Where to Buy UPF Clothing So You Can Stay Protected While Having Fun in the Sun
The best brands and stores for UPF clothing and apparel.
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Table of Contents:
- Introduction: The Need for Sun Protection
- What is Ultraviolet Protection Factor and UPF Clothing?
- The Best Stores for UPF Clothing & Apparel
- Frequently Asked Questions About UPF Clothing
- Can you explain UPF vs. SPF?
- What are the different UPF ratings? What does UPF 50 clothing mean?
- Do UPF shirts wear out? How long does UPF clothing last?
- Which outdoor activities are UPF clothes good for?
- Save This List of the Best Places to Shop for UPF Clothing & UPF Apparel
If you’re going to be spending time outside in the sun, whether at the beach or working in your garden, it’s a good idea to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. These skin-damaging rays can cause skin cancer, sunburn, skin aging, and wrinkles. In addition to using sunscreen when you’re outside, you can wear sun-protective clothing, a hat, and sunglasses to protect yourself from the sun. Sun-protective clothing isn’t just any clothing, it’s clothing made from fabrics that effectively shield the sun’s rays from reaching your skin.
Over the past few weeks I decided to stock up on some new UPF clothes, so now I’m all set for this upcoming spring, summer, and fall on the coast. I’ve been wearing UPF clothing for years, though not as consistently as I should have. After a skin cancer diagnosis, I’m committed to taking sun safety more seriously and plan to make wearing UPF clothes a regular part of my routine this year. For anyone else who wants to learn about wearing sun protective clothing and where you can find the best UPF clothing and apparel, I’ve put together this guide.
What is Ultraviolet Protection Factor and UPF Clothing?
Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) is a rating that measures the amount of UVA (ultraviolet A) and UVB (ultraviolet B) radiation from the sun that is able to penetrate clothing and reach your skin. A UPF rating of 50 means that it will block 98% of the sun’s UVA and UVB rays, allowing 2% of UV transmission. This is about the equivalent of wearing SPF 50 broad-spectrum sunscreen. UPF clothing is one of the most effective forms of protection against skin cancer and sun damage 1. You can read more about the different UPF ratings in the Frequently Asked Questions section near the bottom of this page.
While it’s true that regular clothing can offer some sun protection, the amount of protection varies greatly and isn’t as reliable or sure as UPF clothing, which is tested. UPF clothing will be labeled as such on the item’s hang tag or product page on a website. Linen and 100% cotton offer less protection than mixed or synthetic fabrics. For example, a white t-shirt only has a UPF rating of approximately 7. Linen, while comfortable and breathable in the heat, is loosely woven and offers a UPF of about 5, which is hardly any sun protection.
UPF clothing works best with a looser fit, because if the fabric gets stretched it will provide less UV protection since light will be able to get through the fibers. UPF clothing relies on the fibers staying together in a tight weave to block the sunlight from reaching your skin. When shopping for sun-protective clothing, you can feel even more confident about your purchase if you see the Skin Cancer Foundation’s Seal of Recommendation on a product, although not all will show this seal since brands choose if they want to include it or not, so not having it doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t a good product.
UPF clothing is usually more expensive than regular clothing, but don’t let that stop you because let me tell you what’s even more expensive than UPF clothing: getting skin cancer. And skin cancer will cost you a lot more than money (pain, suffering, time, scarring, and you could even lose your life if you don’t catch it early). So be safe when you’re outdoors and take precautions to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays with a combination of UPF clothing and SPF on areas of skin that aren’t covered by UPF clothing.
These are the best brands and stores for UPF clothing and apparel to stay safe in the sun!
The Best Stores for UPF Clothing & Apparel
Use this list as a guide to finding the best UPF clothing and apparel from these stores and brands to protect your skin from ultraviolet radiation when you’re outdoors. Always check each individual product page or hang tag to confirm the clothing or apparel item has your desired level of UPF sun protection.
Columbia
Columbia has a variety of UPF sun-protection clothing for women, men, and kids, including UPF shirts, dresses, pants, shorts, and hats for your outdoor adventures.
L.L.Bean
New England’s classic clothing and outdoor recreation company has a line of sun-protective clothing. The SunSmart® line offers UPF 50+ sun protection on a wide range of items for men, women, and kids, including UPF shirts, hats, swimwear, pants, shorts, jackets, beach coverups, and more.
Cabana Life
All of Cabana Life’s fabrics are UPF50+. They have bright, patterned, and preppy-style clothing, swimwear, and beach resort wear, and are based out of Jacksonville Beach, Florida. While they focus mainly on women’s clothing, there are some limited options for kids and men.
REI
This outdoor recreation company has a large selection of sun-protective fabric UPF apparel and clothing intended for any kind of activity you can think of, including hiking, watersports, running, cycling, fishing, yoga, and more, for men, women, and kids. They sell their own clothing brand as well as other brands.
Related: The Best Sunscreen for Your Beach Days, According to Reviewers
Coolibar
A leader in UPF clothing for women, men, kids, and babies. All of their fabrics are UPF 50+ and go through extensive testing. I own and love many of their items and feel safe and protected while wearing them, but it’s worth noting that the spending threshold to qualify for free shipping is quite high, they charge for return shipping, and many customer reviews state how poor their experience with Coolibar’s customer service is. Purchasing this brand through Amazon might be less of a hassle than buying direct from their website, unless you know you’re definitely going to keep an item.
