The Patagonia Tropic Comfort Hoody is a slim cut top with an adjustable hood that makes athleticwear cute again. It has a tall neck in the front to add extra protection for your skin and features a foam toggle on its drawstring. A small zippered pocket on the hip keeps a few items close by without creating a lump of excess fabric when empty. We wish it came in more colors and patterns, though, and unless you have very short arms, the thumbholes are far too high to be comfortable. It's also a fairly slim shirt, less ideal for curvier women. Still, we love how this top feels and even enjoyed its cute cut on a hot day.
REASONS TO BUY
Thin smooth material
Great neck coverage
Drawstring on hood
Slim pocket design
REASONS TO AVOID
Poor thumbhole execution
Slender shape isn't ideal for everyone
Limited colors
Product Recall
Patagonia recently recalled this style after discovering that the advertised UPF 50 rating was not being met. The shirts' actual UPF ranges from 17-45, which still provides ample sun coverage — but since it's not what Patagonia advertised, they have made the decision to pull these styles from their site until the problem is corrected. If you own one of these styles, you are eligible for a refund. Read more about the recall here.
Gets dirty easily, too stretchy to keep heavy items in the pocket
Low relative UPF, limited hand protection, snags easily
Few color choices, small hood, sleeves a bit short
Stinks easily, unimpressive durability, sleeves are short
Bottom Line
Thin and lightweight, this slender-fit shirt is buttery soft and comfy, with a great adjustable hood
A really useful sun shirt that's a great choice for just about any sunny activity
A ridiculously breathable, lightweight shirt with uniquely horizontal thumbholes and a handy ponytail exit point in the hood
A great everyday hooded sun shirt that's perfect for anyone who doesn't want thumbholes
An inexpensive but solid option for casual activity
Rating Categories
Patagonia Tropic Co...
Mountain Hardwear C...
Outdoor Research Ec...
Patagonia Capilene...
Baleaf UPF 50 Crew...
Comfort and Fit(30%)
8.0
9.0
8.0
7.0
5.0
Sun Protection(25%)
7.0
9.0
8.0
7.0
4.0
Breathability(20%)
7.0
9.0
9.0
7.0
5.0
Versatility(15%)
6.0
7.0
8.0
7.0
6.0
Durability(10%)
7.0
6.0
7.0
7.0
4.0
Specs
Patagonia Tropic Co...
Mountain Hardwear C...
Outdoor Research Ec...
Patagonia Capilene...
Baleaf UPF 50 Crew...
Sun Protection Level (UPF)
50+
50+
20 (dark colors)
15 (light colors)
50+
50+
Coverage
Long sleeve, hood, thumb holes
Long sleeve, hood, thumb holes
Long sleeve, hood, thumb holes
Long sleeve, hood
Long sleeve, crew neck
Features
Zippered pocket, drawstring on hood
Extra large hood, draw string at waist, hip pocket (zipper)
Ponytail hole in hood, flat-seams, reflective logo
None
Flat shoulder seams
Fit
Slim fit
Standard fit
Slim fit
Regular fit
Relaxed fit
Material
100% recycled polyester jersey
88% polyester 12% elastane
100% recycled polyester
100% polyester (50% recycled)
100% polyester
Odor Control?
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
Available Sizes
XS - XL
XS - XL
XXS - XXXL
XXS - XL
S - 2XL
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Tropic Comfort Hoody is a slim-cut, stretchy top with a feminine cut. It's made of 100% recycled polyester jersey and features a hood with a drawstring and foam toggle, thumbholes, and a zippered hip pocket.
Performance Comparison
We love adventuring in the Patagonia Tropic Comfort Hoody.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Comfort and Fit
The Tropic Comfort is made of smooth, silky polyester that's soft and slightly cool on the skin. It's a slender design with a slight feminine cut that we find a perfect blend of baggy enough to move and breathe while fitted enough to look and feel good. It's also got enough stretch that it easily stays active with you — though not as much stretch as some others we tested. It has athletic cut shoulder seams that are stitched flat, and the hood is light enough it doesn't pull back too much while you're wearing it. Our only complaint about the comfort of this shirt is that the sleeves aren't long enough to have usable thumbholes. Instead, they end where we'd want long sleeves to end — to use the thumbholes, you have to yank the sleeves way down over your hands, stretching the whole thing tight across the shoulders and chest.
Sun Protection
Like most sun shirts we tested, the Tropic Comfort has a UPF of 50+. Its hood fits over ponytails and ball caps, while a taller neck in front adds extra coverage. It's one of the few options we tested with a drawstring, allowing you to keep your hood up even heading into a stiff breeze. A foam toggle secures the drawstring to keep it light and comfortable. Drop hems in the front and back to keep you covered even while bending over. Thumbholes add sun protection for the backs of your hands — but the sleeves were far too short for us to enjoy using them comfortably.
The Patagonia Tropic Comfort has a foam toggle that lets you adjust the hood.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Breathability
Slightly loose thin fabric allows adequate airflow. It's not the absolute thinnest, most breathable fabric we've tested, but it's well above average. It also dries fairly quickly, wicking moisture away from the body and leaving you cooler underneath. It's fairly smooth and cool-feeling, making it a top we find comfortable to wear in a wide range of outdoor conditions.
The thin fabric is both breathable and feels ever so slightly cool against the skin, while wicking away sweat.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Versatility
The long, slender fit with a minor feminine cut proved to be a big hit with our slim-framed testers. It wasn't nearly as big of a success among curvier women, though they still generally described it as "cute, in the right size." Though its loose-but-fitted torso is cuter than most athletic-type sun shirts we tested, the hood with its tall neck and large obvious toggle make this shirt clearly a leisure top — not something we'd wear to the office.
The fit of this long, narrow shirt is best-loved by our testers who self-identify as "slim", "slender", or "athletic".
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Durability
With tightly woven fabric and reinforced seams, the Tropic Comfort Hoody has the makings of a shirt meant to last. Though we haven't had ours for years (yet), we wore this top for months of adventures around town, trail runs, dog walks, local hikes, and spring gardening. It made it through dozens of washes and wears without looking any different than the day we bought it. We also put its odor treatment to the test — running seven miles in the midday sun and leaving it in a heap on the bathroom floor to smell the next day — and were impressed that it managed to retain almost no odors at all, despite the copious sweat we forced it to wick away.
We're impressed at the Tropic Comfort's ability to withstand odors, even after long runs.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Features
A zippered pocket is hidden on the back of the right hip and is one of the few options we tested where it didn't feel or look even remotely awkward when empty. The foam toggle on the hood drawstring is another unique feature we find useful.
This small zippered pocket is useful without putting items in the way or creating an awkward bubble when empty.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Value
While the Tropic Comfort is on the pricier end of tops we tested, it still has great value — if it fits your body. In our experience, not every body type enjoys the fit of this shirt, but if you feel like "long" and "lean" can be used to describe you, this sun shirt is a super comfy, athletic-cute option we love to wear.
Conclusion
The Patagonia Tropic Comfort is a long, slender sun shirt that offers excellent neck and head protection, with a unique toggle to fit the hood. It has a slim hip pocket that practically disappears when not in use and soft fabric that feels oh-so-nice on the skin. Though its thumbholes aren't the most comfortable to use because of too-short sleeves, in general, we really enjoy wearing this slim-cut top when the sun is beating down.
Unless you're able to militantly reapply sunscreen after...
Ad-free. Influence-free. Powered by Testing.
GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison.
