Sunburns hurt. Skin cancer can kill.
The High UV Buff® fabric gives you 95% UV/Sun protection (UPF 20 – good protection) and Coolmax® Extreme cooling. That makes it the perfect face mask for the heat.
The New Original Buff® goes further and gives you 98% UV/Sun protection (UPF 50 – excellent protection).
This is an example of a UPF report. It was performed by the founders of the UPF rating ARPANSA. Nowadays both, Original and High UV, fabrics are constantly monitored for their UPF rating at the factory. The testing company is Aitext Textile Research Insitute.
Original and High-UV Buff® come with a label that clearly states the standard (AS/NZS 4399:1996), the UPF Rating and the testing laboratory.
Beware of UPF Claims without reference to the test!
We see a lot of tubular headwear that advertises sun protection claims but has no labels and no mentioning of the test standard. Those claims are bogus. Why?
A thin fabric without UPF rating cannot protect you from skin cancer.
For example, a T-shirt is only around UPF 6. That’s because it just filters out enough UVB to stop a sunburn. It will not stop you from getting skin cancer because it doesn’t filter out UVA enough.
UVA is harder to filter and it goes deep into your skin so the damage is not visible.
That’s where special dyes and other ingredients enter the game that absorb both UVA and UVB satisfactory. This function can only be tested and proven in a laboratory.
That’s why sun protective clothing is more expensive than non-protective clothing.
So if you see a tube with a UV protection claim and it doesn’t clearly state the UPF rating with the testing standard and the testing laboratory do yourself a favour and walk away.
Most Popular Use
Fishing
The most popular application so far for sun protection. A face mask that you can wear in the heat.
All fishing professionals now wear the High UV Buff® for this one reason: Replace sunscreen and still be skin cancer protected.
In the Snow
How often did you forget your sunscreen? I have tons of times.
- Wear it as a face mask and you’re protected
- Not sweating – It eases the biting wind
Travel
You’re travelling and you have this opportunity to go on a tour. No cloud in the sky and of course you didn’t bring some specialized headgear with you. The High UV Buff® tube as legionnaire style cap will give you some protection.
Endurance Sports
Running events in the sun are a prime example. You’re sweating throughout the day and no sunscreen would work for long. You also don’t have any time to constantly apply sunscreen.
Events like the Marathon des Sables have their custom made High UV Buff® for their participants. It’s not perfect but it’s better than burning to crisps.
Limitations
You can’t have UPF 50 and great cooling.
The High UV Buff® achieves UPF 20 and Coolmax® Extreme cooling rating. It’s still the only tubular headwear on the market that does this combination.
The New Original Buff® gives you UPF 50 but it’s not designed specifically for cooling.