How Does Sun-Protective Clothing Work?

Your outdoor wardrobe doesn’t just look great – it also offers a whole host of benefits on the trail. Clothing, hats and other outdoor accessories are some of the most effective, and simplest, ways to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful UV rays. But what is sun-protective clothing? Most people find it much easier to throw on an item of clothing rather than having to lather up with sun cream every couple of hours – particularly when hiking up the fells or exploring a new town. So how does sun-protective clothing work? Find out in our guide below.

So, how much sun protection does clothing provide? Different clothes provide different levels of UV protection, so it will depend on what you wear. As to be expected, long-sleeved shirts, full-length trousers and longer skirts will cover more skin and therefore offer more protection. A tightly woven fabric will also offer more protection than a loosely woven material, while dry clothes will generally offer a safer barrier than wet ones.

The level of protection that your clothing offers will also depend on its UPF rating. Clothes designed specifically for sun protection will come with a grade, but what is the standard UPF rating scale for clothing?

UPF Rating Scale

Now more than ever, brands are creating clothing that promotes the ultraviolet protection factor. The UPF rating scale determines the level of protection that the fabric offers. The UPF is a standard that is used to measure the effectiveness of the sun-protective clothing. The standard UPF rating scale is as follows:

The Craghoppers SolarShield clothing offers UPF40+ protection with 2.5% (or less) UV radiation and 97.5% blocked UVR.

At Craghoppers, we have a great selection of lightweight sun-protective clothing available for men, women and kids. Constructed using denser fabrics with tighter weaves, the SolarShield range offers greater protection against harmful UV rays which has been tried and tested to provide UPF40+ protection.