Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Long Sleeve Hoody Sun Shirt Review

Bottom Line

Overall, the Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Long Sleeve Hoody (men’s / women’s) is an amazing sun shirt. The knit material feels luxuriously soft while still delivering good breathability and wicking powers. The drawbacks are slight and nit-picky: the fabric clings to the upper arms; the drawstring at the hem feels awkward; the hood doesn’t fit well without a hat under; and the seams at the thumbholes began to wear after just a couple of uses. 

This sun shirt’s combination of benefits awarded it the Best Pick for Summer Comfort in our guide to the best sun shirts. When you’re already limited on luxuries while on the trail, the comfy factor on this hoodie goes a long way. The UPF 50 rating, hood, and thumb holes are also a gift to your future self, keeping you covered and protected from the sun while you adventure. 

This top is great for day hikers wishing to go for longer adventures. It dries quicker than other knits, weighs less, feels good as a layer under fleeces, and breathes well but doesn’t feel too technical.

How We Tested

We tested this sun hoody on day hikes in mild temperatures. We also loaded up our overnight pack to see how this top works on backpacking trips. We strolled, walked, jogged, and lounged in this top to gauge its breathability, comfort, wicking, versatility, and dry time. 

Comfort

The Crater Lake’s fabric is divine –– delivering a silky soft, almost brushed feeling against the skin. Common sense would say that a fabric this soft would be thicker and warmer, but this top is the lightest weight knit in the 2024 sun shirt review and even fourth lightest overall. 

The shirt fits well and the fabric stretches when needed, which was to be expected from the knits in this category. The fit does feel a little more snug compared to others in the Best Sun Shirts for 2024 review so you might want to size up if you’re between sizes.. It’s relaxed and drapey in the body, but does hug the arms.  

Overall, this shirt is a luxurious experience worthy of notoriety for its sheer lightness, soft touch, and excellent breathability.

Sun Protection

This shirt provides excellent sun protection. It has a UPF 50 rating, thumbholes, and a hood. 

The thumb holes are very comfortable, even when the arms are outstretched. They provided full coverage of the hand, hiding all the way up to the knuckle to keep the entire back of the hand protected. The fabric is so stretchy that pulling the sleeve around your hand would be easy without using the thumbholes. Be cautious of stretching this shirt too much, as UPF rating decreases when fabric is stretched.  

The hood initially felt like it fit great, but as we were hiking uphill, the damn thing kept falling back off our heads. The ironic part is that it was a rare still day in Reno –– not many days that we don’t have wind here! We were getting pretty frustrated with the hood falling off on this windless day, so we couldn’t imagine how useless the hood would be in more challenging weather. It did fit better with a hat on under.

Breathability & Wicking Power

When testing, we hiked a loaded overnight pack up the Sierra Front Trail in Reno, Nevada on a sunny, 50-plus-degree day. After the major climbs, as we panted for breath, a little sweat saturatedthe shirt, yet we didn’t feel stuffy or like sweat was pooling up on our skin. 

After taking our packs off for the initial climb, we were surprised to see how much sweat the shirt picked up around the hip belt, on the back, and under the arms. There was a good amount of sweat, but I didn’t feel any of that while hiking. As we hiked more, we realized that the fabric clings a bit more when sweaty and feels cold. 

Unfortunately, this does not dry as quickly as some of the other top-rated sun shirts, but it falls somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Versatility

The versatility of this shirt is funky and very subjective. Our gear analysts didn’t particularly find the zippered pocket at the side that useful. It is large enough to fit keys or two small bars, but not both. While running in this shirt with keys in the pocket, the drape of the fabric that we loved so much before made the keys bang around. We found it annoying, but others might not. 

Most notably, the tie at the hem on the women’s version is a bit awkward. I’m not going to lie—this seems like one of those “feminine” design elements that is totally obsolete. We didn’t find that it helped adjust the fit or comfort of the top (those categories are already 10s in our eyes!). Instead, we found it to be a bit awkward, drooping down in our crotches and flopping around as we walked. Again, that might not bother everyone. 

We also found that we had to keep switching from fleece to no fleece over after this shirt became sweaty. It was too cold on the 50-degree day to just wear a thin, wet fabric, but this became too hot under a fleece. 

Finally, there might be some quality issues. Straight out of the washer, some threads were coming loose, and some threads sounded like they were ripping when we were changing in and out of it. The opening for the thumbholes isn’t stitched down to the sleeve, so the stitching is exposed and at risk of snagging.

Should You Buy the Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake Hoody?

The Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake is a great option for those who want something a bit more technical than their average knit but still has that classic stretch, softness, and outstanding sun protection that knits excel at. It works well for casual hikes andthe zippered pocket is the perfect place to stash keys if you don’t want to take a pack. 

This would also be a good option for longer adventures as it will dry faster than other knits. This feels like a good choice for someone hiking 5-10 miles who wants something technical,  comfortable, and within budget. 

This might not be the best choice for someone who is looking for an ultra- quick drying layer to take on adventures like backcountry skiing, where lots of sweat and cold temperatures should be expected.

What Other Sun Shirts Should You Consider?

Before you make up your mind, be sure to check out our guide to the best sun shirts. Here are some options that are similar to the Crater Lake Hoody:

Milk & Whiskey Chaser Review: Another great option for casual day hikes is the Milk & Whiskey Chaser sun hoodie. It has a comfortable fit, really soft fabric, zippered pocket, and sun protective features. It is slightly pricier than the Mountain Hardwear, but feels like better quality materials and more versatility for cooler weather. 

Minus 33 Micro Weight 1/4 Zip Sun Hoodie Woolverino Review: Soft, lightweight, and a great mix of breathable and wicking. This one isn’t quite as soft as the Mountain Hardwear but its wool base promises to get softer over time. It has sun protective features, but only has a UPF rating of 20 which places it below the Skin Cancer Foundations recommendation for protection. However, this top is just as light, with more versatility and greater overall comfort. 

Arc’teryx Taema / Cormac Hoody Review: Though more technical than the Crater Lake, the Arc’teryx is a great choice for layering in cool weather. It is lightweight, breathable, and excellent at wicking. It resists odors and dries quickly.  This option is more expensive and not as comfortable as the Mountain Hardwear, but may be a better bang for buck for its long-lasting quality and year-round application.