SPF clothing-how it works

[shootingstar]

I have always wondered about clothing that have a SPF labelling. Has the fabric been treated or type of weave??

[shootingstar]

Just bringing this topic back up..in case, for reconsideration.

[Biciclista]

methinks you should research and get back to us. Perhaps none of us know the answer.

[Cataboo]

link that might help:
http://www.coolibar.com/sunprotectiveclothing.html

[sfa]

Not necessarily.

All clothing provides some measure of sun protection, as anyone who has ever gotten a farmer's tan can attest. Most clothing, in fact, does a pretty good job of protecting you from the sun. The clothing that has come to the market over the past 10 years or so seems to be different in only a couple of things--first is that they test the clothing to verify it's level of protection and second is that they focus on making the clothing lightweight/cool. Obviously I could wear leather head to toe and have 100% protection from UV rays, but I'd be miserable. And I can happily wear a lot of the clothing I already own and get exactly the same protection that I'd get from a Solumbra shirt, but there wouldn't be a label telling me my level of protection. The UPF rated clothes seem to provide a high level of protection with very lightweight and comfortable fabrics.

I know some of the early types of clothing had a coating on them to give the sun protection, but the coating would wash off after a while (and too soon if you didn't follow the washing instructions carefully) so I think now what we're seeing is some of the more technical fabrics being developed and used for more "normal" looking clothes that provide that kind of protection.

Sarah

[Mr. Bloom]

It's all in the weave. I've had 100% cotton clothes that were SPF rated...but I'm nearly incapable of burning, so I gave up on them...

[ilima]

With lightweight SPF clothing, I find that I still get sun through it. So I still wear sunscreen. But I do live in Hawaii where the sun is very strong, especially this time of year.