Clothes for NZ sun?

https://www.outdoorestore.co.nz/catalogsearch/result/?q=tilley

Ta. There are a few sellers in NZ, just seeing if I could support a localish business first if buying an expensive hat.

hills hats have a factory in Petone https://hillshats.co.nz/product-category/outdoors/

Back to shirts and shorts. Some time ago Target did an article on these as beach wear. When they got to sun factor they said none of the clothes were marked with the New Zealand standard but when they tested against that standard they found all the clothes exceeded both the standard and the ability of the testing lab to measure. spf 50 was the standard but these were all way above that. Tan lines would also attest to that with most clothing

I have never bought an item of clothing displaying a UPF rating yet have never been burnt through my non-UPF rated clothing. Who ever has? I spent a few years working in an outdoor store and could never get my head around the prices people would pay for clothing for tramping when I have never had a problem just wearing my normal sportswear style clothing. (Drawing the line at cotton t-shirts but anything above that was fair game.)

The last airmesh shirt I bought specified a UV protection of 35+ on the label - not bought one for a few years though. Back when I was a desk-wallah, I burnt badly a few times through cotton t-shirts when cycling in them - it's very hard to notice it's happening so 'one to be aware of'. I've never been burnt in any of the airmesh or drymax or other such wicking baselayers which I wear daily for tramping and backcountry work. But that may be more due to spending every day out in the elements these days than the material.

I have never had a problem just wearing my normal sportswear style clothing. true Shirt and shorts warehouse Fleece and socks hunting and fishing. They work just as well. Why hunting and fishing socks and fleece? Warehouse doesnt have decent wool socks and I cant wear synthetics and they had a sale on the fleece when I was looking so it was cheaper.

What are people wearing as a base layer when it's hot? I mostly wear an old icebreaker (have a bunch of old Ultimate Hikes uniform t shirts) but sometimes it's too hot for the merino, even though they're gaining plenty of extra holes for ventilation. Had a synthetic t shirt from Kathmandu, found it stunk really badly before the days out.

I remember a talk from an adventure racer some time ago. He wore an icebreaker in all conditions in Australia from racing in 40C to night rest stops. He reconed it was always ok. I tend to wear a polyester shirt most of the time now and its ok but I shy away from big climbs on hot days. River trips on those days please. Otherwise drink water Lots of water. Ive emptied a 3 liter bladder twice on a day trip and still showed signs of dehydration. (no loo stops headache following day etc)

What I do for hot and high uv days: Take advantage of the long daylight hours by starting tramping by first light ~5-6am, walk until 11am, then siesta in shade until about 3pm, then continue tramping in daylight until 8-9pm. Thats 10-12 hrs/day available for tramping which is more than than enough for me for my trips. I'm a heavy sweater, so I'd typically drink 6-10 litres of fluid a day. At least half of that water will have electrolytes (vitasport or similar). There have been studies that have found that water with electrolytes is more efficiently absorbed and retained by the body for sweating out rather than peeing out. One study is https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5372905/, which is not directly related to tramping in hot weather but still useful. Clothingwise I use an old loose-fitting white high cotton content long sleeved business shirt. The collar provides additional sun protection for the neck, the front can be unbuttoned for more ventilation. I use a legionaries style cap with neck curtain, probably not the coolest but provides the best shade protection. I wet both the hat and shirt in water for evaporative cooling. Long loose baggy shorts with lycra shorts underneath to reduce chafing and long gaiters complete the outfit. Sunblock the back of hands, nose, and knees. I'm keen to try an umbrella when tramping this summer for when shade isn't available for the midday siesta.