# Sun protective clothing advice



## SharkNett (Feb 20, 2006)

Having just got back on the water and with the weather warming up it seems like a good time to get myself some sun protection that will allow me to stay out longer without ending up burnt to a crisp or stewing in my own juices.

Been doing a bit of a google search and been to a few shops. There is lots of stuff out there but hard to tell what will suit without being able to test it so I thought I would ask what brands others are using.

For shirts I want something long sleeve that retains little or no heat, will keep the sun off and drys easily. Got a couple of rashies but if I use them for anything but swimming I get uncomfortably hot really quickly.
Pants pretty much the same I guess.
Already have a frillneck hat that works pretty well.

Thanks
Rob.


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

I have a one piece stinger suit (hydrosurf brand?) which is not very practical for the purposes of toileting. I replaced it with long sleeve rashie and those sports tight thingies (slazenger) from big W $35. They are very practical but didn't take long for the elastic component of the fabric to pack it in. I'm not sure I would buy that brand again but the price is ok. The material the stinger suit is made of is excellent and would buy pants made of this stuff if I knew where.


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## SharkNett (Feb 20, 2006)

Thanks Barra, 
With more google searching I found http://www.groovyoutdoors.com/ek/ek.htm who, according to the webiste have free postage within Australia. Will drop them a line with my requirements and see what they say.
Still interested to hear of other options tho.


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Rob I just wear a long sleeved fishing shirt [$35], and cycle gloves [$15] to protect the back of the hands and are rated SPF50, wear the hat you see in the avatar, and like many others just use summer weight long pyjama pants to cover the legs [$10], and reef boots on my feet [$35].

Also cover face area with sunscreen, and nose and lips with the SPF30 lip stick stuff and top up every 3-4 hours, and wear sunglasses as well.


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

Forgot to mention I also wear dive boots, legionaries cap and palmless gloves.


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## gonetroppo (Jan 29, 2011)

Pretty much the same here, long sleeve fishing shirt, those long bigw pants that barrabundy is talking about, reef boots, bcf gloves, sunnies, a cap and tonnes of bananna boat SPF30+ UVA/B sunscreen


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

Sharknet

I'm full lycra without the ballet dancer's body , and wet boots, so no gaps for UV. I find lycra is cool if there is a breeze, even when dry, but agree it is hot in dead still conditions. Of course you can get caught, say by a sudden downpour or wind, and if this happens it is suddenly freezing. I always carry a goretex top in case there is a sudden change.

I carry a small bailer (top 15 cm of a PET bottle with cap), and use this to wet my head and shoulders when hot. Works a treat and lasts for 15 + minutes.

UV blocking is my no. 1 priority.

Trevor


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## mustrumr (Feb 27, 2009)

I too wear a full length lycra stinger suit and I'm very happy with it apart from the previously mentioned impracticality for toileting and that the material is a treble magnet. But from a UV perspective it's unbeatable. When I eventually have to replace it I'll go the two piece route in the same material.

I use rubber booties and stretchy work gloves and a frillneck hat, so all I have to sunscreen is my face (I hate sunscreen, but If it's just my face I can live with it).


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## john316 (Jan 15, 2009)

I don't tend to spend too much on fishing clothes and don't care too much what I look like out on the water. I prefer to use old loose fitting shirts and comfortable pants that fit well when sitting in the yak. The best trousers I have had were a pair of camos with a JayJay's branding on them that I got at the Op Shop for a couple of dollars. I suspect that they were originally designed as womens pants but they were perfect for the sitting position in the A.I. I use fingerless gloves with grips on the palms and lycra backs and find that they allow me the dexterity needed for knots etc but don't hinder any paddling, sailing or fishing activities etc.

As a fair-skinned, blue eyed type I would encourage anyone to consider sun protection during autumn, winter, spring as well as summer as we only get one skin...

cheers

John


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## Aza (Oct 28, 2011)

Check out the columbia range of fishing clothes or similar styles, they cover all the bases, spf5o, long sleeve, dry very quickly, cool breathable material and fairly light weight. Most of the pants have zip off bottoms to convert to shorts if needed too which can be a bonus at times.


