REI Sahara Long-Sleeve Shirt

Reviewed by
Shane TOP 10 REVIEWER +2,035
August 28, 2025

The REI Sahara button-down long-sleeved sun shirt is an excellent piece of hiking/outdoor gear. It is comfortable to wear, lightweight, and provides protection from the sun.

Pros

Comfortable
Lightweight
Breathable
Dries super quick
Looks good
Packable

Cons

Sizes run large
Buttoning could be easier

I do quite a bit of backpacking on hot, sunny days. I don't like wearing sunscreen so I typically wear a lightweight sun shirt to protect me from the sun. I've usually worn sun hoodies, but on my recent week-long backpacking trip in the Sierras I decided to try an REI Sahara button down long sleeved shirt. This is meant to be worn as a sun shirt and it does work well for that.

A pic of the shirt in action in the Sierras.

The Sahara shirt really did a great job in the dry heat of the Sierras. I turned the collar up to protect my neck and kept the sleeves long to protect my arms. The shirt does breathe well and I didn't overheat at all. I sometimes unbuttoned one or two of the front buttons for more venting. When it wasn't so hot, I rolled the sleeves up—they stay up by using a button.

The loop for holding sunglasses is very useful.

There's also a back vent, although that doesn't do much when wearing a backpack. But at breaks when I took my pack off I liked the back vent. I liked and utilized the little loop for my sunglasses on the left chest pocket. I should also note that this shirt dried super quick in the Sierra sun. It is one of the fastest drying hiking shirts I've used! My friends were a bit wet with sweat; I usually was not because this thing dries so quickly.

This shirt is also light and packable. It rolls up to roughly the size of a softball. (Note: I'm not sure how this shirt will work in humid areas. I suspect it will work just as well, aside from a longer drying time, which is true for all clothes in humid areas!)

After three days backpacking, the shirt did start to smell, but it was very minor. I only noticed it once or twice during the day. I rinsed off the shirt on the fourth day and it did fine the rest of the week. And it smells normal after a wash so that's good! (Note: I did treat this shirt with permetherin, so I had no mosquito issues!)

There's a little zipper pocket on the left side. Nice, but you can't access it when you have a pack on.

There are two negatives to the shirt. First, I usually wear a large but had to re-order this one in medium. They do run big. Second, the button holes are really tight for the buttons. That is, it takes a bit of effort to button the shirt. No big deal, but when tired at the end of a long day it's mildly annoying to have to work at getting buttons out.

Note the back vent panel/flap, it works well when not wearing a pack.

All in all this is a great sun shirt. I think I like it better than hoodies. It also looks nice, so I can wear it around town when I'm not backpacking. In fact, I like it so much I thought about getting two!

The shirt is packable, pen in pic for scale

Background

I used this shirt for a week on a backpacking trip in the Sierras. It got a good workout and passed the test with flying colors.

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $60

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Specs

Men's
Price	Historic Range: $13.83-$69.95 Reviewers Paid: $60.00

Women's
Price	Historic Range: $6.83-$69.95

Kids'
Price	Historic Range: $17.83-$34.50

Girls'
Price	Historic Range: $8.83-$27.83

Product Details from REI »

REI Sahara Long-Sleeve Shirt

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