General Cycling Discussion - SPF Clothing! Ever got a sunburn through your clothes?

Ever got a sunburn through your clothing?

Yes. Always light, summer weight fabrics. You're not going to get a burn through a heavy, cotton work shirt.

no

yep. Badly... Got blistered back and was unable to move or lay on my back for 2 days.

I now wear Craghopper gear which has a crazy SPF rating for it. :) Really nice stuff. Its what I ride in (craghopper kiwi trousers) even. :)

Craghopper? Never heard of it, but I'm going to take a look right now.

Yeah, well im based in the UK but I think they are a worldwide clothing company :)

They also have "solardry" or something, all I know is that when im absolutely soaked through and in a cotton t-shirt. My trousers are dry from body heat in normally under 5 minutes. T-shirt stays soaked all night :D lol.

Oh and they have a lifetime guarantee too... any rips or tears, just send em back and get a new pair :) they've got double stitching and double panels in the knees and stuff to minimise risk of tearing. Really nice clothes :)

ah there we go... the Solardry fabric also has 40+ SPF rating. :)

I'm having trouble imagining how it is possible to burn through your clothes. It takes hours to burn exposed skin ....... cover your skin with something (clothing, the slightest coating of a mild sunscreen, or whatever) and there aren't enough daylight hours for any burning to take place. It's August, after repeatedly exposing my skin to the sun, before there's even any hint of a tan!

It doesnt take hours to burn exposed skin at all. I've burnt in under 20 minutes. my 2 hr bike ride home from work last sunday burnt the top of my forehead to an angry red (close to blistering) due to the sun being positioned just perfectly on my hairline.

When I was in Kenya in 2000, I was burnt through 2 layers of shirts, I had a hat and a tshirt shoved in the back of it to shield my neck, yet I still got sunburnt. Trekking for 6hrs in sunlight got my one side of my body burnt, the other... untouched.

This was after using SPF 30 sunscreen and sunblock on my face, and reapplying every 20 mins or so on any exposed skin :)

People think a T Shirt will shield them from the UVA and UVB but unless they are specifically stated for doing so its very rare that they will. They offer more protection than nothing, but its still possible to get burnt.

I think where you ride will have a huge effect to whether you burn through clothes or not.
I have been in the sun for 4 hour rides and still have a torso that will blind you when I take my shirt off.
Someone riding up in the Great North will be able to ride for hours on end, someone riding near the equator could burn through in a short time.

Uh huh. High altitude, latitude, and time of year (angle of sun) make all the difference.

Okay so maybe its me, but I live in New Jersey and never got a burn through my clothes. I have vacationed in Mexico and never got a burn through my clothes. My father who can burn exposed skin in minutes regardless of locale, has never gotten a burn through clothes.

I'm pale and burn in minutes in the right latitude, but I've never burnt through my clothing. Sounds like I've been lucky.

Here ya go. Mainly swimwear. Blocks 98 percent of UVA and UVB rays. The board shorts provide up to the maximum SPF of 50.

http://www.girls4sport.com/fabric.shtml

I'm pale and burn in minutes in the right latitude, but I've never burnt through my clothing. Sounds like I've been lucky.

Not so sure it is luck, if you look at the poll, only two people out of 22 ever got a burn through their clothes.

I live in Central Florida and burning is a common thing down here. I have never been burnt through clothing but I don't wear really light weight stuff and I tan reasonably well.

I know some people who claim to have been burnt through clothing. All of these people were the burn and never tan types. I suspect it was a combination of very light clothes and a very high vulnerability to burning that causes this.

The only clothing I've ever burned through is my birthday suit.

I wish I did, I wouldn't look like I'm wearing a jersey when I'm on the beach. :P

Iam aware of this problem because a couple years ago we visited South America. There where the ozone layer is supposedly in jeopardy, street clothes are rated for UV protection. UV penetrates some fabrics. But, I personally have never experienced the problem.