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01For the long middle of the day

Pioneer Camp sun protection

Sun hoodies with a hood and thumb holes, long and short-sleeve UPF shirts, light zip-up sun jackets and rash guards, most of them rated UPF 50+ and cut in a quick-dry knit.

  • 15 styles
  • 50 colourways
  • XS to 3XL size run

Pioneer Camp sun layer

A sun layer earns its place on the day you stop thinking about it, and the number on the label is the whole point. The Skin Cancer Foundation puts it plainly: a UPF 50 fabric lets one fiftieth of ultraviolet through, and fifty is the floor for their own seal. It is a property of the cloth, not a promise about your afternoon, and two things reduce it. Wet cloth protects less than dry, and a white cotton T-shirt drops from about UPF 7 to 3 once it is soaked. Cloth pulled tight over a shoulder opens its weave and lets more through as well. That is the argument for the loose cut here, and for the hood: the back of the neck and the tops of the ears are where people burn on the water. Thumb holes on the hoodies cover the back of the hand while both hands are busy. Sizes run XS to 3XL.

028 styles

Pioneer Camp sun shirts

034 styles

Pioneer Camp sun hoodies

043 styles

The rest of the sun protection rail

Prices are the figures from our last update; we refresh them on a schedule, which is the least glamorous part of the Pioneer Camp approach, and the figure at the till is the one that counts.

05Before you order

Questions about Pioneer Camp sun protection

What a UPF number on a label means, why it drops when the cloth is wet, and which of these has a hood and thumb holes.

Do Pioneer Camp sun hoodies have thumb holes?

Most of them do, and the reason is the back of the hand: it faces straight up when you are holding a rod, a paddle or a set of bars, and it is the spot people forget until it is burnt. The hood does the same job for the back of the neck and the tops of the ears.

Can you wear a Pioneer Camp UPF shirt in the water?

Yes, and the rash guards are cut for exactly that. What changes in the water is the rating: wet cloth lets more ultraviolet through than dry, so a shirt you have been swimming in is protecting you less than the same shirt on the beach. Neither a dermatologist nor we would tell you it replaces sunscreen on the parts it does not cover.

Are Pioneer Camp sun layers hot to wear in summer?

Less than a bare arm in the same sun, which surprises people. The cloth is a light quick-dry knit that moves air and sweat, and it stops the direct load on the skin; that is why fishing guides and cyclists wear long sleeves in July. If you are standing still in still air it will feel warmer than nothing, and shade is the better answer then.

Every Pioneer Camp layer, every size

Every size, colourway and fill in the Pioneer Camp range sits behind this button, with the price from our last update against each one.