gear that works

On a particularly hot & humid day last summer I came across a fellow guide sporting a long sleeve hoodie while guiding a couple of clients up the scorching Whitehorse Slabs. I thought he must be cooking in a long-sleeve hoodie (hood up) but he assured me he was quite comfortable. The garment in question? The Patagonia Men’s Sunshade Technical Hoodie.

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PATAGONIA MEN'S SUNSHADE TECHNICAL HOODY — PATAGONIA MEN’S SUNSHADE TECHNICAL HOODY

Interestingly this piece is marketed towards “flats fishing”. I’ll be honest and say I wasn’t sure what that was so I googled it. One of the first images was from http://www.flyfishingpatagonia.com:

cuba-flats-fishing — Image from http://www.flyfishingpatagonia.com/

So think tropic, hot, no shade, UV reflection from above & below. Got it?

Here’s Patagonia’s official description:

“On tropical Pacific atolls, the only thing more ferocious than a feeding GT is the sun. Fortunately, our Sunshade Technical Hoody, with its ultralight 3.54-oz polyester double-knit fabric and 25-UPF sun protection, offers full upper-body coverage and a cool, airy feel. Thumb holes pull the sleeves down to cover hands, built-in sun mask and hood fit easily over a baseball cap, reinforced stretch-woven inner forearms and side panels protect against abrasion and a convenient zippered pocket holds a few essentials. The Sunshade proudly flies a heat-transfer Fitz Roy Tarpon logo on the back. When the flats heat up, don’t wilt. Just throw on a Sunshade and keep fishing.”

So what is this piece doing on climbing guides in the White Mountains of New Hampshire at the 44th parallel north? It is the perfect hot weather piece with the added un-advertised benefit of being BLACK FLY PROOF!

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Today was my last test run before I wanted to post up about it. We hiked 2 miles to an outback cliff as the mercury rose to 80 degrees. Humidity was mild given early season but we still worked up a sweat reaching the cliff. As soon as we dropped packs at the base of the climb we were swarmed by the black flies Mt. Chocurua is known for. It reminded me of a particularly trying day on nearby White Ledge last June. Here’s a pic to show the ferocity of these beasts on this mountain:

Despite still being warm from the hike in just my EMS Techwick T-shirt I threw the Patagonia Sunshade Hoodie on while we flaked out the rope and racked up. Instant relief from the onslaught of insects was had as the super thin hood fits easily under my climbing helmet keeping these blood suckers out of my ears. I also felt like I was cooling down faster than if I had just stayed in my t-shirt on this south facing cliff.

I wore it while leading all 4 pitches of this moderate south facing slab route and for the whole hike out. At just under 7 ounces this hoodie will be a staple in my summer guiding kit from now to cooler Fall temps.

Patagonia has made a few small changes to this seasons model, namely;

The chest pocket now has a vertical zipper instead of horizontal.
The hood is a little more relaxed with a button that allows some adjust-ability. This is a great change as the older model that I tested is quite snug at the neck which can make you feel a bit “closed in” when working really hard. The new design looks like a definite improvement.
They dropped the MRSP $10! This piece retails for $79 which I think is a great value for a piece backed by Patagonia’s excellent Ironclad Guarantee.

If you are fair skinned, or just like to “stay cool” on hot sweltering days you should take a look at this piece! You can buy one directly from Patagonia here or from Backcountry.com below! Also available in womens (without the chest pocket)!

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Disclaimer: I bought this item with my own money from Moosejaw since the new one wasn’t out yet and EVERYONE was sold out of the old one. So… I guess I don’t need a disclaimer. I liked it so much I couldn’t wait to review it! Affiliate links help support this blog.