Craghoppers Ricardo short sleeve shirt

The Craghoppers Ricardo Short Sleeved Shirt’s big selling point is that it features solarShield Zinc Oxide (ZnO) protection applied to the fabric.

This provides UPF30+ protection for the lifetime of the garment and prevents UVA and UVB radiation getting through the fabric and damaging your skin (although personally I’ve never actually been burnt through a shirt and I have pretty fair skin).

In addition it’s naturally anti-bacterial, has no odour or residue and actively disperses heat from the fabric to give a naturally cooling effect. Plus it maintains the same performance when wet.

The shirt itself is made from polyester cotton and has a light, cool feel to it. The one we reviewed came in a bold red check but it’s also available in the blue you see here, and features include a patch chest pocket with a useful concealed security pocket beneath, an extendable ‘solar collar’ to protect your neck from the sun and drying loops, making for a good value garment if you’re going to be out in the sun a lot this summer and want an alternative to a t-shirt.