And if so, what brands and do they really work?
Are you talking about the long sleeve sun shirts? Strange time of the year for such a thread! (And if you are in a warm place where staying cool and out of the sun is actually a concern I am giving you an evil stare right now)…That being said, there are a lot of threads about this. I like the Ariat brand and some of the non-horsey brands like Columbia. Also, as a fun tip. I like to wear these sunshirt/technical material shirts as my bottom layer in the winter with a sweater or cotton shirt on top. Wicks away the sweat so you aren’t left with a chill if you sweat a little under your layers!
I have tons of EIS and am hoping I have to wear all of them in Florida shortly. I don’t know if they cool you or not but for me they keep the sun off me which is what I want.
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And if so, what brands and do they really work?[/QUOTE]
Lots of brands out there. EIS, Bette & Court, and Kastel are some of the brands you’ll see on equestrian sites. There are also a lot of brands (like Columbia, Nike, etc) that make shirts with their own version of “cooling” fabric as well.
Basically, the fabric wicks sweat away from you really quickly, and speeds the evaporation process to make you feel cooler. It is probably a matter of a few degrees. I wore mine all summer in 100+ heat, and they were fantastic.
You can actually wear these in the winter too, as being sweaty and clammy is what makes you feel cold. Anything that wicks sweat and dries quickly will keep you feeling warmer overall.
EIS also makes a “heat” shirt which keeps you 5 degrees warmer. :yes:
I have a few Bette & Court shirts and a few Helly Hansen Pace shirts. I also have a few Old Navy 1/4 zips for winter riding. I love the Bette and Court, the mesh on the arms makes a HUGE difference! The Helly Hansen are nice, but not nearly as effective when it’s really hot. I just got my Old Navy ones, but I anticipate they will be much too hot in the summer, the fabric itself is significantly thicker.
I’m looking to get a few. Unfortunately, the Bette & Court ones have arms that are too short. Same with the Tailored Sportsman ones. Does anyone have experience with shirts with too long arms? Those will probably be just right for my stupid long arms!
greysfordays… The Kerrits Ice Fil shirts have LONG arms. :yes:
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I’m looking to get a few. Unfortunately, the Bette & Court ones have arms that are too short. Same with the Tailored Sportsman ones. Does anyone have experience with shirts with too long arms? Those will probably be just right for my stupid long arms![/QUOTE]
The Columbia Omni-Freeze ones I got definitely have sleeves on the longer side. I would say that Kastel’s also run on the longer side everywhere (torso and arms). That is probably why the Kastel is one of my favorites.
I love the EIS ice and heat shirts. They only have heat in black this year because they are new this year. Naive already put in my request for other colors next year! Great idea on the ice shirt under a layer in the winter.
I am currently freezing in MA, but heading down to FL soon, for Christmas and then weekends for WEF, so needing to stay cool… sorry!
They definitely “work”. You’re not going to be like, wow I feel cool. But it is an easy way to wear long sleeves and not overheat or have weird tanlines. I find they’re cooler in the body than thicker polo shirts, so that is a plus.