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## Rose (Jan 30, 2006)

xxxxxxxxxxxxx


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## Beekeeper (Aug 20, 2011)

Nobody wants to look like the Beekeeper, so I won't divulge my anti-sun weaponage. However... I used it for years whilst fly-fishing the Snowies, and carried it on when I returned to Qld in '95 whilst land-based fishing. When I took up kayaking some eight or so years ago, I found no need to change... if it's not broke, don't fix it!
Also, using a SIK, I wear shorts allatime! AAAAAAAAND LOVING IT!!
Jimbo


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## KhoisanX (Aug 27, 2009)

Hi Rob,
I do a range of fishing from kayak, shore, wading etc. I don't want specific kit for each. I've been using the same kind of clothing for a few years now and it covers all the bases. Long sleeve fishing shirt and pants (technical). I like Columbia, but there are several others. Shirt is cotton so stays nice and cool. Pants are synthetic quick drying since they spend more time getting wet. I can unzip the longs if I really want to wear shorts, but I'd rather not have to lather up with SPF30+, it eventually gets onto your lures etc....fish have a sense of smell around 1000x that of a dog; I believe not enough anglers pay attention to this fact (another discussion )
I've tried a few different pairs of gloves - latest are GoSo which is a local Aussie company http://www.sunprotection.com.au/pages/gloves.html These gloves are fingerless so you can still tie knots, and they have a nice palm pad for a bit of protection when handling fish.
Standard Buff and peak cap for the head. The Buff gives many options so you can adjust to suit conditions.

Cheers

Hank


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

KhoisanX said:


> latest are GoSo which is a local Aussie company http://www.sunprotection.com.au/pages/gloves.html These gloves are fingerless so you can still tie knots, and they have a nice palm pad for a bit of protection when handling fish.


Hank those are the gloves I use and the very first thing I did after opening them when new was unpick the stitches on the black palm pad and discard, and now only have the softer grey palm right through, and personally feel it is a marked improvement .... agree with you as to their comfort level, and am often still wearing them through oversight when I drive away to go home.


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## GoManGo (Sep 2, 2010)

Lots of Sun gear out there, I have a one piece suit but not the best when it comes to Biological functions, anything you are comfortable in really, in and out of the water. Saftey too.


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

mustrumr said:


> I too wear a full length lycra stinger suit and I'm very happy with it apart from the previously mentioned impracticality for toileting and that the material is a treble magnet. But from a UV perspective it's unbeatable. When I eventually have to replace it I'll go the two piece route in the same material.
> 
> I use rubber booties and stretchy work gloves and a frillneck hat, so all I have to sunscreen is my face (I hate sunscreen, but If it's just my face I can live with it).


OK, there's no dissention on the need to protect from UV deadly rays.

Just thought I'd raise this factor in the choice of clothing. Yesterday we just had a safety day here in SE QLD (Scarby). This is one of the "What if.." scenarios covered yesterday, and it can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere, even in inland waters. One of the exercises was off your yak and swimming for it as it gets blown away by wind (or current). Loose clothing such as baggy pants and tops will be much harder to swim in than lycra. Hop in a pool and try it. Some loose clothing can so hinder swimming ability that it could be the difference between safe recovery, or not.....

The peeing problem Alex refers to is solved by separate pants and tops, the heat by pouring water/splashing yourself.

Cheers
Trevor


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## SharkNett (Feb 20, 2006)

Thanksfor all the help with this. Managed to sort most of it out. 
Hobie dealer @ Carringbah in Sydney has some lighter long sleeve rashies for about $40 so grabbed one of those. Little warm for my taste but better then ones I already had and wetting my hat seems to be working ok for now.
Also took some advice from this thread and went to k-mart to get a pair of nylon trackies ($15) and cut the lining out. Doubt they will last long, but ok for now.
Turned the yak over in the harbour on Thurs and getting back on in deep water was really easy. Need to replace my Frillneck hat tho.


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## skorgard (Oct 6, 2007)

Long sleeve linen shirt for the top. Dries quickly, light, cool when weather is hot. I wear a broad brimmed Akubra with chin strap to hold it on so face and neck always in the shade and it does not come off even when tacking into a stiff breeze. I dont know why others dont do it but means most of the Adelaide guys recognise me from a distance (and I think usually go the other way).Tried the frillneck thing but found it too hot and constricting.


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

skorgard said:


> Long sleeve linen shirt for the top. Dries quickly, light, cool when weather is hot. I wear a broad brimmed Akubra with chin strap to hold it on so face and neck always in the shade and it does not come off even when tacking into a stiff breeze. I dont know why others dont do it but means most of the Adelaide guys recognise me from a distance (and I think usually go the other way).Tried the frillneck thing but found it too hot and constricting.


The frillnecks are a bit of a pain when it comes to taking in the sight and sounds. They do feel a bit constricting compared to a broad-brimmed hat like an akubra but when the sun is low they keep more of it off your face along with reflection off the water. Horses for courses though and any hat is better than no hat if you're worried about its effects.


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