All clothes will offer you some level of protection from the sun. However, some materials are better than others. Today, hiking gear manufacturers include a UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) listing on their products. Sun protection comes in handy when you hike during summer. A UPF rating of 50 means that 1/50 of the sun’s ray will get to your skin – that is about 2 percent. A rating of 20 means 1/20 of the sun’s rays get through to your skin – that is about 4 percent of the rays from the sun. However, not all hiking pants have special sun protection features. A pair of pants rated 50 UPF offers enough protection to keep your skin protected. The UPF of hiking pants vary based on the type of fabric used, weave, and dyes. Some manufacturers add special chemicals to enhance UPF.