Manufacturer: Coolibar - 2401 Edgewood Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55426 USA
Tel: 800-926-6509 Fax: 952-922-1455
Year of Manufacture: 2006
URL: http://www.coolibar.com
E-mail: service@coolibar.com.
Listed weight: not listed
Weight as delivered: 9 3/8 oz / 270 g
MSRP: $49.95 USD
Available Colors: Cobalt / White / Hibiscus / Teal / Kiwi / Mandarin
Color Requested: White
Color Received: White
Size Requested: XL
Size Received: XL
 

Testing of the Coolibar Sun Block Hoodie took place primarily in Southern California (at home in the San Gabriel Valley, a handful of beach trips in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, one trip to the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains), and Salem, Oregon, during the months of August through November, 2006. Please see my Field Report for a detailed description of the field tests and conditions. Recent testing has been conducted in locations close to home: Eaton Canyon, Millard Canyon, and the backyard.

Both Eaton Canyon Natural Area and Millard Canyon are located in Pasadena, California, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, and are approximately 5 miles / 8 km from my house. Eaton Canyon Natural Area contains numerous trails which radiate out of the boulder-filled Eaton Wash and into the San Gabriel Mountains. Our favorite (when we can tear Julia away from boulder hopping) is the Eaton Canyon Falls trail, an relatively easy 3 mile / 5 km (one way), 400 foot / 122 meter elevation gain, hike to a 40 foot / 12 meters high waterfall. Julia usually gets tired before we reach the falls, however, so we usually only go about half-way before turning around and heading back. Millard Canyon is a beautiful area that is fantastic to go to as, despite being located minutes from an urban area, it is just out of the way enough that very few people visit it. There is a nice parking lot and, a short distance away, a lovely picnic area located next to a small stream. Millard Canyon Falls trail follows this stream (literally) for roughly 1 1/2 miles / 2.4 km to a lovely little waterfall. This trail is frequently in the stream, so we've gotten pretty wet in the past. This year was very dry which made the hiking easier (albeit less scenic and the waterfall somewhat anemic). During hikes in both locales I wore the Coolibar Hoodie in conjunction with my Mountainsmith Relay daypack and/or my Yakima Grasshopper Child Carrier (see below for more details).

This summer brought longer than normal periods of high "heat wave" temperatures (+110° F / +43° C). Our weather continued to be warm to hot, sunny and cloudless into November, which is unusual. The past few weeks we have seen a dramatic shift to cool days (60 - 70° F / 15 - 21° C ) and cold nights (28 - 35° F / -2 - 1° C). Lately we've had so much frost on the ground that it looks like snow (not to mention, killed the grass).

In my Initial Report I posed several questions; I have listed them again below with my final thoughts.

• Features:
  • Size: At the moment, the size is a bit big. But is it too big? Yes. I know the Hoodie is designed to be loose, but for me it is too loose. Perhaps it is because I am a plus size that the Hoodie just doesn't seem to fit me too well. I feel as if I am wearing my daddy's shirt.
    
    
  • Elastic Cuffs: The cuffs are not adjustable. Will this be an issue? Nope. The elastic has remained snug about my wrists without binding or feeling too tight.
    
    
  • "Deep pouch pocket": Will the seams along the edges of the pocket hold up well, or will they begin to separate with use? This is by far my favorite feature of the Hoodie. The pocket is nice and large and is at a good, comfortable location so my hands rest in there comfortably.
    
    
  • Hood: The drawstring is fairly simple. Will it hold up well to repeated use? The drawstring appears to be holding up well with no adverse wear and tear apparent. The hood draws snugly about my head. It also does a fair job blocking the wind and keeping my head from getting too cold.
    
• Fabric:
  • The lite SUNTECT™ fabric is supposedly machine washable. How well will it hold up in the washing machine? The Hoodie has held up well after numerous washings in my washing machine. Nearly every dirty spot has washed out despite the fact that I've not used any bleach in the wash or pretreated any of the stains. The only exception is the puréed sweet potato that did not wash out completely (see Field Report); that stain is STILL there, albeit much lighter. Behold the power of beta carotene!
    
    
• How well will the fabric hold up to normal use and abuse? Can it handle trails, or will this item be an "in-town" only type of garment? Can it withstand a daypack or child backpack carrier? So far, so good. The Hoodie was only used three times in conjunction with my Yakima Grasshopper Child Carrier and my Mountainsmith Relay daypack. The first time was on a short dayhike in Eaton Canyon (elevation 1000 ft / 305 m) on a flat trail with my (then) 19 lb/ 8.6 kg son in the Yakima Grasshopper Child Carrier. The total weight (Ben + Carrier) was approximately 28 lbs/12 kg. The next two times were also both on dayhikes at Eaton Canyon, but my husband was carrying Ben so I was the one to carry the Mountainsmith Relay daypack loaded with drinks, munchies, and Julia's sweater. Total weight (pack + supplies) was approximately 15 lbs/7 kg. During each outing the Hoodie performed well. There was a bit of bunching of fabric at the shoulders while wearing each of the backs, but no adverse wear and tear to the garment.
  
  
• The Hoodie certainly is lightweight, but is it breathable as advertised? Yes and no. As mentioned in my Field Report, the Hoodie is great in cool and even windy conditions. I found the Hoodie too warm to wear - despite the underarm and back ventilation systems - when temperatures went above 70° F/21° C. Another dislike was wearing it in conjunction with a child carrier or daypack (see above); since there is no front zipper, the only way to cool myself off is via the underarm and back ventilation systems.
  
  
• The Hoodie is also touted as being quick-drying - how quick is quick? Other than being washed, the Hoodie really hasn't been out in the rain. Since the rain wouldn't come to me I made my own "rain" by sticking the Hoodie in the shower for a minute or so to get it wet, then hung it up to dry outside on my back porch. The day was warm - around 80° F/27° C - and the Hoodie took approximately 45 minutes to dry completely.
  
  
• Will it really provide sun-protection above and beyond normal fabrics? I am not able to quantify an answer for this one, as I don't have access to ultraviolet (UV) photographic equipment and, even if I did, I'd need to have several "before wearing the Hoodie" photos to compare against the "after wearing the Hoodie" photos. Most fabrics offer some degree of UV protection. And the Hoodie is lightweight enough to wear in the sun. Thus, the simple act of wearing the long-sleeved Hoodie while in the sun, special fabric or no, provides some protection from the sun and UV light.