Long Sleeve Performance Tops

Featured review by G00se

Outdoor Research’s Echo Hoodie is an ideal alternative to the grease and chemicals of sunscreen. Weighing in at 4 ounces, the Echo Hoodie provides SPF15 sun protection, with material that wicks sweat and keeps you comfortable when the sun is beating down on you. This hoodie and a ball cap completely negated my need to carry sunscreen (and bug spray) over the summer.

The Echo Hoodie became my go-to shirt for all outdoor activities this summer. I hiked in it—a lot. I ran in it. I rappelled into a cave in it. I mowed my yard and took a follow up nap on my deck in it. I even wore it on a winery tour for style and sun protection.  Balk Knob, Shawnee National Forest Rock Island State Park, Tennessee Cumberland Mountains, eastern Tennessee Initial Impressions Right out of the package, I was surprised by how light and thin the hoodie was. The shirt packed down to the size of a softball in my hand and only weighed 4 ounces.  The fit was just right.

Read more: Outdoor Research Echo Hoodie reviews (2)

Reviewed by Andrew F.

This lightweight sun shirt keeps sunburns away, breathes extremely well, and dries quickly. Stretchy fabric and a loose fit makes it very easy to wear this shirt all day. The minimal adjustments—snaps at the chest and sleeves and one small chest pocket—are consistent with this pullover’s minimalist vibe. My only minor beef is that without a ballcap, the hood tended to block my vision. Easily my favorite shirt for being outside this summer.

THE BASICS Shows the little hole to stash sunglasses and front view The Vescent hoody is a pullover built for sunny days. The fabric, which Stio describes as “Dot Air®, Stretch Plainweave, 84% Nylon, 16% Spandex, 126 g/m2 with 4-Way Stretch, a Wicking Finish and UPF Protection,” has a decent but not excessive amount of stretch, lets wind and breezes go through easily, and has a slight grid appearance. It can get damp and a little clingy during hot weather walks and hikes, but it dries quickly.

Read more: Stio Vescent Hoodie review (1)

Reviewed by Jake W

The OR Astroman Sun Hoodie is an extremely lightweight, long sleeve, hooded shirt designed primarily as a sun layer for climbers. However, I believe this shirt has uses far beyond that—biking, exposed peaks, glacial travel, on the water/ paddling, travelling, and as a wind layer. The shirt boasts a UPF rating of 50+, full coverage hood, packs tiny, and weighs in at 6 ounces (no reason to leave it at home!). The thin fabric requires a little extra care around rough rocks, thorns, etc to ensure it lasts.

 *This review is for the Astroman Sun Hoodie (available in men's and women's), however Outdoor Research also makes an Astroman S/S Sun Shirt and an Astroman L/S Sun Shirt, both in men's and women's.*   As you can see the fit is quite boxy, not much tailoring, great for airflow.  FIT/ COMFORT The fit of the Astroman Sun Hoodie definitely airs (pun intended) on the boxy side. There is plenty of room underneath for air movement to keep the user cool. I've worn the hoodie both directly against the skin (it's uber soft) and with a thin merino tee, with a high level of comfort in both.

Read more: Outdoor Research Astroman Sun Hoodie review (1)

Reviewed by Shane

This Alpha Direct fleece hoodie is one piece of kit that I take on almost all my backpacking trips. It’s lightweight, warm, breathable, comfortable, and it dries super quickly. I won’t leave home without it!

Wearing the BTT Rip-Back Hoodie in the Sierras. This hoodie is a game changer for me: The Beyond the Trailhead Gear Company (BTT) Alpha Direct Rip-Back hoodie. I purchased it from BTT just over two years ago and it’s been on every one of my backpacking trips since then. BTT is a small company that makes these Alpha Direct shirts to order. You can pick a few different options on their website. The customer service at BTT is good and I’ve purchased other gear from them.  A closeup of the  Alpha Direct fleece.

Read more: Beyond the Trailhead Alpha Direct Rip-Back Hoodie review (1)

Reviewed by Jon Reinschreiber

A comfortable, technical hoody that keeps you cool and blocks biting bugs and the sun.

