This seems silly

[ckay87]

I just bought a pair of zip-off pants by Columbia for outdoors/hiking, etc. On several tags, it was advertised that the pants had sun protection. SPF30 in fact.

Short of laying on desert sands at high noon in July, when exactly would that be necessary? When is simply *wearing* pants NOT sufficient protection from the sun?

Enlighten me laughing: intentional pun), please. I'm from PA, after all, we would never have sun that isn't blocked by any old cloth material. Or is this one of those ridiculous advertising claims like "fat-free broccoli?"

 

[AshleyW]

Here's a good link with info:

http://skincancer.org/Protective-Clothing/sun-protective-clothing.html

Basically, depending on the material and color of your clothing, UV rays can get through your clothing and cause sun damage. Last time I visited my parents in Florida, I had a white t-shirt on while I was at the beach, and I got sunburned through my t-shirt. I don't worry about UPF protection so much in Iowa, but when I'm visiting my parents I make sure to pack clothes with UPF protection for the beach.

 

[HannaBelle]

My dermatologist said a white cotton shirt provides about SPF 10.

My father, who has worked outside farmer/solider/construction for his entire life has "pre" skin cancer on his arms and shoulders due to lack of protection. He always wore/wears a shirt. He is going through treatment now.

We are all fair skinned and wear rash guard shirts when we swim. They make a HUGE difference.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Well, now I had to go look it up. Apparently it depends on the fabric, color, thickness, and whether it is wet or dry.

Now I can see a need for this type of clothing. An old neighbor of ours has a son that is allergic to the to certain rays in the sun. Well actually it is more than that. His skin cannot block out certain rays and they go thru him like an xray burning his skin and damaging his internal organs. I forget what the genetic condition is called.

http://www.sunprecautions.com/

 

[Darsa]

My husband wears SPF stuff to hike; he has orange hair and extremely pale skin/light blue eyes lovestruc) and he burns if he peeks out the window... I never really knew if it helped him, but he hasn't burned in a while now, many years, except last year when we went to the beach, so I guess it must have!

Look out, I'm gonna derail!!

Speaking of zip-off pants... my dad mentioned he's seen these pants that have a zipper or velcro down each leg, all the way, that can just be "zipped off". Has anyone seen anything like that, ever? He wants to get some for my daughter for when she goes to dance, as a quick removal (since we're always running late) option.

 

[okeydokey]

Here in Fl out on a fishing boat it would be very valuable.