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Sun Shirts: Brand Review

Oh, I live in my sunshirts in the summer. Riding, boating, hiking…

RJs- These tend to be my go-to, because of the combo of fit and price point. I’ve bought a lot of “last year’s” colors on sale, they seem to hold up well. 8/10
TS- These are probably my actual favorites, the fabric is so lovely and soft and they dry so quickly. But they are $$ 9/10
Smartpak- The fabric isn’t as nice on these, but the cut is generous and the couple different models I have, at least have held up well, and the price point is good 8/10
SanSoleil- The two I have are seriously ancient and have held up incredibly well. They’re a little short through the arms, and I don’t love the fabric as well as the others, but again, these are at least 5 years old so I’m not sure how it compares to what they have now 7.5/10
Kastel- I like the fabric, but it’s not as soft as the TS. Some of the prints/colors are a little too loud for me, frankly, but I like the solids, and those I have, have held up well. Pricey if you don’t buy on sale 7.5/10
Haggertys- Love the customization options and colors/trims. The fabric is soft but a bit heavier than the TS or RJ. But the price is great for a customizable option, they seem to wear very well, and are a small business 8/10
Horze- I had one and wore it maybe twice? Fabric was awful. I took it to consignment last week. 3/10

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@Peggy Can you elaborate on the fit of the Royal Highness shirts? I don’t have any Ariat shirts but a Kastel size large fits me perfectly. I saw a review of the RH saying it ran a bit small, but I’m afraid to order XL and end up swimming in it.

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I have a couple ariats, a couple TS, several kastel, and my new favorites are the sansoleil Ice shirts. Light, breathable, nice patterns, not baggy but not too clingy either. I like the 50 SPF in the Sansoleil, the kastels were my previous favorites but I found I was getting tan through the sunshirts. The Kastels are 30 SPF but the lighter colors especially seem to let through more sun when they’ve been washed a few times. The TS are very soft but on the clingier side. I’m quite petite and the XS sansoleil Ice and XS TS fit me the best. The Sansoleil are on sale at riders warehouse now for $38-40, a great deal.

I think you’ll be OK with a large. I just overlaid my new RH and a pretty old Kastel, both XL, and they match up pretty well. They seem the same at the shoulder seams. RH is slightly wider at the waist but I think that any difference can be attributed to stretching with age. RH is a scootch shorter. Arms are skinnier in the Kastel.

A good thing about Riding Warehouse is that returns are free. Shipping is also free if you happen to live in California, so I don’t know what the threshold is for free shipping otherwise.

Thank you, I will give the large a shot when the print I want comes back in stock!

I recently tried a few of the Royal Highness shirts, they didn’t fit me. I am a medium in the other mentioned brands and the medium was too small and the large didn’t feel comfortable. I couldn’t tell if it was too small or just not a comfy cut. It seemed like they are made for younger riders

For those that have tried several brands/styles, which would be the best for a “mom bod”?
I’m fairly fit in my chest & arms, but definitely have extra baggage in the belly/waist area.
Most of these types of shirts, even the non-riding brands, seem geared towards those with slimmer build.

Hmm, interesting. I’m not a really svelte 20 year old anymore, but fairly fit. Fingers crossed that they fit because there are 3-4 prints I really like and the price is right compared to retail on San Soleil and Kastel (Riding Warehouse has some good sale prices on San Soleil, FWIW). I think I will be living in sun shirts now that I am working from home; that way I can just toss on my breeches as soon as the workday is over.

I’m more than three times twenty and not exactly svelte and the RH worked fine. I was somewhat surprised that the outline was so similar to the Kastel. There is a distinct curve inward at the waist of the RH, but it’s not extreme. That may what @Hayburner was referring to. The Kerrits and Ariat seem definitely boxier, though I haven’t done a direct comparison.

I do love a nice pattern which makes the RH hard to resist.

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Well foo, Kerrits has changed the cut of their IceFil tights, so I can’t wear them anyway. Slimmer in the legs, much bigger in the waist, and low-rise. Even in my current “fluffy” form I have a waistline and a booty, but they are now shaped for an “apple” rather than a “pear.”

Try men’s kastel! They do have nice (albiet more conservative) colors. And this is not me dissing your mom bod, I have a few because I have wide shoulders and they fit great.

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OMg. Thank you!!
I didn’t even think of trying the men’s on, duh :woman_facepalming:t2:They definitely should have a boxier cut to them.
I might even be able to get away with a decent fit this way.
I typically wear a medium in most tops, but for some reason these sun shirts all seem to hug the waist quite a bit, which makes the belly booda even more noticeable :joy:
If I size up to a large, then the rest of the shirt seems too loose.

Has anybody found any off-brand shirts that would have the same function? Like for golf or fishing or something like that? I know equestrian brands always command a premium…anything on Amazon that might do the trick?

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Golf shirts would be what you want to look for, but they also retail for high prices. I’ve found several cute golf shirts at TJ Maxx, but they tend to be short sleeve or sleeveless, but a polo or quarter zip style with a standing collar. My show shirt is actually a golf shirt, in fact. The Sierra Trading Post website might be another place to look for some deals.

This winter I did find a Nike long sleeve quarter zip shirt that is a very light fleece material and has a lighter weight back panel and the under arm mesh at TJ Maxx. It is fabulous for riding when it’s in the 50’s. I think it was $25.

Yes. The full prices for golf shirts are about the same as the riding shirts, although, unlike the riding shirts, golf shirts actually go on sale for pretty good prices. Some of the companies also make riding shirts, like IBKUL and San Soleil.

I looked into golf shirts thinking that I might have more luck finding plus sizes there than in the riding shirts, but that doesn’t really seem to be the case, so I’ve never bought any.

I second golf shirts. I like the soft ones with the ‘fleece’ inside for changing seasons. I’ve also found them at Marshall’s/TJ Maxx for a much more reasonable price, $15-20. If you’re only finding short sleeves, go hunt in the men’s section.

San Soleil! I’m definitely not super trim through my mid-section and they’re my favorite.

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Has anyone else had issues washing their sun shirts? I have two of the Smartpak Piper sunshirts and both have succumbed to staining from just mild horse related messiness. No amount of washing will get it out!

I’d love to have more sun-shirts and am considering investing in some of the nicer brands, but not if they will be forever marked with my horse’s drool after just one wear!

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Yes—my Piper sunshirt is literally the only one I’ve experienced this with though! My TS and San Soleil and RJ shirts wash beautifully. I’ll only buy another Piper sunshirt if it’s a dark color.

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Search for Fishing Shirts UVA turned up quite a bundle, but very few made in the U.S.A. All cheaper than the riding shirts, though.