Fly fishing can be a constant battle against the elements. Even when the weather is good, you’ll find yourself battling the sun and its UV rays. To keep from getting burned, anglers turn to two options: sunscreen and technical sun apparel. The benefits of sun apparel include protection from the sun around the clock, eliminating the need to reapply sunscreen. Recently, on Coast to Coast, we tested the Columbia Wild Cast Sun Hoodie in an effort to see how it stood up across three fisheries, constant action, and ever-changing conditions. Here’s how the hoodie performed.
Columbia
Wild Cast Sun Hoodie
How We Tested
To test this hoodie, Heather Harkavy put it through the ringer. Over the course of a week’s stay in Costa Rica, she fished three different fisheries in every condition imaginable. Throughout the Coast to Coast expedition, she fished the Pacific Coast, the jungle, and the Atlantic Coast. With time as the limiting factor, this meant fishing every day and in every condition. Sweltering sun followed by torrential downpours was the norm, and the Wild Cast Sun Hoodie had to do it all.
What We Love
Sun hoodies need to be able to withstand a variety of conditions and perform without fail. Here’s what we loved about the Wild Cast Sun Hoodie.
Sun Protection
The first thing every sun hoodie needs to do is stop the sun. Columbia achieves this with specialized fabric that blocks out the full spectrum of the sun. This means it blocks UVA and UVB rays. It does this with a UPF 50 rating, a touch higher than the industry standard.
While all this is great, it does little for a garment if it does not actually cover your skin. Columbia solved this with a unique hood design. The hood features an elongated throat section. When the hood is up, it covers the front of your neck so you don’t get burned. The hood also features a built-in pull string, enabling anglers to snug it down and prevent it from falling off. This is especially important if you find yourself in a boat on plane.
The next common area to get burned is the back of your hand. While you can wear sun gloves, these can get in the way when fly casting. As a result, Columbia added thumb loops to pull the sleeve down and over the back of your hand. Many sun hoodies have a similar feature, but the Wild Cast has extra length on the sleeves. When you use the thumb loops, you don’t get the feeling of the sleeves being too tight.
Breathability
Wearing long sleeves keeps you protected from the sun, but it is of no use when you find yourself overheating. To solve this issue, the Wild Cast Sun Hoodie features Omni-Freeze and Omni-Wick technology. Omni-Freeze is a proprietary cooling technology that Columbia fans have grown to expect. It works by providing a cooling feel to the fabric and adding wicking properties. Basically, wearing it in the sun leaves you feeling cooler.
In addition to the cooling feel, the hoodie’s Omni-Wick tech quickly pulls moisture away from your body to the surface for evaporation. This is great when you are sweating in the heat or get wet from releasing a fish. Rather than staying soggy all day, the fabric, in tandem with the sun, will have you dry and comfortable in short order. All tech combined, the Wild Cast passes the breathability test with ease.
Lightweight Feel and Fit
The last and arguably most important test for any gear in the tropics is the lightweight feel and fit. While heavier hoodies and materials can be great for western trout fishing, they just don’t cut it in the tropics. Instead, they bog you down and leave you feeling fatigued after a day in the elements. The Wild Cast solves this with a nylon blend construction, resulting in a very lightweight feel. This hoodie is also tapered with a somewhat athletic fit. It’s not skin tight by any means, but it is certainly tailored with active fishing and movement in mind.
Final Thoughts
There are countless sun hoodie options on the market, and finding the right one can be tricky. After fishing for a week in the tropics of Costa Rica, the Columbia Wild Cast Sun Hoodie earned its place as a staple piece in our closet. The combination of fit, feel, and impressive technologies exceeded our expectations. Next time you head south in search of tropical species, consider bringing the Wild Cast Sun Hoodie with you.