BoatingLAB Tests: UPF-Rated Clothing

What the heck is UPF factor? Here’s the answer, plus 9 great products with the sun-stopping stuff.

By Randy Vance

SunGloves

SunGloves
Get a grip with these handy sun protectors.
UPF: 50
Material: 92 percent polyester, 8 percent Spandex
Price: $29.95
Design: SunGloves came and went in the ’90s due to poor performance. These sport “grippy” finger pads and open palms, putting sun protection just where you need it.

SunSleeves

SunSleeves
Fit is like a tattoo; it protects like a long sleeve.
UPF: 50
Material: 92 percent polyester, 8 percent Spandex
Price: $34.95
Design: Spandex-empowered sleeves are snug and cool and keep you cool, while affording sun protection that doesn’t require reapplication. Camo patterns available.

UPF Ratings

How Do Garments Not Rated UPF Compare?
Unrated Fabric Test Notes: We tested ordinary T-shirts and dress shirts to see how their UV protection qualities fared.

How We Did It: We took readings with our UV meter through the fabric at a fixed distance from a black light. The rest is simple math. UV light through fabric ÷ total UV light = percentage of UV light transmission (penetration).

Myth Busted: Only UPF-Rated Fabrics Block UV Light
Not so fast. We did find unrated fabrics that didn’t reach 30 UPF and some that reached 50-plus UPF. One reading we found still reached UPF 15. Only one test garment failed to meet the minimum rating of UPF 15.

Myth Busted: You Need UPF Fabrics to be Safe
UPF-rated fabrics offer the assurance of a specific level of protection for boaters unwilling to risk an assumption.

Summary: Unrated fabrics we tested provided excellent UV protection. Throughout the tests, darker colors normally attained higher UPF ratings than lighter colors. Tighter or thicker weaves rated higher than thinner, looser weaves. While we would be confident wearing a heavier weight cotton tee, UV-rated tech shirts can offer superior protection.

Sun Guard

Sun Guard: Sun Protection You Wash In
Test Notes: In the course of our research, we stumbled upon Sun Guard, hyped as increasing a fabric’s UPF factor by 30. It contains the UV blocker Ciba Tinosorb FD. The product directions called for sprinkling the powder into a flooded washer. In our front-loading washer, we applied the packet in a quart of water, which may have affected our still-impressive results. We also washed several low-scoring polyester knit T-shirts in it to see if we could improve their lot — and we did, dramatically doubling the protective capabilities of some fabrics.

UPF Sun Guard Ratings

UPF Facts
UPF: The ultraviolet protection factor rating is used only on fabric.

SPF: The sun protection factor rating is used only on sunscreen products.

UPF 30: This means 1/30 of available UV light penetrates a fabric. UPF 50 allows 1/50 to penetrate.

SPF 30: This means that, if unprotected skin burns with 10 minutes of sunlight, protected skin will take 300 minutes to burn.

UV Light: UV light is electromagnetic radiation and is invisible to the human eye, though some animals are believed to be able to see it.

UVA: It does not cause sunburn but contributes to aging and skin cancer.

UVB: It causes sunburn and damages DNA molecules, resulting in skin cancer.

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