Sun Protective Clothing? Isn't Sunblock Good Enough?

Many anglers are familiar with sunscreen but are less familiar with the specifics of sun protective clothing. In this episode of PartsVu Xchange Talks Boating, Phil Maiorano, the owner of Hook’d Fishing Gear—a stylish sun protective clothing company for anglers— joins host Tonia Becker to talk about the importance of sunblock and sun protective clothing, boating in the Northeast, and the benefits of spending time outside on the water.

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Where do you most commonly like to fish, and which species do you generally target?

Phil: I mainly fish the Long Island Sound for striped bass, porgy, sea bass, bluefish, and Albie, but anything that’s biting works for me. I fish for blackfish in the fall, but I'm done for the season by winter. Being out in the cold doesn’t appeal to me, so I leave ice fishing to other anglers.

What kind of boat do you have currently, and where are your favorite places to boat?

Phil: I go out to relax and have a good time, and being out on the water fishing is a great way to clear your thoughts. I currently own a Sportsman 232 Center Console, and I chose it primarily for its seating. I need to be able to walk around the boat and still have the space and seating to bring friends with me.

As I said, I mainly stay in Connecticut’s Long Island Sound, but I do like to venture out to different areas of it. I like going straight across Long Island, but I'm working my way over to Rhode Island. It's kind of a far haul from the marina where I keep my boat, but I like going to different places, exploring other sights, and seeing if there are any different types of fish biting in locations not as familiar to me. I'm happy on the water and just being out there catching a couple of fish today is almost like therapy.

Can you share a bit about your story and how you came to launch Hook’d Gear?

Phil: I've been in the apparel business for quite a few years now. Actually, I started in the motocross industry when my son was racing motocross, and we created an apparel company to offset the costs of racing. Over the years, the business grew into sponsoring amateur and professional supercross riders. It was a great atmosphere and a great bonding experience for my son and me. Throughout my career, I’ve designed a motocross app, built a social media website, and worked as a marketing manager for a pro supercross team. However, once my son stopped racing, I got back into fishing and later had the idea to start Hook’d Gear. Since I launched the company, five retailers in the U.S. now carry our brand. It’s been a big hit, and it’s fun to do something I enjoy and am passionate about.

The look of apparel is an essential factor, but the products serve a critical function—sun protection. Could you talk a bit about the difference between the sun protective factor (SPF) found in sunblock block versus the ultraviolet protection factor (UPF), which is how sun protective clothing is rated?

Phil: As far as the colors and designs, we basically do all our design testing through our pro staff. We like to get their ideas of what colors they like and what designs they are looking for. They're a significant part of our business model right now.

The main difference between sunblock and sun protective clothing is that clothing like ours provides instant coverage without reapplying anything. I wouldn't say that you don’t need sunblock if you have sun protection clothing, and you should still apply sunscreen, especially where clothing does not protect your skin.

The sun protection properties of sunblock and sun protective clothing are also rated differently.

Sunblock sun protection is:

Rated in SPF (sun protection factor) and protects you from ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun
Calculated based on the time it takes exposed skin to redden
Recommended to be applied to your skin 15-30 minutes before you go out into the sun
Recommended to be reapplied every 2 hours (especially after swimming or sweating)

Clothing sun protection is:

“The most effective form of sun protection” according to the Skin Cancer Foundation
Ideally made from a densely woven material to minimize your skin’s exposure to sunlight
Is rated in ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) as a measure of your skin’s exposure to UVB and UVA rays (UPF 50 allows only 1/50^th of UV rays to penetrate the skin)
Considered “excellent” protection by the Skin Cancer Foundation if rated UPF 50 or higher; lowest rating is UPF 15