KÜHL Sun-Protective Shirts Review

Being outdoors and on the water exposes us to harmful UV from the sun. The leathery outdoors person is a typical cliché, but if you spend a lot of time outdoors, that’s the look you’ll get. According the the Skin Cancer Foundation, “An estimated 90 percent of skin aging is caused by the sun. People who use sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher daily show 24 percent less skin aging than those who do not use sunscreen daily.” This doesn’t even touch on the health issues, such as skin cancer, caused by sun exposure. That’s where men’s sun-protective shirts and women’s sun-protective shirts come into play. They help protect your skin without the need to apply sunscreen in the covered areas.

Late spring, KÜHL sent me a couple of sun-protective shirts to review. I got the short-sleeved Skorpio and the KÜHL Engineered Hoody.

KÜHL Skorpio Sun-Protective Shirt Review

The Skorpio is a short-sleeve button-up shirt with a multi-colored Jacquard effect. It has two buttoned chest pockets and an inside security pocket. It’s a soft linen and cotton blend which helps keep you cool on hot summer days. It’s a Klassik Fit and offers UPF 15+ sun protection.

I’ve been wearing this shirt often this spring and summer, and it offers a nice fit that’s not too baggy or tight. It looks nice — my wife compliments my look whenever I wear it. While I typically wear synthetic clothing, I decided to try a cotton and linen to help stay cool. I’ve found that it works well for that purpose. The fabric combined with the button up shirt, keeps the shirt nice and airy. I’ve been fighting the extreme heat this summer and enjoying the outdoors in this shirt. Some of you will laugh, but when it gets above 80°F I start to shut down. This shirt has helped keep me going in the higher temps. While not specific to paddlesports, I’ve also been using this shirt to mountain bike in on hotter days.

Overall, I’ve been surprised by how airy and cool this shirt keeps me. Even on the hottest days, it seems to have a cooling effect. If you’re looking for a button-up shirt with sun protection that’ll keep you cool in the summer heat, you should consider the Skorpio.

KÜHL Engineered Hoody Sun-Protection Shirt Review

The KÜHL Engineered Hoody is a long-sleeved but lightweight hoody. It features KÜHL’s KUHLDRY AKTIV™ knit fabric that offers moisture-management and odor resistance. That fabric is combined with an open-knit and more breathable panels in areas, such as under the arms, where you want more moisture control. The shirt has a hood, thumb loops and a small locker loop used to hang up your shirt on a locker peg. It offers sun protection of UPF 25+ across most the shirt and UPF 20+ on the open-knit fabric.

While using this during the spring and summer, I’ve found myself reaching for it as often as I can — even if that means fishing it out of the laundry before it gets washed. The fabric is extremely breathable, and the fabric coverage and thus the sun protection is all the way down to the wrists. While I don’t mind applying sunscreen to my arms, having the full sleeves means one less thing to do before heading outside. It’s also nice to have the hood to throw up and protect the back of my neck and ears on the really sunny days. I’ll often do this even if I’ve applied sunscreen.

I love the fit of the hood and the overall fit of the shirt is great, but I do wish that the sleeves were slightly longer for reaching overhead. I tend to like my sleeves longer than others do. Despite that, when used with the thumb loops the sleeves stay were I like them. On another note, the hoody even fits over a short-sleeve shirt for adding a light layer as the temps drop into the lower 60s at night.

Overall, I love this shirt. I wear it often, and because it is long-sleeved I’ll be wearing this into the fall. If you’re looking for a lightweight, cool paddling hoody with sun protection, I highly recommend taking a look at the Engineered Hoody. I’m considering picking up second one myself.