bug protection

Gear Review: KÜHL’s AIRKÜHL™ Men’s Hoody

David Lottmann adventure travel, Clothing Reviews, Gear Reviews, Wilderness Survival , , , ,
KÜHL’s AIRKÜHL™ Men's Hoody Review

I think most people who follow me know I have a thing for “sun-hoodies”. They are literally my favorite type of active outdoor clothing and I’ve had the opportunity to review quite a few different brands. When I saw the KÜHL’s AIRKÜHL™ Men’s Hoody I immediately placed an order. For those who are not aware of what a “sun-hoody” is it’s basically the best thing to happen to outdoor clothing since the use of synthetics! It is by far the BEST protection from both sun/UV and the incoming mosquito/black fly season! Every outdoors-person should own at least one (I won’t disclose how many I currently have in my gear closet).

Let’s start with…

Manufacturer Description:

Incredibly soft with superior moisture management and breathability, KÜHL’s AIRKÜHL™ Men’s Hoody displays excellent abrasion and snag resistance for increased durability. Maximum sun protection (UPF 50+) paired with odor resistant properties keep you fresh and confident throughout the day.

KÜHL’s AIRKÜHL™ Men's Hoody Review
I also have one in this “Sea Breeze” color! Photo from Kuhl.com

ADVANCED FABRICS

  • Fabric: 85% Ultra-soft premium Polyester 15% Spandex | 147 GSM

CARE INSTRUCTIONS

  • Machine wash cold
  • Do not bleach
  • Tumble dry low

DIFFERENT BY DESIGN

  • Saddle-stitched seams for less bulk
  • Elastic binding at hood opening and sleeves
  • Five-panel hood constructed to lay flat without bulk when not in use
  • Featuring the original thumb loop

DIFFERENT BY CONSTRUCTION

  • High moisture-wicking
  • Open-air construction for advanced breathability
  • Odor-resistant infused fabric keeps you fresh longer so you can wash less and wear more
  • Abrasion-resistant/snag-resistant
  • UPF 50+ sun protection

Performance

KÜHL’s AIRKÜHL™ Men's Hoody Review

Sun-hoodie season is from the end of April to the late September so I spend a lot of days wearing one of these! I can tell from the weight of the fabric KÜHL has found a great balance in lightweight comfort and durability. I’ve worn mine for about 20 days so far this season without washing so I can attest to the “odor-resistant” technology. My wife would let me know right? The weave is somehow a bit tighter than other models which reduces snagging but is still super soft and breathable. Using the size chart I went for a size large and it fits great, just slightly snug in the forearms.

Summary

If you have already joined the sun-hoodie movement then you already know how great these are! KÜHL has joined a few other top-of-the-line companies in producing a seriously excellent sun-hoodie and this one is available and in-stock in 4 different colors (I’m really partial to the two lighter colors, Sea Breeze and Cloud Gray). A slightly different model is offered in womens, the KÜHL ENGINEERED™ HOODY. A great addition to any outdoor wardrobe made by an ethical company! A couple more KUHL reviews will be coming soon!

See you in the mountains,

Northeast Alpine Start

Disclaimer: The author purchased this item with his own money. Affiliate links help support this blog! Thank you.

Gear Review- REI Co-op Sahara Sun Hoodie for Kids!

David Lottmann Clothing Reviews, Gear Reviews, hiking, hiking , , , , ,

REI Co-op Sahara Sun Hoodie Kids Review

Our family is a sun hoody family. Any one who hikes or climbs with me knows I won’t stop singing the praises of the sun hoody. Earlier this Spring as the bug season arrived I went through my gear closet to take stock of how many sun hoody’s we currently have in rotation (3 for me, 2 for my wife, none for the kids!?).

Getting my kids to enjoy outdoor time is especially important to me given how much screen time they are getting due to school being almost 100% online during the current pandemic, so I didn’t hesitate to order them both new sun hoody’s from REI. We went with the REI-Co-op Sahara Sun Hoodie for kids.

Quality

These are as nice as the adult versions I have tested from various quality manufacturers. With a 50+ UPF rating we don’t go through as much sun block as we usually would. The material is soft to the touch, comfortable on bare skin, and super breath-able. Alex (age 8) likes the thumb holes which keep the sleeves down and provide some extra coverage to the back of his hands. Madalena (age 4) loves the color purple.

REI Co-op Sahara Sun Hoodie Kids Review

Sizing

REI makes a full size range from XXS (4-5 years) to XL (18 years). We got the XXS for our almost 5 year old daughter who is on the small side. It fit her great and we are expecting to get a second summer out of it. For our almost 9 year old son who is on the slightly tall side we got him the M (10-12 years) size and it definitely was not too big for him… we expect to get a second summer or two out of his!

REI Co-op Sahara Sun Hoodie Kids Review

Effectiveness

With 50 SPF on such thin breathable fabric wearing these keeps the kids cooler than just wearing a t-shirt. While thin we haven’t noticed an mosquito getting through the fabric, though we do take the extra precaution of treating them with Sawyer Permethrin Clothing and Gear Repellent. This is another product we use every Spring. I treat one pair of hiking pants for each of us, and all of our sun hoodies, and one pair of hiking shoes each. There is simply not a more effective way of really repelling mosquitos, black flies, and ticks than using this clothing treatment. You can literally walk through a tick infested field of tall grass with pure immunity.

