The Backcountry Tahoe 2 Sun Hoody is an extremely lightweight hoody designed to provide UPF 50 equivalent sun protection for hiking, fishing, or even paddle boarding. This is my review:
The Tahoe 2 itself is a rather simple item. It is built from an 88 percent polyester/ 12 percent spandex blend that naturally provides UPF 50 level protection. It has integrated thumb loops to help provide better coverage over the hands and wrists, and an integrated hood for neck and scalp coverage. It comes in a variety of sizes and colors, weighs just over 7 ounces and retails for around $60.
I’ve been using the shirt while biking, hiking, gardening, and paddle boarding and have been rather pleased with its performance. Even on days where the temperature reached above 90 degrees F (32 C) the hoody kept me cool, protected from the sun and comfortable. The fabric is extremely breathable, to the point that it’s almost hard to believe it provides any protection at all, yet it has prevented me from getting burnt, or even developing a tan while in use. The material dries extremely quickly, so taking an unexpected dunk in the water or just sweating while working out back, I always found myself dry quickly afterwards, especially on breezy days. It doesn’t trap heat, reflects a good bit of the sun, and doesn’t get clammy or clingy when wet either.
Given the extremely light weight build, I was happy with how well the hoody held up in the conditions I’ve put it through. Direct contact with backpacks, boards, bikes, and just getting shoved in and out of packs in general I’m seeing no major issues. I did find one pick mark on the front, and I’m not entirely sure where that came from, but it’s not a major issue at this point. I will report back if that changes. I simply machine wash and dry on low and it’s holding its form rather nicely without fading, stretching, shrinking, or changing texture.
I found the hoodie to run true to size, with plenty of interior space to provide a full range of unimpeded motion, although taller hikers may find the sleeves to be a little on the short side for the thumb loops to be useful. It has a somewhat loose fit, which works well for my thick chest, and it allows for layering a t-shirt or even thermal underneath for cooler days with lots of exposure.
The Tahoe 2 by Backcountry is a simple design that does exactly what it is supposed to, protect from the sun. It is extremely light weight, packs down tiny enough to shove into any pack that I needed it to, and it blocks roughly 98 percent of the sun’s rays for long days out on the trail or water. I loved how fast it dried, which kept me from being soggy and sweaty on on high humidity, high temperature days, and It is also fairly affordable.
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