Sun protection gear tends to fall into two camps: the technical stuff that works but feels like a wetsuit, and the comfy stuff that falls apart the moment you sweat. The REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie, currently discounted by 50 percent as Backpacker's deal of the week, apparently manages both - which is why it keeps landing in the magazine's editors' packs, including one headed to Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail for an upcoming Editors' Choice trip.
The details that matter for anyone who spends long days outside: the fabric is a stretchy polyester-spandex blend rated UPF 50+, so it blocks the vast majority of harmful UV while still moving with you. Raglan sleeves mean no binding when you're hiking, paddling or scrambling. The three-panel hood is generous enough to actually shade your face and neck, with a hidden internal drawstring to cinch it down when the wind picks up.
Performance-wise, the editors report it dried as well as it wicked sweat on hot hikes along the Colorado Trail and during paddling days in the Florida Everglades - a solid sign for anyone travelling somewhere humid, where a soaked shirt that stays soaked is misery. There's also a small but genuinely useful feature: thumbholes in the cuffs, which let you extend coverage over the backs of your hands. Anyone who's finished an alpine day with sunburned knuckles despite diligent sunscreen knows exactly why that matters.
The real endorsement here isn't the spec sheet, though. It's that an editor with a closet full of sun layers keeps reaching for this one even on days when a short-sleeve tee would do. Comfort is the thing that separates a shirt you pack from a shirt you wear, and this hoodie has apparently crossed that line.
For travellers, the timing is good. A UPF hoodie is arguably the single most versatile item for sun-heavy trips - beach holidays, high-altitude treks, desert road trips, lake days - because it replaces layers of sunscreen on your arms, shoulders and neck, and it doesn't wash off in the water. At half price, it's a low-risk addition to a packing list, and REI's house brand typically sits at the affordable end anyway, so the discount makes it a genuine bargain rather than a markup dressed as a sale. If you've got a sun-drenched trip on the calendar, this is the kind of deal worth grabbing before the price snaps back.
Deal reported by Backpacker.
