Most smart people on the beach these days wear sun protection clothing, in and out of the water. It looks like wetsuits or rash shirts used by surfers, made out of lycra which protects the skin from ultraviolet light better than anything else.

Clothing, wet or dry, should be part of a comprehensive sun protection programme that also includes hats with a wide brim all around, eyeglasses that block ultraviolet radiation, sunscreens with SPF 15 or higher for face and hands, and shade, especially between 10 am and 4 pm.

Be 'Clothes' minded when you go swimming

For swimming wear a full length lycra bodysuit or a swimshirt and leggings or boardies or bike shorts, and maybe special beach shoes. These are easy to swim in and dry quickly.

For boating and other outdoor activities you may want to wear quick drying sportswear with a hooded top and long tracksuit pants or robust jeans. If you make sure that it all fits well and doesn't slip down, you'll have a great outfit for fun in and out of the water.

In Australia it is rare these days to see a kid wearing just swimmers (like speedos) or just boardies on the beach. Most teens think that sun protection clothing is cool, but many will wear a rashie and boardies rather than a sunsuit.

Wet clothing loses some sun protection

Wet clothing also poses a problem, with some fabrics, such as cotton, losing up to 50 percent of their SPF. In Florida, for example, it's common practice for parents to put a white T-shirt on their children to protect them from the sun while swimming. What parents don't realise is when this T-shirt gets wet, it actually provides very little sun protection.

Darker clothes protect you better

Darker colored fabrics are better than lighter colors for increased sun protection. For instance, the SPF of a blue cotton T-shirt is 10 versus 7 for white cotton T-shirt which provides only moderate protection from sunburn, less when wet.

At the other end of the spectrum, a long-sleeve dark sweatshirt and denim jeans offer excellent sun protection. Even when wet you get an estimated SPF of around 50.

An easy way to test the amount of sun protection in an article of clothing is to hold it up to a light or window and see how much light passes through the fabric. If a lot of light passes through, it will not provide adequate sun protection and you should opt for a more opaque fabric.

UV Absorbers

Treating fabrics with UV-absorbers such as resins is another common way for clothing manufacturers to increase the SPF of clothing. Recently, specialised laundry detergents that contain sun-protective additives have been introduced to give consumers a temporary way to increase the SPF of clothing between washes.

Two other factors can alter the SPF of clothing are whether the material is stretched or worn wet. Any article of clothing that is stretched in certain areas loses some level of UV protection, because the fabric becomes thinner and more transparent to light.

Know the right fabrics

If you work, swim or play in the sun you should choose clothing that offers UV protection. It's a misconception to think that every form of clothing provides enough sun protection to prevent sunburn. Most of the summer clothes we wear would not get high marks for sun protection. But knowing what types of fabrics and colours to look for is a good start.

Several factors determine the effectiveness of clothing in blocking harmful UV rays, including fabric construction, fibre content and weave, fabric color, finishing processes and the presence of additives. Clothing made of tightly-woven fabric performs the best at protecting skin from the sun. Woven fabrics that have see-through holes between individual threads allow UV rays to penetrate through to the skin and are not recommended for sun protection.

Test Review

A lot of sun protection swimwear is skin tight so you can swim swiftly. The downside is that it can get a bit hot in warm climates, unless you soak it regularly.

An alternative is a loose fitting hoodie. We've tested a Nike hoodie and breathable lightweight nylon shell pants in Thailand. Air temperature was about 35°C and the water of the lake was about 28°C warm. Sunshine was intense. The hoodie didn't feel hot, just cosy and snug.

Dry Test

The fabric is smooth on the outside and fluffy soft on the inside, feels good on the skin. It doesn't hold much water, but soaks up sweat and evaportates it quickly, keeping your skin fairly dry. The loose fit allows plenty of airflow. The hood can be used to protect your head from sunburn.

We tried these hoodies and tracksuit pants while trekking up a hot river valley. This got us a bit warm, but there were plenty of waterfalls to cool off. Once this outfit was wet it felt great, like wearable air-conditioning. However, it dried out soon so another "refill" was needed at the next waterfall.

Next we wore the hoodies and nylon shell pants on our way to the lake which took almost an hour by Tuc-Tuc (a motorised riksha, motorbike on the front, sofa on wheels on the back). The loose fit let a lot of wind through and felt really comfortable.

Swim Test

In the water the hoodie was just as comfortable as on land. It slows down your swimming a bit, but that is not a problem for recreational swimming. The hood comes in handy if the glare from the sun's reflections gets too intense. Just put it up, face away from the sun and you're cool.

After your swim the water runs off quickly leaving it just damp. If you keep it on it will dry out in less than an hour. On cooler days you may want to wear a swimshirt underneath.

Summary

We feel this is sofar the most practical outfit for sun safety and UV protection. It has better circulation than a swimshirt, dries almost as fast and looks good both wet and dry.

Fabric: 71% Polyester, 29% Polybutylene Terepthalate (whatever that is)