Style2RashGuards

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In the past, Rash guard was primarily used for sun protection. However Rash Guards has evolved to be more of a fashion statement.

Go to any beach, and you can find surfers holding their surf boards, and wearing their rash guard. Brands like Quiksilver, Body Glove and O’Neil have been quick to capitalize on the growing popularity.

In the past, there wasn’t much attention paid to the length of rash guard. Most people probably buy whatever is present in the store!

As Rash Guards has evolved to be a fashion item, obviously its design - which includes the color, the print on it, the material used, and the length of rash guard sleeves, become all-important.

Short Sleeve Or Long Sleeve?

Short Sleeve rash guard are preferred over Long sleeve rash guards. This is probably because the tight fit nature of rash guards makes short sleeve rash guards look almost like a tight fitting shirt. It certainly helps if you have a good bod.

However short sleeve rash guard often leave people with ugly tan lines. This is because many people are either too lazy to apply sun protection to their exposed forearms or they used one that has a lower SPF rating than the rash guard itself.

Either way, the color of your skin after exposure to the sun will certainty be different from the your skin under rash guard.

Not that it matters…Some people actually take pride in the different tones!

However i would say long sleeve rash guards are catching up in terms of demand, because of the greater emphasis on sun protection.

With demand, the designs of long sleeve rash guards have improved significantly. It would be interesting to see how rash guard fashion will evolve from here.

Image via Wikipedia

For those who are researching on buying rash guards, you might be interested in this topic.

The most famous brand in my opinion would have to be QuikSilver and its ladies brand Roxy.

For myself, Quiksilver rash guards can be a little too pricey at times, so i owned other brands of rash guards like Neilpryde and Body Glove.

Here is the list of Rash Guard Brands available in the market. If you know of one which i left out, kindly leave me a comment below ya?

Alphabetical Order

Billabong

Body Glove

Dakine

Execute Sports

Finis

Girls4Sport

Hurley

NRS

O’Neil

Piranha Gear

Quiksilver

Rip Curl

Roxy

Rusty

Speedo

The Beach Depot

TYR

Other Brands Without Images

Volcom

Oakley

Patagonia

When i was in University, i was exposed to a sport call Canoe Polo. If you don’t know what that is, just know that its a sport that combines water polo and canoeing, involves tactics as advanced as basketball, and is adrenaline pumping to the max!

I was exposed to Rash Guards while playing the sport and I was immensely intrigued when i see people wearing those thin, silky fabric to play the sport!

Back then, going into the water for me only require one swimming trunk and perhaps a pair of goggles if i want to swim.

So i asked my seniors

“what is that thing you wear on your body?”

My seniors would say “it’s a rash guard”

“what? rash…?”,

At the back of mind, i was thinking this is probably something that prevent rashes…hmm…what a dumb thought on hindsight!

Since then, i have come to appreciate the numerous benefits wearing a Rash Guard has given me. It not only provides a layer of clothing while you are doing water sports, it helps tremendously to prevent skin cancer, provided you bought ones with UV protection.

There are many other names for it. In North America and Europe it is known as rash guards or rash shirt. In Australia it is more known as rashies. Others call it rash vest.

So What is a Rash Guard?

A rash guard, is a type of athletic shirt made of materials like nylon and spandex. The proportion is usually 80% nylon and 20% spandex, from the many rash guards i owned.

Rash guard are primarily used for water sports like surfing, wake boarding, canoeing, canoe polo , but it has since evolved to be a vital part of MMA (mixed martial arts). Some triathletes used it too.

In warm weathers, rash guards are perfect companions for your water sports. It is lightweight design, and is worn in warm conditions almost like a second skin. They also help protect the skin from sporting related hazards, like chafing to sunburn.

Some divers like to wear rash guards under a wetsuit. It not offers extra insulation for people diving in very cold water, but also helps to reduce chafing in areas like the knees and elbows.

UV Protection

Unless you are using the rash guard for indoor activities, i highly recommend you get rash guards with SPF rating, meaning they provide protection against skin cancer causing UV rays.

Rash guards have become a fashion statement in some parts of the world. It is not uncommon to see surfers or lifeguards around beaches, wearing rash guards as a casual shirt or as part of their job.

Long Sleeve Rash Guards vs Short Sleeve Rash Guards - Which do you like?

There are mixed opinions to which is better.

Obviously the long sleeve rash guards offer greater cover for your body, since it covers until your palms. But Rash Guards are more than just for sun protection!

Don’t get me wrong, i am aware of the potential skin cancer effects, but Rash Guard have evolved to be more of a fashion statement! Just look at these Roxy and Quiksilver rash guards, man i love to have one of those! (i leave  the Roxy ones for my gf!)

Truth, I have owned a couple of rashguards, both long sleeves and short sleeves. In terms of style, i like short sleeves better! I mean when i take off the rash guard and put on my polo tee, hey, at least my face and my forehands are of the same colour!

Nonetheless, there is no denying the effect of sun on  your skin, and whenever i feel lazy to put sunblock on my arms, i will put on the long sleeves one.

What do you think?