Roxy Whole Hearted Long-Sleeve Review

The Roxy Whole Hearted is a stretchy tight-fitting rashguard that intentionally squeezes tight to stay put in the water. It's made of 92% polyester and 8% elastane, with a crew neck and long sleeves.

Performance Comparison

Comfort and Fit

If you're searching for a loose-fitting long sleeve shirt to wear to the beach, stop right here. The Roxy Whole Hearted is a rashguard, meant to fit very tightly and stay put even if you're swimming through choppy waves. If you are searching for a rashguard, this one stays put better than average as you swim around. We've tested some others that are slightly silkier, but this one isn't too far off. Where it falls short — literally — is in the shockingly short sleeves. In a size small on our 5'4" main tester (with a 5'7" wingspan), they're more like a long 3/4 length option than a full sleeve. If you're searching for a paddling rashguard, the Roxy's flat seams only go across the shoulders, with regular seams down the sides that come all the way up into your armpits. For swimming and playing around in the waves, this isn't a big issue, but over hours of paddling, this rashguard quickly created the rash it's meant to stop.

Sun Protection

Like most modern sun shirts, this model has a UPF rating of 50+. The tight crew neck stays in place to keep your chest covered. However, this is another area where we wish the sleeves were just a bit longer. If you're truly in the water the whole time (which is what this shirt is intended for), you probably won't have to worry about your wrists and hands burning. But time spent out of the water in these too-short long sleeves begs for sunscreen on your wrists.

Breathability

For a rashguard, this top provides the level of breathability we're looking for. That is, it offers a small layer of warmth in chilly waters without being a warm top we immediately want to strip off in the sun. Even testing it a black color, we think the breathability of this rashguard is just fine.

Versatility

Like just about any specific-use item, the Roxy Whole Hearted isn't particularly versatile across activities or social situations. Among typical lake day activities, it's a pretty solid choice for hanging out in the water. It's alright for short stints on the beach, between aquatic adventures, and does okay through short paddles. Though mostly for beach days, it's a bit warm, and for long paddles, it doesn't have quite the right seams. But for keeping up with friends or children and playing in the shallows, it's a solid bet.

Durability

With decently woven fabric and numerous reinforced seams, the Roxy rashguard is reasonably durable. We wore it through lake adventures, wearing PFDs, and basking in the sunny sand after a refreshing dip. We laundered it repeatedly with no visible ill effects. We read a few online testimonies that mentioned some being see-through or picking up stains, but ours did neither.

Features

Just a crew neck and long sleeves keep this rashguard a simple yet effective sun shirt. If you can call it a “feature,” it does stay put pretty well, even in the waves, which we greatly appreciate.

Value

Even among rashguards, this model isn't particularly expensive. It's not the most activewear-specific rashguard we've tested, but unless you're planning a ton of swimming, surfing, or paddling, it's still a pretty solid option for getting out in the water and enjoying your lake or ocean adventures to the fullest.

Conclusion

The Roxy Whole Hearted Long Sleeve is a dependable rashguard for staying protected from the sun while splashing around and enjoying the water. Though its sleeves are shorter than we prefer, and the armpit seams aren't ideal for long days of surfing or paddling, there's still a lot we love about this top. It's smooth, stays put well when wet, doesn't float around our body in the water, and stops us from having to apply water-polluting sunscreen every 90 minutes — all for a pretty reasonable price.