By: The Grit Staff
Skin cancer is no joke. My wife's uncle just had surgery on his nose. The only thing worse than skin cancer is the slimy feel of sunscreen all over your skin, clothes, and gear. Once you hit the field you get a bonus layer of dirt mixed in for an uncomfortable mess.
Fly fishing bros like The Grit staff have been wearing sun hoodies for decades. UV blocking poly material is a great alternative to sunscreen, at least for the body parts that are covered by it. As performance apparel breaks into the upland market, we are excited to see such products gain popularity with wingshooters. ‘Supershirt’ sun hoodies work great for everything from ski touring to permit fishing. They'll work well for your next hunting trip too.
Final Rise makes just one performance top, but they do it right. We tested the Sonora Sun Hoody on early season sage grouse hunts in Wyoming. The unseasonably warm early fall sun beat down on us as we followed our dogs through the endless sage.
From the moment we slipped on the Sonora at the tailgate, we felt at home. Oftentimes, sun hoodies are either too baggy or too snug, but we really like the fit of this shirt. It is roomy enough for easy movement and venting, but doesn't leave you with a lot of extra material.
Hot early season conditions were well-managed by the shirt’s moisture wicking abilities. We didn’t experience any of the swampiness that sometimes accompanies synthetic tops. We have yet to test this shirt in cold conditions, but we expect it to perform just as well under a breathable fleece or puffy.
For years, we’ve bounced from one outdoor brand to another in search of sun hoodies with adequate sleeve length for our tall frames, but the Sonora is just spot on perfect. That might make the sleeves a little longish for shorter folks, in which case it could be worth sizing down. Thumbholes adorn the sleeves so you can keep your hands protected from sun and wind.
Hood fit also varies widely on such shirts, but again the Sonora felt like the perfect Goldilocks pick- you can slip the hood easily over a ballcap, but without a lot of excess flapping in the Wyoming wind. The hem drops below the beltline, even with our longer torsos. The shirt’s sleeves are cut just slim enough to show off your guns, without being tight.
The construction of this shirt screams American-made quality. The flat-locked seams are ridiculously robust but very comfortable to the skin. Overall, the feel of this shirt is ‘tough luxury’. It is so pleasant, you don't want to switch it out to anything else. In fact, if you choose to keep it on, the anti-odor treatment will buy you an extra day or two before your hunting partners start to complain.
So what's wrong with it? We noticed several small snags of uncertain origin in the shirt’s material after a few uses. If you tend to struggle with fence crossings, the shirt might not look new for long. While this shirt could easily be a unisex option, smaller women might find even the Small size too roomy. We are both over 6 feet tall, and the Medium size fit us perfectly.
At 110.00 retail, the Sonora is also undeniably expensive. Similar shirts are 20 to 50 dollars cheaper from leading outdoor brands. However, this shirt is designed exceptionally well, so we think it's still a good value. Why buy three or four mediocre shirts, when you can buy one that you love enough to wear on every single hunt?
You’ll still have to put sunscreen on your face, but otherwise expect the Sonora Sun Hoody to keep you covered all season, from September sharptails to January Mearn’s.
*The Grit was supplied with testing samples. We were not otherwise compensated by the manufacturer for this review.
