jaranth

I've dug around the forum, which has a lot of posts on sun wear, but I want to ask something more specific...

What is your experience using sun sleeves (and leg sleeves and/or other sun-protection clothes) in temperatures over 100+ deg. F (or 38+ C) ?

The sun here in Texas during Summer can be pretty darn hard core. Right now as I type, the temp is 103 F. Throughout August, it can sometimes rise upwards to 115 F... and I don't even want to think about how hot the roads (and my tires) are actually getting.

I gather from reading other posts that sun sleeves work pretty well compared to bare skin in temps under 100, but for this native Texan, temps under 100 are nothing. For 100+ weather, it's more important (for me) to stay cool, and if sun sleeves even add 1 degree of heat buildup, well that's no good... I'd choose just stick with spray-on sun screen, even though I dislike it.

All comments and suggestions welcome!

fietsbob

If it aint A Race Loose is better than Tight .. other than wanting The Look of racer types .

There were several reasons those Cowboys wore white cotton long sleeve Shirts with Collars..

Glad I don't live there.

LilWashu

I'll just chime in with my experience with sun sleeves and you can take it for what you will. I am in MD so temperature-wise, we only really creep into the 90s, but we can get some nasty humidity. I primarily started using them because I did not like to (and just didn't) keep applying sunscreen, so they were my alternative.

When I would use them dry, I would say they do add a couple of degrees to your operating temperature; however, whenever it is hot/humid here, I squirt some water on the sleeves every now and them to keep them damp. Even on hot and humid days, this definitely makes me feel cooler than having my arms out there without the sleeves. With (typically) lower humidity in Texas, the evaporate effect of doing this should be even greater for you I would expect. It does of course use up some of your water.

I would say you would probably need to give it a try on your own to see if it works for you. For me, it was really the sunscreen value that made me start using them.

Marcus_Ti

Sun sleeves rock. A million times better than sun-screen, which I find clogs my pores and gets washed out from sweat inside an hour.

/Nebraska who puts up with as much heat and humidity as you.

SlowAndSlower

I wear a loose long sleeve jersey and a Da Brim on the helmet. It seems to be a good combination and I don't need to use any sun block. I ride with bare legs, no sun block, though.

I do occasionally use arm coolers and they are cooler than bare skin and maybe even cooler than my loose long sleeve jerseys as they seem to wick away the sweat better. And I don't have as much sweat draining into my gloves either. But I still I prefer the loose long sleeve jerseys.

shelbyfv

I've only used them in the 90's. I'm not sure they are cooler and I find I don't use them regularly. Sometimes I carry them in my pocket and put them on later in the day when the sun is more of an issue. They are inexpensive and I think the best advice is to try them for yourself.

bikepro

Also in Texas, I've used arm coolers for a few years now. You need to wear them all the time to get used to them. If the first time you use them is when it's 100+, they'll last about 10 minutes before you take them off. They also help to minimize the risk of dehydration since you have less skin exposed. I'm experimenting with leg/knee coolers. The knee coolers work pretty good without looking like your wearing long underwear.

Pidge

I'm in dry West Texas, and tried sleeves for the first time this year like 2 or 3 times so far. Mid to high 90's all those times. First time was pretty unbearable, but the other times were a little better and I noticed slight difference for the better. For 100+ with humidity it sounds pretty horrible either way :/.

Dahon.Steve

I wear only one arm sleeve because of an injury. The first thing I do is drench the entire sleeve in cold water and put it on! (I would do this with my jersey). It will make you instantly cooler for about 30-45 minutes. After that, you simply take your water bottle and drench the entire arm all over again. Do this three or four times and you don’t notice it after a while. Also, it doesn’t take a lot of water to wet the sleeve.

Finally, get one that's fairly thin and WHITE!

https://www.amazon.com/NBA-Shooting-A...ketball+sleeve

Machka 

I like my arm coolers up into the low 30s ... and then they get too hot and I switch to sunscreen.

Leebo

I like a thin, loose polypro top.

pdlamb

In 40-70% humidity, sun sleeves are OK for me up to about 85F. Beyond that, I'd rather put on sunscreen. Watering the sleeves helps some, but when you get to the point where you're dripping sweat, skip the extra layer.

Of course, YMMV. Try a pair and see how it works for you.

Nachoman

I've got a pair of white pearl izumi arm coolers that seem significantly lighter and thinner than any other coolers I've ever seen.

tangerineowl

I wear them all the time in summer, as I burn easily.
Gets over 45C on the road many days.
Don't find them hot at all; quite cooling really, as you sweat.

If you've got skinny arms the tricky thing is finding ones which don't slide down at the top.
Currently using golf marketed ones; nice and tight.

Nachoman

Totally agree. I have a pair of Rapha sleeves (they're actually warmers, not coolers), that just won't stay up at the top.
Long story short, I did upper body work out at the gym for about a month or so, and all of a sudden they fit fine. Ha!

MMLC

Shave your arms and legs. It is amazing how much a little hair can make you hot. Also Shave your head, not only is it cooler, if you do a lot of miles you get a freaky tiger stripe tan on your head.