USVI-On-Line

Hello All - We're heading to STT & STJ for our first time, and we just learned about rash guards.

I've read the older threads on rash guards, but didn't see one discussing the pros/cons of having short vs. long sleeves (if it even makes a difference.) Feel free to tell me I'm over-thinking our rash guards

We have narrowed it down to the Land's End ones (one for me and one for my guy). http://www.landsend.com/ix/index.html?s ... rash+guard

Any advice/direction would be much appreciated for a new rash guard user. Thank you in advance!

I bought two lightweight long sleeve ones. A black one for when I was in the water, and a white one for when I was on the beach. I don't like to use a lot of sun tan lotion if I'm going in the water. I also had ankle length rash guard bottoms for snorkeling.

I occasionally put on a plain white short sleeve cotton T on the beach, and tossed a lightweight pareo over my legs to keep them from burning.

The rashguards I used were actually long underwear from REI.

I prefer the long sleeve also.

Mine are mostly long sleeved. The advantage is better coverage from sun. The disadvantage is it is a hotter, especially if you are wearing them as your cover up to and from the beach. Long sleeve is still cool on the beach b/c you can just jump in and they stay nice and cool if it is hot (which is only in the summer in St John)

I wear them all day-as a coverup, to the beach and then to wherever we go on our way home. I have some really cute and looser fitting ones so it is just like wearing a tee shirt.

If the brand I like had more short sleeved, I would probably prefer them. There aren't many brands that have a looser fit.

What brand has the looser fit ones....I have never bought any because of the tight fit!

REI is a loose fit. I wore mine as a coverup, on the beach, but it didn't really balloon on me in the water. It's polyester. UPF 50.

Our first trip is in May. Are rash guards necessary and are they just for sun protection or what?

I got a short-sleeve zip up one from here: http://www.coolibar.com/women-s-swimwear.html and love it. Not tight and a nice cover-up too when needed. They sell shorts and tights too, which I should have got before our February trip to Mexico, when I burned my bum to no end snorkeling in Cozumel.

byado18 wrote:What brand has the looser fit ones....I have never bought any because of the tight fit!

Athleta


I have a paisley one from last year and love it.

They also have some that are not called rash guards- Under coverups there are some out of swimsuit material with little pockets in the front. I just bought two of those and I am hoping they are going to be just as good. They are SO cute and look really great on. I think the material is going to be just fine. They will be so cute with bathing suit shorts from the catalog and will work well from beach to bar.

Their stuff is much more fashionable and cute than most places. I will say though as far as the quality of the bathing suits, I see those lasting like 2 years, whereas a Landsend bathing suit is going to last forever.

I have decided that is a good thing because I tend to get in a rut and wear the same old awful stuff for years.

I am not saying it is bad quality, it is just not made of the super thick stuff like Landsend.

Also try Title nine for cute rash guards that are not surfer tight.

Michele asked, "Our first trip is in May. Are rash guards necessary and are they just for sun protection or what?"

I try not to dump sun tan lotion on the reef, so I wore rash guard tops and bottoms in the water. Also in the water they give me a little sense of security in case I brush against something unintentionally, (which hasn't happened yet) and make me feel slightly warmer in the water because I wear black ones while snorkeling, and they soak up the sun.

I wore them on the beach sometimes, too. And as a coverup in town.

I don’t really get the rash guard thing

We’ll hopefully be making our 7th annual trip this year and we’ve never worn them or even felt the need. I’ve rarely seen other people wearing them. That said, we always go in the summer when the water is really warm. I’ve heard that the water is colder in the winter, so perhaps we’d want them then.

If you're worried about the coral, there are earth-friendly sunscreens...here's an article about that:
http://www.ewg.org/node/26055

Even for men, tight fitting rashguards get tired after awhile. Nice to put a shirt on in the morning that’s comfortable, quick drying, and cool on the beach and leave it on all day. LLBean has had some looser fitting ones.
For men, I really like this sleeveless rash guard because mainly I just want to protect my shoulders and back from the sun (dont need anymore stuff to play connect the dots with) and waterproof sunblock really clogs the pores and isnt good for the reefs.



I’ve also used the looser fitting cheaper “activewear” quick dry Champion brand poly T and sleeveless shirts from Target as a quite acceptable pseudo-rashguards – they are only $10-$20. They arent heavy in the water, dry quickly, are much cooler than cotton when dry, and even though they dont have specific SPF ratings, seem to protect just fine from getting burned. They have womens also...

I bought one of those Nike short sleeve work out shirts. They are fast drying and are much more plentiful in brands and colors in stores locally. Besides most rash guards are tight fitting and us boys that enjoy our beer those tight fitting ones don't compliment our figure

michele wrote:Our first trip is in May. Are rash guards necessary and are they just for sun protection or what?

They worked great for us fair-skinned guys....don't have to lather up with sun block... my son and I never got a sunburn on our shoulders or backs...plus they are very light weight and come in an assortment of great colors...looks cool on the beach We will be getting new ones for our upcoming trip in June..

We were there in July - I used a sleeveless v neck rash gaurd by Under Armour that I bought from Academy. It was the kind with an SPF factor of 30...somehow...we all wore them and they worked great....we were mainly concerned about our backs.