Eddie Bauer
Eddie Bauer is an outdoor adventure apparel company that has been in business for over 100 years. They have a versatile selection of women’s, men’s, and kids’ UPF clothing, including button-down shirts, dresses, wide brim hats, hoodies, shorts, and pants, to name a few.
Lands’ End
Lands’ End is a retailer of comfortable and practical clothing, with many items that have UPF sun protection. They have swimsuits in all different styles, including high-neck options to protect your chest and rash guard one-pieces, as well as UPF shirts, dresses, skirts, shorts, pullovers, jackets, and more. While they have more women’s options, they also have UPF clothes for men and kids.
Solbari
An Australian brand that you can also buy from Amazon if you’re in the U.S. Solbari’s name is a combination of the words Sun (sol) and Barrier (bari). They have UPF 50+ sun protective clothing, including UPF shirts, swimwear, and wide brim UPF hats for face protection. Although they’re an international company that you might not be familiar with, you can trust Solbari’s sun protection because they have the Skin Cancer Foundation’s Seal of Recommendation.
Patagonia
Patagonia designs clothing and apparel for outdoor sports and activities. They have a line of UPF sun protection clothing for women, men, kids and babies that work when dry or wet, including UPF hiking pants, sun protective rash guards, jackets, hats, shirts, and more.
J.Crew
J.Crew usually has fashionable women’s, men’s, and kids’ UPF sun-protection rash guards. While they have a few options year-round, they have the most options during the spring and summer seasons. They also sometimes have a women’s and girls’ long-sleeve one-piece swimsuit, which is like wearing a swimsuit and rash guard all in one.
Athleta
Athleta has UPF sun protection clothing for women and girls with an active lifestyle. Many of their items are rated UPF 40+, although there are some that are UPF 50, so pay attention to the specific ratings if you’re only interested in UPF 50.
Uniqlo
Uniqlo has some clothing that is labeled as “UV Protection” clothing. I’ve found it to be a little difficult to locate on their website, but was able to find some items with a search. It ranges from a low UPF rating all the way to UPF 50. I haven’t tried any of their items yet, but am eyeing their UV protection parka and hoodies for affordable UPF options.
O’Neill
If you’re spending time in the water, including for surfing, paddleboarding, body surfing, or boogie boarding, O’Neill has a large selection of UPF sun shirts and rash guards for women, men, and kids.
Frequently Asked Questions About UPF Clothing
Can you explain UPF vs. SPF?
UPF stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor, and SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. UPF is used to measure the effectiveness of fabrics at blocking UVA and UVB rays, whereas SPF is used to measure the effectiveness of sunscreens at blocking UVB rays, unless the sunscreen specifically states that it’s “broad spectrum,” meaning it will block both UVA and UVB rays. You should always choose a broad spectrum SPF for maximum protection against damaging UVA and UVB solar wavelengths.
What are the different UPF clothing ratings? What does UPF 50 clothing mean?
As I mentioned earlier, clothing with a UPF rating of 50 means that it will block about 98% of the sun’s UVA and UVB rays, allowing 2% of UV rays to transmit through the fabric. UPF 30 means the fabric allows 3% of UV transmission through the fabric. A fabric must have a minimum UPF of 30 to qualify for The Skin Cancer Foundation’s Seal of Recommendation. UPF 50+ is the highest rating for UPF clothing, meaning that less than 2% of UV radiation passes through, and is considered excellent protection.
Do UPF shirts wear out? How long does UPF clothing last?
UPF clothing can lose its effectiveness over time. Many fabrics offer UPF protection from how tightly woven the fibers are. The fibers can become worn out or loosen from wearing and washing, like with any item of clothing. This can decrease its level of protection from the sun. It’s reasonable to expect an item to last a few years without excessive use. Some brands have information on their websites about how long their UPF clothes should last, and for others you might have to contact customer service for more information. If a fabric uses a coating or finish to achieve UPF protection, reference the product information for how many washes it’s good for before the protection diminishes.
Which outdoor activities are UPF clothes good for?
You can find comfortable UPF clothing for any outdoor activity. There are a wide range of options available from dry activities to wet activities, and for sitting in your beach chair to exercising. Here are examples of activities that UPF clothes are good for:
- Walking
- Gardening
- Sitting on the beach
- Swimming
- Running
- Golfing
- Playing with your dog
- Watching an outdoor event
- Hiking
- Kayaking
- Dining outdoors
- Canoeing
- Playing tennis
- Biking or cycling
- and many more outdoor activities
Now you know all about UPF clothing and the best stores to shop for it so you can have fun in the sun while staying protected!
Related: The 12 Best Flip Flops and Sandals for Women That You Need for Your Beach Days This Summer
Save This List of the Best Places to Shop for UPF Clothing & UPF Apparel
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Do you own any UPF clothing? Where do you like to shop for your UPF apparel? Let everyone know in the comments.
