Greece in May, SPF/UPF long sleeve zip top

I am sensitive to the sunlight--I get a painful red rash (not sunburn) when skin is exposed for more than a short period of time. I was in Greece for two weeks last June. I brought three different colored zip-up UPF hoodies. I wore them over a short-sleeved (non-cotton) t-shirt (Royal Robbins travel tech tee). Keep in mind that a cotton shirt is going to hold on to moisture (sweat) underneath the polyester UPF fabric. You may think about going with two polyester layers.

The brand I brought to Greece (Kuhl) are not clingy or sticky. They are my favorites. That being said, they discontinued them so I can't recommend them to you.

I own several other brands of shirts/jackets that have UPF protection. Some are thicker, some are thinner. I absolutely hate the thick one I ordered online. It's too hot. I don't mind wearing the thin ones. Yes, I probably get warmer than if I didn't wear them, but I don't have a choice. It's better than the painful rash that lasts 2 weeks!

I have the Athleta Pacifica Illume full zip. It's thin but not as soft as others I own. I like it though because sometimes I don't want a hood. I have some of the Coolibar products. Be careful ordering from them--sizing is quirky and returns aren't free. One of their UPF "jackets" I ordered was really thick. I only wear it in the fall or spring. I've ordered from BloqUV. Their fabric is soft and nice and cool. No complaints about BloqUV other than most of their styles are for women younger than me! I also have FreeFly shirts. I like the softness, but they ALL pill after one wear.

If you have a sporting goods store close to you, your best option may be to visit it and feel the thickness of the fabric. Go for something on the thinner side, and you should be fine in May.

Have you considered something like a wash in sunscreen for your regular clothes? Like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Nakoma-Prod-Phoenix-83590-Rit-Guard/dp/B007MSJ41Y/ref=asc_df_B007MSJ41Y/?tag=&linkCode=df0&hvadid=416655427402&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1917016169216408386&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1019973&hvtargid=pla-908265822884&ref=&adgrpid=93357453585&th=1

I have used it on clothes like a cotton or linen shirt. It doesn't change the feel at all.

Consider arm sleeves. They have SPF protection and can convert any short sleeve shirt into a long sleeve. I use them when i go biking so that i don't have to apply sun tan lotion. You can peel them off if you feel too hot. You can dampen them to cool down. You could add them as part of layering if you are dealing with cold weather.

https://www.amazon.com/SportsTrail-Sleeves-Women-Tatoo-Cover/dp/B07C4YJYY2/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?crid=2HGTQT93HDHD1&keywords=arm+sleeves&qid=1676250191&sprefix=arm+sleeves%2Caps%2C169&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzMDlHMjBFWlNNUzcwJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDU2ODcyWk42QUU5N0pSMzFKJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAyODMyNjIxUFRGUE5TUE1KSjZOJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfcGhvbmVfc2VhcmNoX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

I rode horses for years. Arizona is hot. I’ve had melanoma. The absolutely best sunshirt I wear is Kerrits. Look at their Ice Fil shirts. Lightweight, breathable and cooler than wearing short sleeves because your arms are protected from the sun, zip front with stand up neck. If you hand wash when traveling, they dry over night

Arm sleeves are a good option if the OP doesn't need to cover the neck area. I have hand covers from Solbari and really like them. I have to keep my neck covered as well--all the way up my neck. If I don't, that's where I will always get a rash. My wide-brimmed sun hat doesn't shade my neck.

Thanks for all the replies and ideas. I really wanted to hear that something like that could really work in summer heat, so thanks for that, sibday. I’ve been looking online at the different brands suggested and will go to our Athleta in town too.
Truly never heard wash in sunscreen for clothes. Thanks for that Laurie Ann.

I live in Texas and wear swim tees at the lake all the time when we boat but I have to say I still feel more comfortable in cotton when I’m not in or near the water. I know synthetics are better for moisture wicking but they always feel somewhat odd to me.
This will be my first overseas trip that isn’t fall or early spring and I keep running into people who tell me it will be hot and muggy in Greece so I want to be prepared. Thanks for the input.

You might also look at the Columbia Women's PFG Tamiami II UPF 40 Long Sleeve Fishing Shirt. It has long sleeves that can be rolled up, zippered pockets, fairly flattering cut and comes to loads of colors. Not cheap but then it could be worn over most anything.

Horsewoofie (post above) is right...look at sunblock shirts made for horse riding. I have several, and Kerrits is an excellent moderately priced brand.
Find them at doversaddlery.com.

I am highly sun sensitive. I live in REI Sahara and Eddie Bauer button front sunshirts. They can be worn alone or over a tee as a shirt jacket.

I was seduced into buying the Eddie Bauer Departure 2 Shirt which is UPF 50 last summer. I follow the Fashion Travel Girl blog and she's gone on and on and onnnnnn about this shirt for years. I finally succumbed and then had buyers remorse because it's WHITE. I am a slob and don't travel with white! Well, took it to Italy, wore it literally every day over a Tee shirt for 3 weeks and it never showed dirt. I am not heat tolerant so was worried it would be hot but it wasn't. There are some sales going on on various colors if you decide to try. It is button front instead of zip though.

I also have sunsleeves from Outdoor Research which I've had for several years. They are supposed to be "cooling" as they have some kind of "beads" embedded but they are not really. I do find in a very dry climate such as Yellowstone I can use them for cooling if I lightly spray water on them.

I have a Coolibar hoodie I just got so I have not worn it but I love the color (bright aqua) which goes with my capsule wardrobe colors, lol. I also have Coolibar fingerless gloves which I wear often in the summer if I have on a long sleeve shirt and want the backs of my hands covered. They work well but I got the light pink and they get dingy quickly.

