Sports bra… except under my very light colored and white ones. I wear a lightweight white cami under those.
Sports bra or regular bra. While light, they are not see through. But then I am someone who doesn’t care.
[QUOTE=EAY;8738926]
I would say most people wear sports bras under them.
In hot, humid weather I find them hotter than a tank top or loose tee, but like many others here I wear them more for sun protection than cooling. But once back at the barn, where I have chores to do, they come off and the tank top goes on. :winkgrin:[/QUOTE]
Agree that they’re excellent, generally, for skin protection but for coolness any of them keep me hotter than a loose/thin tank. I have all different brands. None are truly “cooling”
I love sun shirts for riding and long days at the barn. I’m extremely heat and sun sensitive and I’m very grateful to not have to worry about applying sunscreen to my arms and neck.
My favorite brands are Ariat, Kastel and EIS. The new Trifactor tech shirts from Ariat really seem to have cooling benefit. When you sweat, the moisture somehow feels cool on your skin. Here’s a link:
https://www.ariat.com/TRI_FACTOR_1_4_ZIP_W_APP.html
The Ariat Sunstoppers are well ventilated and also good for extreme heat.
I’m in GA. I don’t think I feel “cooler” in a sun shirt, but I don’t feel “hotter.” And I like that I’m being protected from the sun and the bugs and the hay and dirt that sticks to sweaty skin. I love my Kastel shirts, I think they are the coolest of the sun shirts I own.
I’ve got a couple of polos that are “sun shirts” aka made for warm-weather riding… I don’t find that I stay any cooler in them than a cotton shirt… what I do find is that once I get hot/sweaty they stick to my skin. I can hardly wait to get them off when I get home.
However, I don’t have an issue with sun sensitivity, and I can see how that would be an important factor in buying.
I wore one of my Kastel’s in the nice, Texas heat yesterday. My car showed 100, but I was guessing it was upper 90s and slightly humid. It worked like a charm! Of course, I sweat but it wasn’t clinging to me and dried quickly. I wear a sports bra under mine, usually from target or walmart.
I live in Texas and am downright religious about my sunshirts. I have tried a bunch of brands but hands down Kastel is my favorite. I wear them even when I’m not riding.
I do find I stay cooler in them, if for no other reason than I am not baking with the sun on my arms. If you sweat a lot (I do) or wet down the arms before you ride (which I also do), you’ll feel downright comfortable if there is a little breeze.
I wear Kastel shirts. They make me significantly hotter than if I was not wearing sleeves, but that isn’t the point so I deal with it. I wear them for UV protection since the UV levels are 11+ every day in the summer here and even with powerful sun screen you get freckles and sun spots popping up on your skin constantly. Temperatures are over 100 throughout the summer, though I try not to ride on the days it is 110 or more.
I live in Texas and ride w/o a covered ring. It’s regularly 100 deg+ in the summer here. IMO sun shirts are great when there’s a breeze and lower humidity; Tailored Sportsman brand is the coolest one I own. If it’s too sticky and stagnant out there, a loose fitting white cotton button up is great (long sleeve too). The sun shirts aren’t necessarily cooler to me, but it keeps the sun off and avoids that horrible feeling of your skin roasting in the sun. Some people think the feeling of the sun on their skin is what feels “hot” (me), for others, it’s being covered in fabric (my friend who rides in a tank top).
For actual cooling, I think they work better somewhere hot and dry. But even here in the very humid mid-Atlantic, I have to agree that the benefit of keeping the sun off my skin is worth it, because I don’t feel any hotter than I do in say a tshirt, and they seem to wick sweat better than cotton, too. I’ve liked the Kastel, Patagonia, and Columbia ones I have; I got a few no-name ones off Zulily one day that are fine below 85ish, or in lower humidity, but are not good in the heat, and I think the Noble Outfitters ones I have are a bit heavier than the other brands I prefer and not as cool, but again, good in lower temps and humidity. I have one of the Haggertys that I haven’t worn yet, but it felt similar to the ones I like, so I’m hopeful it will get tested out this week 
[QUOTE=Minerva;8741131]
I wear Kastel shirts. They make me significantly hotter than if I was not wearing sleeves, but that isn’t the point so I deal with it. [/QUOTE] Same here. I have Kastel & Irideon. If it’s dry and there is a breeze they are great, but if it is humid without much breeze, I find them insufferable.
I find the best thing is a loose light weave cotton blend white or very light colored button up shirt. I soak it in water and wring it out and wear it over a sports bra or other minimal shirt. Years of living in CA and working outside and a lot of time spent in the Caribbean and that’s my recommendation. It’s a very common garment in hotter countries and a lot of older dressage trainers wear them in CA, which is where I got the idea. Good sun protection too.
Nothing cools you down like wet or damp cotton, imho.
[QUOTE=snowrider;8741331]
I find the best thing is a loose light weave cotton blend white or very light colored button up shirt. I soak it in water and wring it out and wear it over a sports bra or other minimal shirt. Years of living in CA and working outside and a lot of time spent in the Caribbean and that’s my recommendation. It’s a very common garment in hotter countries and a lot of older dressage trainers wear them in CA, which is where I got the idea. Good sun protection too.
Nothing cools you down like wet or damp cotton, imho.[/QUOTE]
Fine linen works well too, and I find it provides better UV protection than similar weight white cotton. It’s probably not great in really humid weather, but then again not much is. :lol:
I’m not affiliated in any way, but there are frequently great deals on the Kastel sun shirts on eBay from seller ‘kastelcloseout’. I really like these, and at the close out price I can have quite a few!
This might be one of those “dry heat” differences… but I never seem to find myself anywhere but places where the heat is like split pea soup.
I’m super Irish-Freckle-Only-Pale so long sleeve is a must since they had to cut out a nice size chunk in my forearm a few years ago due to a Spitz tumor with “properties” that could have lead to melanoma.
I definitely notice when I’m wearing a short sleeve shirt that my skin does get “hot” which it doesn’t in the sunshirt (I own pretty much all Kastel).
I’m in GA and I have been converted. I have the Dover brand and a couple Columbia and Mountain Hardware shirts. I think they help with sun protection, but I’m most impressed with with their light weight fabric and moisture wicking. The shirts all so light, they feel like they’re made of spider webs! Sooooo much cooler than my other shirts - cotton seems heavy and hot now. Note: I do wear mine a bit loose because I’d prefer to have nothing touching me in the sweltering…
[QUOTE=magienoire;8741481]
I’m not affiliated in any way, but there are frequently great deals on the Kastel sun shirts on eBay from seller ‘kastelcloseout’. I really like these, and at the close out price I can have quite a few![/QUOTE]
Thanks for the suggestion! I have a few of the dover brand but at $30 per I just bought two Kastels. After reading some reviews I did size up. Fingers crossed they fit!
[QUOTE=AmmyByNature;8741901]
Thanks for the suggestion! I have a few of the dover brand but at $30 per I just bought two Kastels. After reading some reviews I did size up. Fingers crossed they fit![/QUOTE]
So odd with the Kastels. The “regular” ones fit me fine in my regular size, but the “bling” ones are tighter, shorter, and have shorter arms… despite being the same size. ???
