Posts Tagged swimming
Women’s Rashguards from Columbia Sportswear
For my trip to Hawaii in March, during which I was scheduled to take a surfing lesson (which ended up being thwarted by the tsunami wave surges that hit the islands), I did a ton of Internet surfing (pun!) to find a cute, feminine rashguard that didn’t have a logo emblazoned across the chest. Turns out, I couldn’t find many that also had a relatively low collar. (I can’t stand turtlenecks or choker necklaces.)
I was thrilled to find two different styles from Columbia Sportswear that fit the bill: the Women’s Triton Time Long Sleeve Rashguard and the Women’s Triton Time Sleeveless Rashguard. To be totally honest, I totally wished that Columbia offered a short sleeve version without the shelf bra; that’s really what I was looking for. But because I couldn’t decide if I wanted the full arm coverage of the long sleeve or the back-and-shoulder-only coverage of the sleeveless, I ended up purchasing both!
Both surf shirts are super flattering. Yes, the polyester/stretch-jersey blend hugs my curves, but it’s not too tight anywhere. The silhouette on each — slightly flared at the hips — is feminine (unlike some boxy rash guards I came across in my online shopping). I absolutely adore the darling design accents: across the front and sides of the sleeveless (which actually has short cap sleeves) and on the arms side of the chest on the long sleeve. These whimsical patterns just make the rash guards pretty, again, not a characteristic you often see in such sporty shirts.
Two more key selling points: The shirts feature Columbia’s quick-drying Omni-Wick fabric and Omni-Shade UPF 50 sun protection. Truly, these shirts are practical and cute.
One pointer: If you wear your Columbia rashguard in the ocean, be sure to rinse it out thoroughly afterwards, preferably with soap, or if you can, run it through a washing machine before wearing again. I wore my Columbia rashguards while stand-up paddling in Hawaii, and then when I went to put it on again for a snorkel trip later that week, it was pretty stinky. Turns out, I’d just laid it out to dry without giving it a thorough rinse.
The Columbia Sportswear rashguards are reasonably priced on the company website: $45 for the long sleeve (4 colors) and $35 for the short sleeve (3 colors).
Columbia Sportswear also makes rashguards for kids, also featuring the Omni-Shade and Omni-Wick fabric. Some styles are on sale now at Amazon.com.
Posted by Kara in General Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on May 26th, 2011
O’Neill Rash Guard Shirts for Sun Protection
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
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Kids and Family on August 11th, 2010
Look Ma, No Sunscreen! Body Glove Swim Shirts
Among my list of least favorite things to do on vacation is to repeatedly slather on sunscreen. Yeah, I know there are a dozen good reasons why I need to do it, but sometimes it’s a lot easier to just sit in the shade or wear a shirt.
So when I saw this Body Glove shirt featured on a half-price sale at Sierra Trading Post, I tossed it into my virtual shopping cart. I have been using it the past few weeks when I went snorkeling, boogie boarding, and playing with my kid in swimming pools. I don’t wear it all the time as that’s a surefire way to end up with a clearly delinated farmer’s tan, but it has seriously lessened the amount of sunscreen I’ve had to apply to my body on heavy swimming days.
There’s nothing very complicated about these shirts. They cling to your body, staying in place while you move around, and keep the sun’s rays from hitting your skin. Some Spandex, some nylon, and a little pull tab at the bottom to help you get it off your wet body.
That “cling to your body” part means they work better for some body types than others, however. When I pulled mine out of the box I thought they had sent a kid’s size by mistake. It fit though, exposing every little bulge in the process.
If you’ve got a hardbody and six-pack abs, you’ll look fantastic in one of these. If you’ve got a little extra around the middle like me, it’s all going to show. If you’ve got more flab than that or need some enhancing/downplaying of some area in normal clothes, well, this won’t exactly flatter your figure.
Body Glove shirts come in a wide variety of styles and colors, so you can probably find one that matches your bathing suit bottom reasonably well. There’s a whole professional line for surfers and scuba divers, so it’s kind of hard to find what you need on the Body Glove site. Dig around elsewhere instead if your patience is limited.
For kids you might as well go all the way and get the long-sleeve version. That way you spend less time hearing them whine each time you need to apply sunscreen. With their whole upper body covered, you’ve got less skin to deal with.
Search the sale rack for Body Glove clothing at Sierra Trading Post, or see the kid’s apparel section.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Kids and Family on July 29th, 2009
