Posts Tagged Body Glove

Even when I’m not using difficult natural sunscreen, I find slathering lotion all over my body about as much fun as repeatedly pulling weeds in the garden. So I wear a sun hat while walking around and will slip into a rash guard shirt if I’m boogie boarding or snorkeling on the coast.

In a moment that made me realize why I like shopping at REI in person sometimes, I asked the sales rep what the difference was between the Body Glove rash guard shirt I was holding in one hand and the less expensive O’Neill one I was holding in the other. “Nothing really,” he replied. “Just buy the one that fits better and looks better.”

This is the third one of these things I’ve owned (see my Body Glove review here) and I was glad to hear that my hunch was the reality. Any brand you pick will do a good job of keeping you from getting sunburned and keeping you from rubbing your skin raw if you surf or ride a boogie board for hours. The Body Glove one I reviewed in the past did the job and looked good; so does this O’Neill version.

These cost a bit more than a regular wicking t-shirt, but not much. This one had a list price of $34 on it and I got it a bit cheaper on sale. Sometimes you can find various models for less than $20 on close-out sales at Sierra Trading Post or Campmor.

So what are you getting exactly? A very stretchy, strong, and fast-drying Nylon/Spandex shirt that feels like a second skin. It offers an SPF sun protection of 50+ for UV rays, so you can spend all day in the water and just have to reapply lotion to the arms and legs. (Or you can buy a long-sleeve version and have even less skin to worry about.) You can’t see it in the photos, but there’s a little tab at the bottom to help you pull it off when it’s wet and clingy.

Naturally these rash guard shirts are lightweight and easy to pack, but be advised that every curve and love handle will show up when you’re wearing one of these, so they’re meant for people in decent physical shape—as in six-pack abs, not a big Joe six-pack gut. (Of course all your kids will care about is the color, so get one for them regardless.)

If you’ve got a really fast connection and lots of time to wait for pages to load, see the whole collection at Oneill.com. Or get your sun protection swim shirt (at what may be a late-summer discount) at your local surf shop or at one of the following:

Search O’Neill swim shirt prices online

Search for rash guard swim shirts at Campmor or Sierra Trading Post

O’Neill Skins Rash Tee Rashguard – Women’s version at REI

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