REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie Review

Made with a soft, stretchy, breathable, and sun-protective fabric, the REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie has most of the features we like to see in a hooded sun shirt. The three-panel hood is a surprise standout. It's front has a gently overlapping design that stays out of the way of the front of your neck, but can also be cinched down tight if desired. Thumb loops are located on extended cuffs, allowing you to cover your hands without pulling the sleeves taut. Breathability surprised us, given the high amount of UV protection, making this a great choice to wear when you're working up a sweat. Its overall performance is on par with much more expensive shirts, allowing you to save a few bucks without sacrificing usability or comfort, which is always a big plus in our book.

Comfort and Fit

The thin, super-stretchy knit fabric of the REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie is a standout. Sleeves are an aggressive set-in style, and a bulkless flatlock seam runs at the very crest of the shoulder. If you're worried about that interface with the shoulder straps of a heavy pack, the flatlock seam will feel better than a traditional surger seam, but we generally prefer offset seams for comfort.

Most of the seams around the three-panel hood are flatlock, with serger seams running down the sides of the shirt.

We found the fit on the Sahara to be true to size and expectedly loose on our bodies, without feeling overwhelmingly so. A loose cut promotes air circulation, rather than trapping warm air inside the shirt. Torso length was measured at approximately 28.5" for men's size large, with a bottom width of 23". These measurements are within about 1/2" of most other hooded sun shirts we've tested.

Torso length of a men's size “Large” covered the lower back of our 5'11" tester.   Credit: Justin Simoni

Our tester's belly was mostly well covered when their arms were raised.   Credit: Justin Simoni

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You'll find the Sahara offered in sizes XS to XXXL, with some additional tall sizes as well.

The hood joins the front collar with a slight overlap, allowing it to rest gently near the neck and provide better coverage in that area without feeling too tight. Somewhat unique to hooded sunshirt we have tested in our lineup, The REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie has a hidden cinch strap that allows you to tighten it up around your head as much, or as little as you desire.

Thumb loops are present on the extra-long cuffs, rather than on the sleeves before the cuffs. We found this to be a much more comfortable design, allowing you to use the thumb loops without overstretching the sleeves themselves.

Thumb loops found on the cuffs helped keep the sleeves themselves from getting stretched out.   Credit: Justin Simoni

Even with the thumb loops occupied, the sleeves where long enough to feel comfortable in.   Credit: Justin Simoni

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Sun Protection

Protection from the harm of the sun's UV rays is primarily accomplished by hooded sun shirts by physically blocking the sun from reaching your skin. The main advantage of wearing a shirt vs topical sunscreen is that there is no need to reapply: if you're wearing the sunshirt, you're protected. The REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie has UPF 50+ fabric, the highest any fabric is usually rated, which blocks 98% of UV.

We explored these claims with our own UV light card. The Sahara results were in line with other shirts marketed as having UPF 30+ to UPF 50+ fabrics. We observed better results from other shirts, but few that have the same breathability as the Sahara. If you're looking for a good balance of both, this hooded sun shirt is a good pick.

Of course, the fabric doesn't do its job if it doesn't cover your skin, and the REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie has a few tricks to ensure that it does. One clever feature is a cinch for the hood itself that lets you keep it securely in place and prevents it from blowing off your head in windy conditions.

Thumb loops and extra-long cuffs are also present on the Sahara Shade, which perform admirably at covering your hands up to your knuckles and keeping the sleeves in place.

Breathability

Usually, the better the fabric's sun-blocking ability, the worse the breathability, as the thickness and tightness of the knit or weave come into play in opposed ways. For the advertised UPF 50+ level of sun protection — the highest rating typically used — the Sahara Shade Hoodie performs admirably in our breathability lab tests, and we think it is reasonable to wear for more active pursuits like hiking, backpacking, or even trail running. The only feature this shirt lacks that we would have loved to see is a front zip or buttons to help vent hot air near our chest more quickly.

An air permeability test helps us to paint a picture of breathability that we can use to compare across shirts in our lineup. The Sahara Shade Hoodie only dipped air pressure by 25%, which is high for a UPF 50+ shirt. This indicates that air can also enter through the fabric while worn, enhancing the product's wicking performance and overall breathability. We found this result held true in real-life situations when we started to get sweaty.

We also tested on-the-line dry times after washing, which can closely correlate with how fast a sweaty shirt will dry when you wear it out on a particularly hot day, stomping down some major miles on the trail. The Sahara Shade finished about the middle of the pack in drying time. But in our experience, to achieve faster drying times and lower water absorption, the fabric of a sun shirt would have to be even lighter, which would give you less overall sun protection. For how high the advertised UPF of the Sahara is, these results are actually fairly impressive.

Versatility

We tested this shirt at high altitudes in sunny Colorado, where the UV index is often very high, and the REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie made a righteous companion. With good breathability to go with its advertised UPF 50+ fabric rating, this is the shirt to pick for all-day outdoor adventures near home, or when you're traveling from Mexico to Canada on foot on the PCT.

Because it lacks pockets, it may not be the best travel shirt. Although for around-the-town casual use, the style is fine, it probably wouldn't fare well in all social or work settings, unless your dress code is particularly relaxed. The UPF rating is high enough to wear for a fishing day out on the river or lake, so long as “no pockets” isn't a deal-breaker.

Durability

By their very nature, lightweight, high-performance knit fabrics like those found on the REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie tend to falter slightly in durability. For maximum durability, you want to choose a woven shirt made from heavier fabric, but you won't find one that has all the admirable light, airy, breathable, and comfortable qualities of the Sahara Shade.

If we look at the fabric under our microscope, it reveals the tight knitting pattern that gives the Sahara its stretchy characteristics as well as its sun-protective qualities.

We weighed a men's size large REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie at 8.2 ounces, which we found quite lightweight for the UPF 50+ rating. A more durable shirt would inevitably also be heavier due to a higher-denier thread.

Should You Buy the REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie?

With great sun-blocking ability, good breathability, and sleeves and a hood that both stay in place, the REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie makes a great addition to your sunny-day arsenal, letting you frolic around under the intense solar rays, while having peace of mind knowing your skin is protected. If the lack of pockets or a front zip isn't turning you off, turn on to the REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie.

What Other Sun Shirts Should You Consider?