Do sun sleeves really work?

Yes, for arms, if they have been properly tested. Arm sleeves made from fabric tested to UPF 50+ work well. Not all arm sleeves on the market do the testing. The cheaper ones often miss the things that matter, and the difference is not something you can see in a photograph.

Three things, and any one of them is enough to make a sleeve not worth wearing:

• The fabric has not been tested to ensure UPF 50+.
• The fabric is too thick, and hot to wear.
• They lack sizes, or elastic bands and stretch, so they are too tight or they fall down.

Arms account for around 25-30% of your exposed skin if you are wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Arms also tend to get forgotten about in day-to-day routine activities like shopping or school, so their cumulative sun exposure is high.

For arms, sleeves are less mess than sunscreen. You put them on once. They do not sweat off, wash off, or get poor coverage from spray-on lotions. You still need a shirt, a hat, and sunglasses for everything they do not cover.

The fabric used across Crazy Arms sun sleeves is ARPANSA-tested UPF 50+. UPF 50+ is the highest rating in the Australian standard, AS/NZS 4399, and it means the fabric blocks at least 98% of UV.

It is light, at 140gsm, with two way stretch, and the lightweight fabric feels cool on the skin. A gentle elastic band at the top keeps the sleeve where you put it.

The fabric is made with ECONYL® regenerated nylon: 90% ECONYL® regenerated nylon and 10% elastane. ECONYL® is a yarn regenerated from nylon waste, including ghost fishing nets recovered from the ocean, and each pair comes in a smart, recycled cardboard box, with no single use plastic wrap.

• The fabric is tested, not each individual sleeve in your drawer. Swatches of the fabric go for testing periodically.
• It is tested in two places. UV testing happens at the fabric mill before we see the fabric, and the ARPANSA test is a further, independent check on top of that one.
• UPF 50+ is a rating of the material. It describes how much UV the fabric lets through. It does not describe how much of you is covered.

Sleeves cover your arms from the upper arm to the wrist, and the thumbhole version covers the back of the hand too.

Your neck, face, ears and legs still need a hat, a Headskinz x crazyarms gaiter, other clothing or sunscreen.

Because the sun protection comes from the fabric and not from any coating, the UV protection stays. Depending on how often they are used and washed, a pair of Crazy Arms sleeves will typically last several summers. The elastic and stretch can start to loosen a little over time. Most kids sleeves last until the child has grown out of them and needs a larger size. For adults, we typically see repeat and replacement orders on a two to three year cycle.

Both are the same UPF 50+ fabric. The choice comes down to whether you notice the thumbhole against a club, a racket or a lawn bowl. The thumbhole sleeves are here.