HIMALI Eclipse Sun Hoodie Review

On a recent ski tour, a friend and I reflected on how there’s nothing quite like having to use bad gear to make you appreciate good gear. For my first decade of climbing, I wore cotton t-shirts. I ran in cotton t-shirts for years, and don’t be surprised when I tell you that cotton t-shirts were my backpacking go-to. They still work, but man, I am sick and tired of cotton t-shirts. A high quality sun hoodie is just so much better for long, exposed days outside, and the HIMALI Eclipse Sun Hoodie is among the best I’ve ever worn.

HIMALI Eclipse Sun Hoodie Features:

• Supremely lightweight, silky soft, moisture wicking UPF20 fabric
• 4-way stretch fabric
• Thumbholes ensure that your sleeves stay put
• A soft side pocket ensures that your essentials are never too far away
• Weight: 155 grams (as measured in size Large)
• MSRP: $80

Here Comes the… Sun Hoodie

Right out of the bag, the Eclipse Sun Hoodie struck me with the feel of its material. It’s incredibly thin and pliable. When you wear it, it feels like air, just as only the best sun hoodies do. It feels tremendously light and flowy. And when you weigh it, you’re met with a reality you may have already predicted… The thing that feels like air around you really doesn’t weigh much more than air.

So the feel of the material is fantastic and it weighs very little, but the fit is also a strong point. The sleeves and torso are proportioned exactly as I’d hope them to be. And the fit is that perfect in-between of baggy enough to feel airy and trim enough to move well. The hood is also riding the golden mean. It fits a head comfortably, but can envelope a climbing helmet without drawing unnaturally taught. That much can’t be said of my other go-to sun hoodie, the Rabbit Deflector.

With any sun hoodie, it all comes down to breathability. I used the Eclipse for plenty of hiking, climbing in full sun, and Spring glacier ski touring when the temps were higher. Throughout it all, breathability was key, and always my main reason for choosing the sun hoodie. Even in the most high-output activities I threw at it, the Eclipse brought me the air I needed. It was consistently comfortable, even when the weather was on the toastier side.

Beyond fabric alone (the mainstay of any sun hoodie), the Eclipse has 2 notable features. There are thumb holes in the sleeves. They’re well-placed and sized, and I found them handy when the weather shifted towards the cooler end. Then there’s the little pocket on the side. It’s just large enough to hold your favorite CD (or a couple of bars… you choose) and made of the same material as the rest of the sun hoodie, which I described earlier as feeling like air. Suffice it to say, it’s not the most supportive pocket in the world, and loading it up can pull on the shirt a bit.

What else is there to say? Well, the price is about right for a sun shirt, neither erring too high or low from the mean. HIMALI does offer a lifetime warranty though, which is worth something for a garment that rubs up against rock all day long. After a fair bit of rock-scraping of my own during testing, it’s far from needing repair or replacement, but it does have a couple little snags here and there. All in all, I’d say that it holds up to the abuse quite well.

Fit: I’m 5’11” and a lean 170lbs, and I tested a size Large. Sizing is spot on.

Buy Now: Available at HIMALI.com