoulder harness pack.  Backpacking while wearing the hoodie went better than I expected. Because this garment is made more like a tunic than a regular shirt, I wondered how it would layer for long periods of time while wearing a backpack. Normally I tuck a shirt into my trail pants but the hoodie has too much material below the waist to consider that option so I left it untucked. I wondered if the tight hip belt of the backpack would pull down the front of the hoodie when it was fastened but it wasn't too much of an issue. I sometimes had to grab a portion of the front of the hoodie and pull it up slightly so that I wouldn't feel restricted. The batwing-style sleeves of the hoodie also were slightly restricted in movement by the placement of the harness system and belt.


Ventilation 

Overall, I have been pleased so far with the breathability of the hoodie. The fabric has a non-clammy feel to it when I am heavily sweating. The CoolMax inserts in the upper back, sleeves and side seams have provided more ventilation to areas that usually require additional breathability. In addition, the roominess of the size of the hoodie no doubt brings added ventilation. 


Wear and Tear

The Hoodie already is showing some signs of wear and tear including stains that I cannot get out and many catches in the mesh inserts. These CoolMax mesh areas of the hoodie have more catches than I can count. However, I don't think this is unusual as this shirt probably had more exposure to rough conditions than most people would use it for. It was worn 12 days in a row throughout a canoe trip that included a lot of portaging through unmaintained areas. Bushwhacking was more like it. It was exposed to a lot of mud, thorns, and other rough vegetation.
In addition, it was worn on a long backpacking trip of 9 days and worn in thick vegetation while pursuing other activities such as berry picking. In any case, I doubt that the catches hinder its function or breathability as it is mostly cosmetic.


Other Field Tests

The Coolibar Sun Block Hoodie has also been worn for a variety of other activities during the field-test period. They have included miles of beach walking, fitness walks, berry picking and more. I have worn the hoodie with a regular sports top underneath for these events. I have stayed cool even though I was exposed to the blazing sun and high temperatures reaching 90 F (32 C). The hood has been a great attribute as I can pull it up and then layer my Sun Hat over it for maximum protection.  In general I find the hood of the hoodie a bit too small for sun protection unless I have the additional hat in place. I have a long neck and a lot of hair so this may be the reason I find the hood a bit too small for coverage purposes.


Summary

During the field-testing period of two months, I wore the hoodie on a variety of adventures. The hoodie has many great qualities including the sun-protective material and its breathability. After wearing the hoodie combined with the options of a life vest, portage packs, and my backpacking pack, I've come to the conclusion that the design of the hoodie is best worn for activities that don't require wearing gear over it. The tunic-style hoodie is a lot more comfortable and unrestricted when worn for dayhiking, casual wear, beach walking and the like. However, this particular style is only one of many styles that the company makes so there most likely is a better style option suitable for backpacking pursuits. In the long-term testing period, I will look further at the durability of this garment and look at its usefulness worn in much colder weather. For it to be feasible to wear the hoodie without overlayers in colder conditions, I will wear it for activities with high aerobic output such as trail running and dryland ski training.


Pros

• Great sun protection
• Dries quickly
• Can be worn for a variety of activities
  

Cons

• Fabric retains dirt easily
• Sleeves too short for doing activities
• Hood undersized compared to oversized body of hoodie

 

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Thanks to Coolibar and BackpackGearTest for my continued opportunity to test the Sun Block Hoodie.