Sunscreen / UV avoidance advice

[Carl the Cuttlefish]

Now that we're in peak summer, according to the phone it gets to 13 / 14 on the UV scale during midday which is labeled extreme not something you want to expose untreated skin to for a hike.

The most complete advice is to avoid being in the sun during midday but that's hard to do when hiking up high. 2nd would be to cover up and I do this - I usually wear light gloves on my hands and wear sunglasses, but face and neck still get exposed beyond what the hat covers (I have yet to resort to winter balaclava or burqa while hiking but may not be a bad idea :D). So for sunscreen, I usually do the zinc stuff since it seems to have less of a burn feel than non mineral sunscreen though it does keep the ladies away pretty well and apply one reapplication. Is that pretty much good enough?

[supranihilest]

I'm not sure that cuttlefish can get sunburn, maybe stay in deeper water and you'll be fine.

In all seriousness, I'm a pretty extreme case since something like 60% of my body is tattooed, including my hands and neck, but I wear UPF clothing year round including 50+ UPF pants (full-length for both sun and abrasion protection), shirt (either long-sleeve or with separate UPF sleeves if wearing a short-sleeve shirt) gloves, and buff pulled up over the back of my neck. Boots or shoes and wool socks take care of my feet. Most of the time that just means putting sunscreen on my face and using SPF chapstick. If I take off my gloves for scrambling I'll put sunscreen on the backs of my hands where my tattoos are. It's hotter (temperature-wise, obviously I look like a nerd in the full getup) than a tank and shorts but the payoff is minimal surface area for sunscreen application, reapplication every couple of hours, and near full body coverage I don't have to think about much since my clothing takes care of it passively. Don't forget that snow is also highly reflective, so you're getting more sun in weird places. Ever gotten sunburn inside your mouth or in or on the underside of your nostrils? Be extra vigilant on snow.

[justiner]

Sunshirts are nice - I've been in charge of this review for the past (at least) three years,

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/c ... -sun-shirt

Lately, I've been experimenting with more facial coverings that don't completely drive me crazy. The two winners are KT Tape in a pinch, or a product like this Cheeko, which cover the ears, nose, and cheeks,

https://bxgear.com/product/cheeko/

[Wildernessjane]

Sunshirts are nice - I've been in charge of this review for the past (at least) three years,

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/c ... -sun-shirt

Lately, I've been experimenting with more facial coverings that don't completely drive me crazy. The two winners are KT Tape in a pinch, or a product like this Cheeko, which cover the ears, nose, and cheeks,

https://bxgear.com/product/cheeko/

Over the past several years, I’ve been obsessed with finding the perfect sun hoody and I noticed two of the best I’ve found are not on your list: https://bightgear.com/products/m-2019-solstice and https://flylowgear.com/products/bandit- ... 7734176961 (I believe this is men’s version of the Moonlight).

[mtree]

I'm not one who burns easily so only wear spf 30-50... mostly arms, face, neck. BUT, a friend of mine - who I occasionally hike with - is a total french fry. He wears full-on sun block on exposed skin. Not sure what type. Always a hat. Never additional face or neck covering.

I never wear a hat. Messes up my hair and doesn't look right.

[curt86iroc]

Now that we're in peak summer, according to the phone it gets to 13 / 14 on the UV scale during midday which is labeled extreme not something you want to expose untreated skin to for a hike.

The most complete advice is to avoid being in the sun during midday but that's hard to do when hiking up high. 2nd would be to cover up and I do this - I usually wear light gloves on my hands and wear sunglasses, but face and neck still get exposed beyond what the hat covers (I have yet to resort to winter balaclava or burqa while hiking but may not be a bad idea :D). So for sunscreen, I usually do the zinc stuff since it seems to have less of a burn feel than non mineral sunscreen though it does keep the ladies away pretty well and apply one reapplication. Is that pretty much good enough?

sun hoody.

[Wimyers]

I resent sunscreen so I use only a sun hoody with a hat under the hood, and I never get sunburned. If I'm on snow I'll put sunscreen on and under my nose only.
Black Diamond's Alpenglow is my go-to.

[SkaredShtles]

Sunshirts are nice - I've been in charge of this review for the past (at least) three years,

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/c ... -sun-shirt

You know... BITD, we used to call those "long sleeved shirts."



Now get off my lawn.

[cardgenius]

As someone with red hair, freckles and is terrible at reapplying sunscreen, a sun hoody and wide brim hat have saved me from continually getting fried. I still have to use SPF 70 sunscreen or ‘SPF Ginger’ as my friends call it, on my hands while not wearing gloves otherwise they’ll end up looking like Lobster claws.

I used to use a BUFF Neck Gaiter with good results but haven’t used it much since I got the sun hoody.

[justiner]

You know... BITD, we used to call those "long sleeved shirts."

What you're getting in a sunshirt is a covering for your upper body including your hands and head - and also varying amounts of breathability, quick drying, ways to ventilate, tested UPF sun protection, stink protection, light weight, etc.

It is easy to just wear a heavy long sleeve shirt, but it's not very attractive if you're roasting underneath it - you just won't wear it. A game of compromises. My fav. sunshirt is the lightest, but lowest rated UPF (OR Echo), but I'll actually wear it, as I pump out major BTUs naturally. Even though it's the lowest rated UPF, it's 3x better than a cotton shirt.

[SkaredShtles]

You know... BITD, we used to call those "long sleeved shirts."

What you're getting in a sunshirt is a covering for your upper body including your hands and head - and also varying amounts of breathability, quick drying, ways to ventilate, tested UPF sun protection, stink protection, light weight, etc.

It is easy to just wear a heavy long sleeve shirt, but it's not very attractive if you're roasting underneath it - you just won't wear it. A game of compromises. My fav. sunshirt is the lightest, but lowest rated UPF (OR Echo), but I'll actually wear it, as I pump out major BTUs naturally. Even though it's the lowest rated UPF, it's 3x better than a cotton shirt.

Apparently my sarcasm wasn't very apparent.

[TomPierce]

I do probably a bit more desert hiking and climbing than many on this site, I've think I've become a connoisseur of sun protection gear (after getting my share of bad sunburns, one bout of full on heat exhaustion, etc.) My input:

-I routinely wear a white nylon long sleeve shirt, made by Rail Riders fwiw. Sleeves can be rolled and held up with buttoned straps, instant short sleeves when wanted. Covered mesh vent on the back, mesh vents in the underarms. Buttoned and zippered pockets, full collar to protect the neck. Lightweight, drys really fast. Has worked for me for years.

-I'm not a fan of hoodies except in winter. I've become a huge fan of a brimmed hat for the desert stuff, I'd use it for alpine stuff too unless it was really cold. I've tried a few, my current favorite is a SunDry Charter Hat. Vented, khaki color hides dirt well, has a chin strap (essential for windy days). Now I know why cowboys wore those brimmed hats....

-I just use pretty basic SPF 50-70 waterproof sunscreen. Nothing fancy, Banana Boat? I've used the titanium dioxide stuff too on occasion (Zinka, etc.) To me that's good for all day on the snow at altitude days. The roll on sunscreen is good too, pretty thick like Chapstick and won't wash off as easily with water/sweat; doubles as lip balm too.

-I also do some river running, nothing will fry your hands like paddling for 8 hours in the desert sun. Look at NRS paddling mitts, they're basically lycra half finger gloves. My favorite for blistering sun is an unlined white pair made of thin lycra. Just an idea.

-Tom