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It’s nothing short of a curse to love fishing—but also have a total intolerance for the sun. People don’t believe me when I tell them it takes me less than 20 minutes to go from ordinary to sun-ripened tomato. As a kid, it was consistent sunburn pain and peeling skin all summer. I think a vampire would do better at noon on the 4th of July than I do in the sun.
As such, I’m becoming more aware of sun exposure as I get older. I’m constantly on the lookout for comfortable, breezy technical apparel I can wear on the water. So when Huk invited me to Florida a few months ago to test some of their newest apparel—more importantly, some of their newest apparel with built-in UPF sun protection—I was stoked. After two days of strenuous testing in the salt, I took some of the pieces home to Michigan for even more testing. The result? A new favorite fishing shirt: the Huk Icon Performance hoodie.
Testing the Huk Icon Performance Hoodie
My first day of testing Huk’s new line-up started before sunrise in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Crystal River, Florida. I got on the boat at 3:30 a.m. for our group to make a 100-mile run offshore to where the red snappers were staged in 100 feet of water. The action was fast and furious as we spent over six hours cranking in dozens of fish. Two hours of travel time on either end of this run added up to more than 10 hours on the water.
Day two lasted only about six hours. We stayed within five miles of the shore, targeting snook and gag groupers. I was successful in catching both species. However, I also tangled with an unexpected small shark that chomped my pinfish bait. There was less of a breeze during the inshore portion, which meant more of a test for the clothing as I baked in the sun.
I continued fishing in the Icon hoodie upon my return to Michigan, wearing it for long days of kayak fishing. One of the more notable tests was a 10-hour, 15-mile river trip on my pedal fishing kayak. I easily subjected the shirt to 50+ hours of testing last summer.
After all of the above time on the water and under the sun, the Huk Icon Performance hoodie has quickly become a favorite in my line-up. It’s a polyester shirt with a mesh back panel. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how light and airy it is on warm days with no sun. During our second day of fishing in Florida, there was little to no breeze. These are typically conditions where I sit and slowly cook. However, that didn’t happen, and I came away with no sunburn.
Huk has heavily touted an “internal cooling element” called I.C.E. tech with this shirt. I’m not sure if that’s what’s at work or not. The components of this tech are still a closely guarded secret by the company that produces it. Whatever makes it work, I never overheated despite spending nearly 20 hours in the blazing hot sun over both days. That’s another uncommon occurrence for me, even with good sun protection.
It all proved to me that the 50+ UPF rating is legitimate. I wore the hoodie up most of the day and didn’t get any sunburn on either day. It’s the same experience I’ve had fishing in it on my local rivers and inland lakes here in Michigan. This comfortable shirt is now the one I reach for over any other in my closet. Huk has created a lightweight winner, especially for only a $60 price point.
Verdict
Overall, I’ve been more than pleased with Huk’s latest fishing apparel. Huk is consistent with the quality of its performance wear, as evidenced by the Icon Performance hoodie. It offers the perfect amount of sun protection and coverage, yet is still light and breezy enough for the warmest days. The fact that it's more affordable than other brands of similar quality is just the icing on the cake.
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