We are going to want a Trip Report when you return home to know what items you wound up with and how they worked!

I hiked for a week in Crete last May and wore a long sleeve white button down shirt over another light tank top or t-shirt everyday. The shirt was from Sun Precautions and has 100% SPF https://www.sunprecautions.com/product/17650. I never got a sunburn even though it was hot on a few days. The shirt did show dirt after a long hike but I hand washed it and it dried overnight. It does come in other colors. The tailored style is flattering and it can be dressed up if needed. I also sized up as recommended.

Like @cj-traveler, I have a few of the Columbia shirts

There are a wide range of colors and sizes but the most important feature to me is the lack of breast pockets. I would never use a breast pocket and I think they look terrible on me. I generally wear these over a shirt or swimsuit and they have zip side pockets which I do appreciate.

Thanks to Pam’s suggestion I have an Eddie Bauer shirt in tall on order. I saw it in the store and I think it will be a good choice. There’s also a brand on Amazon that appeals. It has one chest pocket but it is more low key and doesn’t make you think of safaris like some of them do😁. The brand is Little Donkey Andy, Womens spf 50+. I’ll report back on how the warm/hot weather wardrobe works out.

Sierra Trading Post currently has several Columbia UPF shirts at a great price - $19.99.

Lots of great suggestions. I have collected several of the Columbia shirts referenced up thread. I recall it was a popular shirt with our Greece tour members! We were there in the month of September. It did the job for the warm weather. I was recently looking at our photos and I was wearing it at the Acropolis. Lol. I also like the Carve Design shirt that I bought at REI. Lightweight gauze & breathable. I took it to Central Europe.
Enjoy Greece!

Thanks to Pam and Wanderer, I now have the Columbia shirt on order. My finger hovered over Pam’s recommendation, but the no chest pockets on Wanderer’s suggestion seduced me. I have enough going on on my chest without adding pockets. LOL Now I really need to lock my finger up and stop buying things for my Camino walk. Two hiking outfits and something to sleep in done, so I need to just stop…

I also have a Columbia Tamiami shirt that I've brought to Florida a bunch of times. It's a great shirt!

But, because nothing is perfect and I'm always finding a reason to get something for a trip..... I also was looking around for LS shirt for our Greece trip this summer. I specifically wanted something button-down that I would most often wear unbuttoned over a dress or sleeveless shirt for sun protection or for going inside chilly buildings. I also wanted it to be lightweight enough to stuff into my very small day bag, since I'm not planning to wear it all day every day, but I want to have it along just in case.

I considered my Tamiami shirt, which almost fits the bill, except that I find that the shirt is a bit bulkier/heavier than what I really want. It's a little too much to jam it into a little ball and stuff it into a corner of my day bag.

So, I ordered a different Columbia shirt: Women's Silver Ridge Lite Long Sleeve Shirt. It's on sale for $21.98 right now and available in a bunch of colors. I got white, which I will probably regret :-/

This shirt is quite a bit thinner and lighter than the Tamiami shirt and wads up very nicely into a tiny ball :-) It does have those unfortunate breast pockets and the too-loud Columbia tag, which I hate. I managed to surgically remove the tag from my Tamiami shirt, but it's sown in pretty well to the Silver Ridge pocket. Grrrr. But for my trip, I think the Silver Ridge shirt will work very nicely.

Just another suggestion.

One other suggestion: Title Nine has a great selection of sun shirts and protective clothing:

https://www.titlenine.com/sun-shirts-and-swim-shirts/

https://www.titlenine.com/upf-swimwear-sun-protective-clothing/

I have a ton of clothing from Title Nine and am very happy with the quality. In the UPF lineup, I have the Blocker Hoodie Dress and love, love, love it; I wore it every day, all day, when we were in Turks and Caicos last summer. It's too casual to bring to Europe, but don't think I haven't thought about it! But there are a bunch of other options that might work well for travel.

Happy shopping!

“I got white, which I will probably regret.” I have a couple Columbia shirts in white. I sink washed the shirt along the way and it was fine. Did not regret bringing white! I also have it in black which also looks good open over a T-shirt.

We are spoiled for choices! Several different companies have been posted which are new to me. I appreciate the posts.

Lyn…hope it works for you!

Wray!!! Omg…laughing at locking your finger up!

For style, you can look carefully for any summery, sun-soaked, sport-specific shirts. Look for fishing shirts and sun shirts at REI's site and then cross-reference all of the brands to find sale prices. Light and comfortable synthetics, some are treated for UPF, others are super-tightly woven. These garments often have extendable collars and convenient tabs for rolled up sleeves. The fabrics and designs are specifically created for activities and professions (like surveyors and archeologists) where all-day sun protection is important. I have several shirts from Columbia, REI, Patagonia. Also sun sleeves for cycling.

However, Your requirement for a zipper reduces your options to only a few expensive items.

https://www.rei.com/c/womens-shirts?ir=category%3Awomens-shirts&r=c%3Bfeatures%3ASun-Protective+Fabric%3Bfeatures%3AMoisture+Wicking%3Bsleeve-length%3ALong+Sleeve%3Bhood%3AHoodless%3Bshirt-type%3AButton-up

Very timely post for me! We are rafting the Colorado river (yikes, in June), so this Alaskan is wanting to protect my pasty skin from the hot, hot sun. I will be checking out some of these suggestions! Thanks everyone!

Check out www.Coolibar.com and Land End. Both have SPF clothing