Surf shirt vs. rash guard

[spreadtheshred]

Is there even a difference??

From what I understand there are two types of protective shirts you'd wear in warmer surf. There's a loose fitting short sleeve style shirt and there's a form fitting style that I've seen both long and short sleeved.

They both seem to come with SPF protection.

Are there any key differences between them where you'd pick one over the other?

I'd like to get something because last time I was surfing I ended up with a raw nips and wax in my belly hair and I could skip that on my next trip.

What do you like to use? Why? Any advice I can get would be awesome, I'm trying to avoid buying something to find out I really want the other.

Thanks ladies and gents!!!

****!!!! Oh, any girls here??? What do you like? Any girl specific advice I can give my lady would be great!

Thanks again,
Martin

[Big H]

Use an old t-shirt and save your money....cheaper & more comfortable.

....or you could shave your belly.

[dtc]

yeah, one is loose and one is tight. thats really it. Whichever you prefer really. I used to wear the rash vests (tight) but am now a big fan of the shirts (loose) because they are more comfortable for me. Dont rub under the arms (my massive chest and delts... Or chest fat, whatever) and are cooler temperature wise out of the water (and you dont look like an idiot wearing them to the shop for your post surf chip sandwich/espresso or whatever - this is another way of saying I dont have to bother making that massive effort of taking off the rashie and putting on a t shirt). Also, I just prefer the fabric the loose ones are made of (not that one is better than the other but I just prefer it). The loose ones are a quick drying looser weave

And, the big thing, they dont ride up when you hit the water - the tight ones roll up when the water pushes them and then they stay rolled up until you pull them down. The loose ones flop down again by themselves - first world problem....but less visibility of my white stomach flesh is well appreciated by my fellow surfers

You can now get long sleeve rash shirts as well

I'm pretty certain its totally personal preference, no benefit SPF wise. The tight ones will be a touch warmer in the water and a fair bit warmer out of the water, as mentioned.

[spreadtheshred]

Woah, this was the perfect review of rash guards, just what I was looking for. Surfing-waves.com should just copy/paste this into an article!

one is loose and one is tight. thats really it. Whichever you prefer really. I used to wear the rash vests (tight) but am now a big fan of the shirts (loose) because they are more comfortable for me. Dont rub under the arms (my massive chest and delts... Or chest fat, whatever) and are cooler temperature wise out of the water (and you dont look like an idiot wearing them to the shop for your post surf chip sandwich/espresso or whatever - this is another way of saying I dont have to bother making that massive effort of taking off the rashie and putting on a t shirt). Also, I just prefer the fabric the loose ones are made of (not that one is better than the other but I just prefer it). The loose ones are a quick drying looser weave

And, the big thing, they dont ride up when you hit the water - the tight ones roll up when the water pushes them and then they stay rolled up until you pull them down. The loose ones flop down again by themselves - first world problem....but less visibility of my white stomach flesh is well appreciated by my fellow surfers

You can now get long sleeve rash shirts as well

I'm pretty certain its totally personal preference, no benefit SPF wise. The tight ones will be a touch warmer in the water and a fair bit warmer out of the water, as mentioned.

I'm diggin what you are saying about the loose shirt. I don't need an extra inner tube under my arms and I'll be hitting the water plenty. I also never thought about the tight ones being warmer much less why the hell should I carry 2 shirts when one will do the trick? Sold.

Thanks for the overview!

Haha, t-shirt! I thought about that when I saw the loose ones.

[waikikikichan]

Also think about "after surf" when choosing a rash guard or T-shirt. Which dries faster, cotton or Lycra ? ( but both will stink like crazy if leave them balled up in the back of the trunk )

[Big H]

I have to bleach my tshirts to get the funk out.

[spreadtheshred]

No way cotton is going to beat lycra. I'm pretty sure cotton might be the worst fabric when it comes to drying.

Based on this I'm thinking a loose rash shirt is the way to go for me. I'll be traveling out of a pack for 5-6 months so I don't have much room. Rash shirt sounds a little more lightweight smaller than an extra t-shirt. Believe it or not, my t-shirts are my nice shirts, other than those its just tanks.

With the small amount of room I have I like the idea of being able to use the rash shirt more than exclusively for surfing which is how I feel the tight one would be.

Any brand recommendations or are they mostly made the same? I'll be looking for something on the cheaper end because the Chinese Yuan just don't go that far, especially with their government devaluing it every damn month.

[dtc]

I have no particular brands to recommend, but you dont have to get a 'surfing' one (a few of mine are sailing ones, not that sailing is any cheaper). But they are just quick drying fabrics similar to some running tops, so you might be able to find something cheaper in that part of the store.

Or if you can find the billabong or quiksilver factory in china....

You can always wait until you are somewhere where you are surfing and pick up something cheap there - rash vest or whatever - and discard it if it doesnt fit into your bag when you move on.

[spreadtheshred]

Cool, thanks for the info. That makes sense, 'rash guard/vest' seems like the surfing industry term for the quick drying athletic style fabric tops.

Hah, I'll have to look into where those factories are, I bet I could get some killer deals on some back door stuff!

I have no particular brands to recommend, but you dont have to get a 'surfing' one (a few of mine are sailing ones, not that sailing is any cheaper). But they are just quick drying fabrics similar to some running tops, so you might be able to find something cheaper in that part of the store.

Or if you can find the billabong or quiksilver factory in china....

You can always wait until you are somewhere where you are surfing and pick up something cheap there - rash vest or whatever - and discard it if it doesnt fit into your bag when you move on.

Any advice or different information that should be considered for women? Are the same type of products available for them? Any key differences or similarities? I imagine they have more colors available and maybe a different fit but a shirt is a shirt..

[dtc]

Women will have a different fit but that's about it. Look up an online surf store like surfstich and go to the rash vest category (which includes shirts). Not saying buy from them (no point given where you are) but it has a few different options on the one page you can look at to get some ideas and info