Rash guard

Surfing "long-sleeves" rashguard

A rash guard also known as a rash vest is a type of athletic shirt made of spandex and nylon or polyester. Rash guards are used for light coverage in warm to extreme summer temperatures for several watersports including surfing, scuba diving, snorkelling, wakeboarding, body surfing, body boarding, windsurfing and kayaking.

Rash guards are most often worn in surfing when the weather is too warm for a wetsuit, and to prevent wax-based chafing from sliding on and off of the surf board. The board's wax holds sand from the beach that would rub against the surfer's torsos as they paddled out to the break. Rash guards also offer some protection from the sun and slight protection against jelly fish stings and are sometimes worn under wetsuits to prevent chafing. Some rash guards offer Ultraviolet Protection Factor to protect against the rays of the sun. A rash guard helps to prevent irritation caused by rapid impact with surface water and waves as well.

Rash guards are thought to have originated in Australia, where they are commonly referred to as "rashies" or "rashys". They are now produced by multinational corporations like Quiksilver, O'Neill, Rusty,

Variations of the rash guard have made their way into many other sports including baseball, football, water polo, Mixed Martial Arts and soccer.

Swim Shirts

Swim shirts are relatively new to the consumer market, but are growing in popularity. They are very similar to the fore mentioned rash guard and Under Armour, but are generally more loose fitting and casually worn. Their primary purpose is to offer an alternative to sunscreen to protect the wearer's skin from the sun's UV radiation and eventual skin cancer. Many swim shirts carry a UPF rating of 50+, which blocks out over 98% of the sun’s harmful rays. Swim shirts were created as an alternative to sunscreen and other forms of sun protection. Many people find that sunscreen isn’t always enough; it is often not used correctly and some folks have skin allergies or sensitivities to chemicals that sunscreens can contain.

There are two ways companies go about making UV protective swim shirts, either chemically treating the material or with a special weave/mesh that blocks the sun without added chemicals. UV Skinz are examples of swim shirts that are not made with any sun-blocking chemicals or lotions; the weave of their unique micro-fiber blend provides the protection.

Although the name implies water sports, people use swim shirts for an array of activities: swimming, boating, golfing, tennis, gardening, playing in the sprinklers, water parks, beach trips, pool play, rivers and lakes, water skiing, surfing, snow skiing, sledding, etc.