Recently I was asked by and outdoor writer, who was doing an interview with me about Lateral Line and our Crisfield Fishing Shirt, if we thought that SPF ratings were important with clothing. When I was done talking with this outdoor writer I thought it would make sense to say a few things about SPF and UPF ratings on our blog because I think it can be confusing. Before I was in the technical clothing business I never really understood it myself. So here’s the low down.
(picture: Lateral Line’s Crisfield Fishing Shirt in action Bonefishing in the Bahamas. Click on picture for larger image)

The first thing to understand is the difference between SPF and UPF. SPF is a rating system for things like sunscreen and creams or liquids that are applied directly to your skin. The rating measures the amount of time it will take your skin to burn with direct exposure. Of course the rating is not an absolute because people’s skin types differ, but it does provide a good general guideline. UPF on the other hand is a rating that relates to how much ultraviolet light a material reflects and how much it lets through. The reality of it is that all clothing has some sort of UPF rating simply because any material acts as a filter.  Your every day light weight white t-shirt has a UPF rating of about 8 or 9.  A dark thick heavy cotton winter shirt on the other hand can have a UPF rating of 1000+ because it literally blocks all light.

The Lateral Line Crisfield fishing shirt has a minimum UPF rating of 30. One might ask why don’t you have an exact number; the answer is that different colors reflect different amounts of light. Our light green/tan Crisfield fishing shirt is going to reflect more light then our blue Crisfield fishing shirt. Either way you are going to get a minimum rating of 30 with our shirt. At the end of the day lab tests are great and everything, but we all know how testing goes.  We “lab” test our fishing apparel in the field while fishing and we’ve worn our Crisfield shirts in the middle of the summer in 90+ degree weather in places like on the flats in the Bahamas for days on end and had no problems with sun burn. That is our test, does it really work in the field. If not, we go back to the drawing board.

So next time you go to buy a fishing shirt or shirt to protect you from the sun we’d suggest you make sure you get a shirt with at least a 20+ UPF rating.  Buy our Crisfield shirt and rest assured you are protected. If you ever have any questions do not hesitate to drop us a line. Good Fishing!

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