La Sportiva Cloud Shadow Sun Hoody Review

When I had a chance to pick out a few items for review, the La Sportiva Cloud Shadow Sun Hoody caught my eye. I’m a fan of hoodies in general and I can’t resist a good sun hoody. With long days on the river, at the local crag or hanging out in the mountains, a sun hoody is always a good choice.

La Sportiva Cloud Shadow Sun Hoody Features:

• A lightweight, breathable sun hoody with just enough stretch
• Helmet-compatible hood designed to lie flat and comfortably under a helmet
• Cuffs with comfortable thumb holes to keep sleeves in place for additional coverage
• Treated with HeiQ Mint for odor control — keeping you fresh on multi-day adventures
• UPF 50+ sun protection (AATCC 183+ 2000) shields against harmful UV rays
• Engineered for unrestricted range of motion
• MSRP: $95

A sun hoody di Italia

I was told that it took a bit of convincing to get the Italian product team onboard with making a sun hoody. That was surprising to me because sun hoodies are pretty much a staple here in the States. Whether I’m boating, hiking, paddle boarding, hanging out at the beach or on the river, a sun hoody is always my go-to. For intense sun, there’s not much better than the Stio Hylas because of it’s lightweight material. With both in-hand, how would the La Sportiva Cloud Shadow Sun Hoody compare?

At the end of the day, the Cloud Shadow is more than just a one-trick pony and I’ve treated it that way by pushing its limits. In that, I haven’t been surprised by its performance and limitations. The fabric weave isn’t as lightweight or flowy as most sun hoodies and, as a result, you get a much more durable piece that can resist abrasions on rocks and crags (which makes sense for La Sportiva), but it can feel a little too heavy for extended time in the heat and sun.

I’m not against getting a little sunshine and a nice summer tan, but let’s be honest… skin cancer is no joke and for those of us who spend a lot of time in the mountains, a sun hoody is essential. On one particular day at Smith and Morehouse Reservoir in the High Uintas, I was grateful to have long sleeves and a hood. It gave me options with how much sun I wanted to get on my shoulders, back and head. I paddle boarded without any shirt for a bit, then put the Cloud Shadow on for a bit, then donned the hood for added protection and coverage for the rest of the day. Honestly, I much prefer this to piling on more sunscreen.

The Cloud Shadow functions well as a sun hoody and dries out relatively fast too. I wore it floating the upper Bear River in Idaho to further shield me from the sun and while it does dry out fast, there are better water shirts for times when you’ll get fully submerged. I ended up removing it completely mid-float and then put it back on after pulling out of the river. Even after being fully saturated, I was pleased with how well it dried out in the 90-degree Idaho direct sun and heat.

My primary testing has been on morning hikes and trail runs where it feels right at home. I feel like the shoulders and arms could have a little better cut for trail running movements, but it’s not restricting or uncomfortable. Specifically, the lower part of the underarms could have a touch more material to accommodate arm movement while running. While trail running, it drapes well and the thumb loops can be used for added coverage (though the sleeves could use a little more length). Afterwards, any moisture dries out well and it does reduce, but not eliminate, body odors. I’d say I can run in it a couple of times before it fails my wife’s smell test.

On cool mornings in the low-50’s, the Cloud Shadow Sun Hoody offers a nice mix of warmth and breathability. I really enjoy wearing it now as the morning temperatures are dropping. I can keep it on for awhile afterwards until I’m ready to get on with the rest of my day in earnest.

As a final test, I wore it at the BYU Football home game against Arizona on Sep 12. Our seats are in the full, afternoon sun and the 1pm game-time temperatures were in the lower 90’s. Naturally, I had to wear blue, but I also knew that I was going to push the Cloud Shadow to its limits. At the end of the day, it provided the sun protection I needed, but the dark color did feel warmer than I would have liked. I was comfortable and used the hood to further shield my noggin until I began to sweat too much. Admittedly, sitting in the stands didn’t provide any airflow whatsoever that a typical mountain breeze or movement would have. Note that La Sportiva does offer this hoody in white, which would dramatically reduce radiant heat during the day.

The hood offers great coverage and works on my bare head or on top of a running hat. It’s snug fitting enough to wear underneath a climbing helmet as well. I didn’t mind the front collar height for added warmth on chilly mornings, but as a sun hoody, I think I would have preferred a little lower front collar design.

Fit: I’m 5’11” and 178 lbs, with a 39-inch chest, wearing the size Large. 

Buy Now: Visit La Sportiva