REI Co-op Sahara Sun Hoodie Kids Review

Summary

Sun hoodies are still a relatively new addition in the outdoor clothing market and a know a lot of people haven’t caught on yet. Once you start wearing one on a hot humid summer day though you’ll see the light (or the shade) that keeps you cooler and lets you play outside with less greasy sunblock and less toxic on skin bug repellents. For a couple years we couldn’t find kid sized sun hoodies so it’s great to see a company like REI making these for our little ones!

Find the Saraha Sun Hoodie for kids HERE

Shop all sun hoodies on REI here

See you in the mountains,

Northeast Alpine Start

These items were purchased with our own money. Affiliate links help support this blog. Thank you.

How to: Surviving “Bug Season”

David Lottmann adventure travel, Climbing Education, hiking, Misc Reviews, Tech Tips , ,

After a long snowy winter many climbers and hikers are chomping at the chance to get on some dry Spring rock and trail. Unfortunately right around this time many insects are chomping at the chance to chomp on us! Namely:

Black-flies

Gnats

Mosquitoes

Ticks

Black Diamond Alpine Start Hoody Review
Black flies try to fly away with my climbing partner Tom on White Ledge in Albany, NH. How many black flies can you count?

In this post I’d like to share some of my favorite strategies to keep the dreaded “bug season” from keeping you from enjoying what it is you do in the mountains! To combat these four little buggers we will use a four-pronged approach! First…

Clothing

Step 1: The first line of defense should be clothing. Everyone knows long-sleeves and pants are preferable for bug protection but they seem so hot when the temperature and humidity is high right? Well some long-sleeve options actually feel cooler than going shirtless! Here’s my current favorite tops when dealing with an onslaught of bloodthirsty insects and warm temps!

Patagonia Sunshade Technical Hoody
The Patagonia Sunshade Technical Hoody

Patagonia Sunshade Technical Hoody (Women’s Here)

I have a detailed review of this staple of my outdoor clothing kit here, but the gist of it is every New England climber (and possibly every climber/traveler everywhere) should own this piece. Solid UPF protection and bug protection in a super comfy hoodie. Win win win.

Black Diamond Alpine Start Hoody Review

Black Diamond Alpine Start Hooded Jacket (Women’s Here)

This ultralight ultra-breathable hooded “wind-shirt” is an excellent physical barrier for Cannon Cliff’s renowned alpine tough black-flies. You can see my detailed review of this piece here.

As for pant protection there are a ton of solid choices out there so a lot of it comes down to personal preference/style. I’m a fan of the Black Diamond Modernist Rock Pants but there are so many good options out there as long as you treat them with Step 2:

Permethrin

rock climbing bug protection

Step 2: I’ve used this stuff on my clothes from Peru to Okinawa to my home-state of New Hampshire with a season blatantly called “bug season” and I’m 100% convinced it is the most effective and safe option for true bug protection. You can Goggle all the research in the world on this product but I’ll just leave the highlights here:

  1. It is for clothing/gear/shoes… not skin.
  2. It dries in a few hours after treating and is then 100% safe to humans, no “leaching” into your sweaty skin
  3. It lasts for weeks even with washing (I only treat my “bug season” outfit once a year each Spring)
  4. While safe for almost all mammals it is not safe with cats for some reason. Do not spray your cat with this.

Pro-tip: treat your approach/hiking shoes and you will likely never find a tick crawling up your leg unless the grass you walk through is higher than your shoes. Treat your hiking pants and shirt and wade through fields of ticks with little worry. You can pick up a bottle cheap on Amazon here.

Timing

Black Diamond Vapor Helmet Review
The author topping out the Northeast Ridge of the Pinnacle, Mount Washington. Photo by Brent Doscher

Step 3: Generally bug season in the US is from early April to early May but in the White Mountains it’s a usually a little later, and Spring we’ve had some prolonged late season cold and snow that has pushed it back a bit further than normal. I’ve only seen two ticks on my so far and haven’t seen my first mosquito yet, while southern NH is probably getting into the thick of it as I type this. Also biting things are most active an hour after sunrise and an hour before sunset. Climbing mid-day might help reduce bloody interactions.

DEET/PICARIDIN

rock climbing new hampshire bug season

Step 4: I have long carried a small 4 oz bottle of DEET as a last resort when all the above measures fall to protect from an onslaught of thirsty flying things. Both products are effective, but Picaridin is showing more appeal as it is definitely less toxic to both us and the plastics/nylon we come in contact with. Regardless of which you use, I recommend trying the first three steps on my list and carrying a small bottle of this as a “last resort”.

Summary

Protecting yourself from biting insects and the diseases they can carry should be more thought-out then just stepping out of the car and soaking yourself (and your kids) with an aerosol can of bug dope. Hopefully some of these tips can help keep you bite-free while you are out doing what you do!

See you in the mountains,

Northeast Alpine Start



Affiliate links support this blog.