UPF rated sun shirts offer several advantages over conventional sunscreen when it comes to UV protection in the outdoors, especially for extended periods of exposure and for water activities. While both options can help protect your skin from the harmful UV sun rays, sun shirts act as a physical barrier, reflecting and blocking UVA and UVB rays while conventional chemical-based sunscreens absorb UV rays like a sponge (it's worth noting mineral sunscreens also block and scatter UV rays like a sun shirt). And of course, sun shirts don't require reapplication, can work when wet, and provide continuous coverage. That said, it's essential to note that sun protection shirts may not black ALL of the sun's UV rays, meaning it is possible to get burned through a sun shirt. By combining the use of sun shirts and sunscreen, you'll have a better chance of avoiding a sun burn altogether.