I purchased my first Simms Bugstopper Hoody, last spring. Although I bought it specifically for fly fishing, the Bugstopper quickly became my go-to choice for sun and insect protection for all of my outdoor activities. The Bugstopper is a technological marvel of clothing. The polyester fabric is treated with several of the latest in high tech fabric treatments. These include; Insectshield, a process that binds the organic repellant permethrin tightly to the fabric. It is very effective in repelling almost all biting insects and Simms guarantees the treatment to last the lifetime of the garment.

Read more: Simms BugStopper Hoody review (1)

Reviewed by Matt

This shirt is a super soft, warm, stretchy quarter-zip layer that's perfect for wear around the house or in camp on a cool fall day. I wear mine when I'm working remotely or to and from adventures, but for big days in the mountains or on the trail, I reach for something else.

This is a good representation of the color...The other photos are a little washed out The Baritone quarter-zip is a heavy-weight baselayer or a lightweight mid-layer designed to be stretchy and soft for ease of movement and comfort. The men's and women's versions of the shirts are refered to as the Baritone and the Melody, respectively, if you're looking for the same product for your wife/girlfriend. OR's website describes it as "perfect for cold weather activities that demand warmth, stretch, movement, and moisture management", and I've found this statement to be generally true aside from the "moisture management" part.

Read more: Outdoor Research Baritone Quarter Zip review (1)

Reviewed by Daniel Oates

A midweight, quarter zip long-sleeve shirt, the Bedrock is a durable option for any cooler time of the year. It’s a tight fit for slimmer bodies, but is fleece lined and breathes well due to side stretch panels and ability to unzip collar. The fleece holds sweat, but the TiFusion (titanium infused) fabric wicks and fights odor really well. I’d recommend for any non-summer (at least non-humid) season for any activity where durability and constant use is a factor.

There are a lot of similarities between Vargo’s short-sleeve, lightweight Slag Short-Sleeve (review here) and this quarter zip long-sleeve Bedrock. Like the Slag, the Bedrock is durable on the outside, comfortable on the inside and breathes well from its mesh side panels. The Bedrock is best suited for fall, winter, or spring seasons, though it shouldn’t be worn as the sole insulating layer in winter. Vargo claims this to be a three-season shirt, but I found it too hot to wear for a time other than morning or at night during the summer.

Read more: Vargo Bedrock 1/4 Zip review (1)

Featured review by Joseph Renow

A lightweight layering piece with a versatile and expansive temperature range...easily one of my favorite pieces of clothing...and a reliable companion on my many adventures.

Ibex Hooded Indie In my closet things are basically settled and calm in the base-layer and shell regions...in these areas of my closet everyone knows their place...Pax Romana...and I hardly give a second thought to what piece is going with me when the time comes to pack and go. The mid-layer region however is much less settled...it is where the action is...it does not take a lot to make the team (I easily have more layering pieces than any other)...but the starting line-up is a competitive free-for-all...a crucible of fire where articles of clothing are laid-waste to and never heard from again.

Read more: Ibex Indie Hoodie reviews (4)

Reviewed by Brian Nordberg

Lightweight sun hoodie that's comfy and breathes well.

I saw these at my local Costco for $12.99 USD, so I decided to pick up two. I've been on a couple hikes and backpacks with them and so far they have been great. At 11,000' in the Uintahs, they helped keep both the sun and mosquitoes at bay. On strenuous hikes, they did breath, wick and dry fast. As far as odor resistance goes, we shall see. I wore this three days straight over 32 miles and several thousand feet of vertical gain. I stunk. I washed and hung dry outside and it did lose the funk.

Read more: Eddie Bauer Solarfoil UPF Pullover Hoodie review (1)

Featured review by _Christine

If you're tired of stiff performance shirts, this shirt is a great soft and lightweight option. The bamboo polyester blend feels more like a cotton shirt than other performance tops I've found. It is so comfortable that I also wear this shirt around the house and to bed (in addition to hiking, biking, and backpacking). I don't do that with other performance tops.

I've had two of these shirts for over three years and I love them. They have no bells or whistles (outside of UV protection). They are just straightforward, comfortable active tops.  I opted for the men's version rather than the women's because 1) I didn't want an overly fitted top and 2) I didn't want the extended length in the sleeves or the thumbholes (also the men's version was on sale).  Water Resistance/Breathability/Moisture: Not water resistant at all!! But it is very breathable, dries really fast, and wicks moisture.

Read more: Free Fly Bamboo Lightweight Long Sleeve reviews (2)