Hello,
I usually ride in tank tops all summer. Even with sunscreen, I get tan pretty easily. I’m getting married in September and want to prevent tan lines from happening as my usual tan lines would not jive with the cut/style of the dress.
What are your favorite long sleeve sun shirts that keep you cool and are preferably a dark color? I like the look of the burgundy Kastel sunshirt, but am balking a little at the price. Any cheaper options out there that have the collar/quarter zip?
Thanks! 
I get CoolBlast shirts from Dover saddlery. Normally they have some on sale for a good price.
I love the Kastel shirts—they’re soft, breathe well, and actually keep you cooler than wearing short sleeves. I think of them as “wearing” shade. If you keep tabs on their sale section you’ll see discontinued colors pop up at a steep discount.
Ariat makes a sunshirt that is also super popular, though the fabric seems a bit heavier than the Kastel fabric. That does make it less clingy though, which can be a plus.
Another vote for Kastel, definitely worth the price.
Kastel, Ariat and Dover Cool Blast are my favorites for hot weather. Sizing in the Kastel runs a tiny bit smaller than the Ariat or Dover ones.
I lost my dad to skin cancer, so I take no chances and wear them all the time.
San Soleil shirts. They are actually golf shirts. Coolibar shirts are good too, but are a little heavier and find them too hot.
RL shirts are just like the pricer Columbia shirts that have sun protection built into the material. Lightweight, lots of pockets, and come in a variety of colors and prints
I have Kerrits and Kastels. The Kastels are a softer fabric. I have had the Kerrits for just over a season and they have held up well. I bought the Kastels at an end of season clearance last year so have not worn them as much so can’t say how they would hold up.
I hate my TufferRider one. It is warmer and stained easily.
Kastel has their own eBay shop with closeout colors and their sale page is really good. I think a true UPF + cooling sunshirt in a well cut, nice fabric will run you at least $35.00 or more from golf/outdoor stores.
I have a few Columbia OmniFreeze shirts that are great, but the Kastel fabric is much lighter. I also have an Irideon that I like but it’s not nearly as well cut through the body.
I have 3 of the Tailored Sportsman but they are the only ones I have so I can’t say they are best.
I prefer Bette and Court. Also a super nice company!
Not an equestrian brand but very affordable, good quality clothing. This is one of my favorite brands ever–Uniqlo. I stumbled upon this shopping last week and it was too good of a deal to pass up! These were $19.90 when I bought one but it looks like they’re on sale for $14.90 currently and they do have a dark navy color available.
These shirts don’t have the mesh features of a typical equestrian sun shirt, but they do have UV protection and are very lightweight and stretchy. It doesn’t mention this on the website but on the tags for the one I bought, it said it was moisture-wicking as well.
I’ve tried a bunch of varieties and Kastel is hands down my favorite.
FWIW I got married before sun shirts hit the mainstream so I had the tank top lines. I did an air brush spray tan before the wedding and it was a winner. They can adjust the spray to cover up farmer’s tan and Mickey Mouse glove hands!
Thanks everybody! You all are the best! I going to try a couple of the Kastel. They were eligible for Smartpak’s 15% off promo so that knocked a little off the price.
After checking out the Uniqlo website, that price seems a little to good to pass up so a short of two from them might make it in the cart as well
Thanks Jo! I did think about the spray tan option, but it makes me a little nervous (what if it’s the wrong color) and I would rather save that as a last resort type of thing. 
The Kastel shirts are half off on the Dover site! I haven’t ever tried them, I personally love the EIS sunshirts.
Check the Kastel website and eBay shop to see if they have anything in your size and the color you want - $35.00 plus shipping
I’ve got an EIS shirt that I bought in Ocala just over 5 years ago. I ride in it a couple times a week year round, it’s thin and wicks moisture so I like it under a sweater in the winter too. It has held up beautifully. There are a couple spots where the mesh has pilled a little, but I think that’s more related to my crappy washer and dryer.
I have both EIS and Kastel and I dislike the Kastels very much. To me there is no comparison.
Just as an aside - from personal experience, you might want to wear gloves that will completely cover your wrists and/or go up into your sleeve or you might get a stripe around your wrists
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