Stio Men's Vescent Hoodie

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

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.

Note, this pullover has limited wind resistance at best. It's designed to be breathable and keep you cool in warmer weather. I wore it over a t-shirt a few times earlier in the season because the Vescent is also not insulated, and the fabric provides little warmth. 

This pullover has a few snaps along the short vent at the chest, and each sleeve cuff has a pair of snaps. There is one zippered chest pocket that's good for storing a smart phone, with a small edge-stitched hole for a pair of shades. Note that the chest pocket is not intended to be used to stuff the jacket into the pocket.

There are no drawcords for the hood or the hem. Fit is average—true to size for me, loose without being baggy. It’s sold in men’s sizes S through XXL and women’s S through XL. My men’s XL weighs 9.5 ounces on a digital hand scale. I thought it was true to size. I suppose someone wanting a fairly narrow/athletic fit could size down, but for normal use, I was happy with the appropriate size for me. 

Having a decent amount of room inside, plus the forgiving fabric, means this shirt was comfortable to wear all day during a beach vacation but equally happy on day hikes closer to our steamy mid-Atlantic home. It "wears dry" fairly quickly. 

Because the Vescent provides little to no warmth, it's a shirt I would wear in temperatures starting in the 50s Fahrenheit—and on cooler days, it was not warm enough to wear on its own, so I wore it over a wicking shirt. 

Finally, Stio claims this pullover packs small. I think that’s fair—smaller than a liter water bottle, and would compress smaller stuffed in a pack.  

How I Tested It

I wore the Vescent Hoody on local hikes in the mid-Atlantic this summer, where the weather was cool during late spring and largely hot, humid, and uncomfortable after that. Most of my hiking was on different legs of the Billy Goat Trail by the Potomac River and Sugarloaf, a local mountain that sticks out from otherwise flat land.

I also wore the pullover a lot during a weeklong trip to Brewster, Massachusetts, on the inside of the elbow of Cape Cod. I didn't do any bushwhacking that would probe the ability of the grid fabric to avoid snags, but I can say that I see no wear or pilling from day pack shoulder straps after a few months of use. 

Fun fact—the "beach" photos are actually Brewster Flats. When the tide goes out in Brewster, it exposes more than a mile of sand. You can literally walk out so far during low tide that you can’t see where  you left the shore. In fact,  you can’t really see the shoreline. We had a great time walking on the flats during low tide, checking out little sea creatures that hang out in tidal pools until the water rises again. It was a great opportunity to test the pullover between hot, sunny weather and ocean breezes to help the shirt dry. 

As mentioned, my only beef is that when it’s fairly breezy or windy, the hood won’t stay on my head. It also has no real shape, so if I’m not wearing a hat with a brim, it falls into my eyes. I didn't have any issues with the hood when I wasn't using it because it drapes pretty well. For example, I didn't ever have it blow over my eyes or into my face when I wasn't wearing the hood. 

Takeaways

Much to like and almost nothing to complain about. This pullover shields you from the sun, lets moisture out, lets air in, and has just enough adjustability to make it a little easier to wear. It’s very comfortable to wear because it’s a little roomy, and the fabric has a nice amount of "give." I pretty much lived in this during a week at the beach, including long walks in wetlands and marshes. 

Highly recommended. 

Background

Worn frequently the past three months.