Swarms of dive-bombing mosquitoes can ruin a good day in the turkey woods in a hurry, and a single disease-carrying tick can mess up a lot more than your day. Likewise, sunburn on day one of your fishing trip can make the whole rest of the week painful. SITKA’s insect and sun protection clothing for fishing and hunting is an essential part of your outdoor kit. 

Key takeaways:

• Hunters and anglers face heightened risks from UV exposure and disease-carrying insects in the field.

• Wear insect repellent and sun protection clothing from spring through fall, especially mid-morning to mid-afternoon and near water where bugs are most active.

• Look for UPF 50+ protection, breathable moisture-wicking fabrics, and proven technologies like Insect Shield® to maximize comfort and protection.

• SITKA's Equinox Guard Collection combines Insect Shield®, bite-resistant fabrics, and UPF 50+ for lightweight, breathable defense against mosquitoes, ticks, and sun.

• SITKA's sun protection clothing for fishing is rated UPF 50+, keeping anglers cool, protected, and performing at their best on the water.

Better Safe Than Sorry: Why Insect & Sun Protection Clothing Matters in the Field

Sun Exposure & UV Risk For Hunters & Anglers

It’s obvious that hunters and anglers spend more time in the sun than most people, and reflective surfaces like water further intensify UV radiation. This amount of UV exposure increases the risks of sunburn, premature skin aging, and skin cancer. This is why it’s so important for hunters and anglers to wear UPF-rated outdoor sun protection clothing.

Tick & Mosquito Risk: Lyme Disease, Malaria & Beyond

Long hours spent hunkered down in woods, tall grass, and wetlands make hunters and anglers especially vulnerable to biting insects like mosquitoes and ticks. Going beyond ruining a good day afield in a hurry, mosquitoes can transmit diseases like West Nile virus. Ticks too carry serious, even life-threatening diseases like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and ehrlichiosis. When you’re going to be out in bug-infested environments, it’s important to wear insect repellent hunting clothes.

When to Wear Sun & Insect Protection

Most people understandably think of summertime when considering UV protection, but it’s important to have sun protection clothing in your kit from spring through fall. When the UV index is high, between about 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., exposed skin can become sunburned in as little as 10 minutes. Water adds to UV exposure risk by reflecting the sun, making anglers especially vulnerable, but surfaces like sand, rock, and even dry grass can also reflect the sun’s radiation. High-elevation hunts also increase UV exposure. 

These are some seasons and scenarios where you’ll want to consider wearing hunting and fishing sun protection clothing:

• Early-season archery elk and mule deer hunts, especially in the high country

• Pronghorn hunts on open prairie 

• Summer scouting trips in alpine environments

• Summertime float trips 

• Saltwater flats fishing 

• Boat fishing on clear days 

Angler fishing in the Guard Sun Hoodie and Rover GTX.

When it comes to bugs, lightweight insect repellent clothing is important late spring through early fall, with peak insect season from about April through June. Prime weather conditions for flying insect activity are warm temps of around 60-90°F, high humidity, and little wind. With dawn and dusk being the worst times. Marshes, beaver ponds, river corridors, lakeshores, coastal estuaries, and wooded areas are prime mosquito habitat. Ticks can be found in milder temperatures, in tall grass, brushy hillsides, field edges, and overgrown trails. 

These are some of the seasons and scenarios where you’ll want to consider wearing insect repellent clothing:

• Turkey hunting 

• Spring bear hunting 

• Moose hunting

• Elk and deer scouting

• Shed hunting 

• Upland bird hunting

• Camping near water

• Summer fishing trips

The Equinox Guard Hoodie in Optifade Cover.

How to Choose Sun & Insect Repellent Clothing

Materials, Technologies & Treatments

When choosing sun and bug protection, look for lightweight, breathable fabrics with a high UPF rating for reliable sun defense. For insect protection, some clothes rely on tightly woven fabrics, while others have special treatments like Insect Shield®, which uses permethrin to repel mosquitoes, ticks, ants, flies, and other biting insects.

High-guage knit material combined with Insect Shield® treatment repels most common biting insects.

Fit, Feel & Breathability

Your best bet is lightweight, moisture-wicking fabrics that allow airflow and dry quickly to keep you comfortable during hot weather. A relaxed fit can improve ventilation and lets you move freely when you’re casting, hiking into your spot, or run-and-gun turkey hunting. Whether you prefer lightweight hoodie style, or a more traditional button-down, this cooling sun protection clothing from SITKA is a good choice.

Performance & Versatility

Whether you’re a hunter, fisherman, or both, SITKA has a selection of lightweight gear that has both UPF 50+ rated sun protection and the bug repellent protection of Insect Shield^®. Products with both of these technologies include the Guard Sun LS Shirt, Guard Sun Hoodie, Equinox Guard Hoodie, Equinox Guard Pant, and Equinox Guard Glove.

Ratings, Testing & Certification 

The best sun protection clothing for fishing is 50+ UPF-rated. UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) ratings are determined through laboratory testing that measures how much ultraviolet (UV) radiation passes through a fabric, with a UPF 50 garment blocking approximately 98% of the sun's harmful UVA and UVB rays.

SITKA developed the best insect repellent clothing by finding and creating fabrics that are tightly woven to prevent mosquitoes from biting through them while at the same time being exceptionally lightweight, stretchy, and breathable. Testing involved live mosquitoes in the lab attempting to penetrate the fabric to feed on blood membranes beneath. Once they developed the ideal fabrics, SITKA infused them with Insect Shield®, which protects against mosquitoes, ticks, flies, ants, chiggers, and more for the entire life of the garment. 

The Optifade Cover fabric that Equinox Guard products are available in.

The Best Mosquito-Proof Hunting Clothing

SITKA’s Equinox Guard Collection is the best insect repellent hunting clothing on the market—it combines light, breathable, but tightly woven bite-resistant fabrics with added physical protection like leg gaiters and long tails. It also has Insect Shield® treatment and even UPF 50+ sun protection.

Essential Fishing Sun Protection Gear

UPF Fishing Shirts & Sun Hoodies

SITKA’s collection of sun protection fishing gear includes favorites like the Radiant Sun Hoodie, Guard Sun Hoodie, and Rossby LS Shirt. 

Footwear

Pair your sun-protective fishing clothing with the right footwear for the pursuit. Whether you’re looking for a full-on wading boot like the CrossCurrent Boot, an on-deck boot like the Rover GTX, or a flip-flop for wet wading like the SITKA Sandal, SITKA has your fishing footwear needs handled.

Top Picks For Summer Pursuits

SITKA’s Fish Collection is gear engineered for the angler who gives a damn. It includes the best sun-protective gear for your summer fishing trips. Shop the collection now, including this selection of UPF sun hoodies.