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Most sun protection conversations start and end with sunscreen. Fine in principle — until it’s the fourth hour of a garden session and the bottle is back in the kitchen, or you’re two miles into a walk and your arms are already pink. The Craghoppers Kiwi II takes a different approach entirely.
This is a long-sleeve hiking shirt built from NosiDefence fabric — UPF 50+ sun protection and physical insect resistance woven directly into the material. No reapplying, no bottles, no stopping mid-walk. Put it on in the morning and forget about it.
Craghoppers Kiwi II Long sleeved UV and anti-bite shirt
UPF 50+ sun protection and physical insect resistance built into one shirt — no reapplying, no bottles, no stopping mid-walk, no nasty chemicals, no nasty smells. Craghoppers Kiwi II, S to 4XL Plus.
Current Price at time of writing: £28.77 – £32.59 depending on size ordered
Rated: 4.6/5 ⭐ from 24 reviews
What Does UPF 50+ Actually Mean?
UPF — Ultraviolet Protection Factor — is the fabric equivalent of SPF. A UPF 50+ rating means the material blocks over 98% of UV radiation from reaching your skin. Craghoppers achieve this through their SolarShield fabric technology: a combination of weave density, yarn type, and construction that’s built into the shirt itself, not applied as a coating. It doesn’t wash out. It doesn’t degrade. The shirt you buy today provides the same protection after a hundred washes as it did on day one.
For context: a standard white cotton T-shirt offers roughly UPF 5–10. Wet, it drops further. The Kiwi II is in a different category.
The NosiDefence Difference
Most insect-resistant clothing relies on chemical treatments — permethrin-based repellents that gradually wash out with use. NosiDefence works differently. The fabric fibres are physically constructed to be too tough for insects, including mosquitoes and midges, to penetrate. The protection isn’t a surface treatment that fades — it’s structural. A shirt you’ve washed fifty times still stops a midge bite.
For UK outdoor use — where Highland midges can end a perfectly good hill walk in approximately four minutes — this is a practical advantage, not a marketing note.
The Craghoppers Kiwi II: Features That Matter
Craghoppers have been making outdoor clothing long enough to understand that the details either earn their place or they don’t. These ones do:
- Flip-up collar — the back of the neck is one of the most commonly burned areas and the one most people forget until they’ve already done it. The collar folds up to cover it. Folds flat when you don’t need it.
- Roll-up sleeves — button them down for full arm coverage when it’s warm; roll and button them up when you want air. You’re not choosing between protection and comfort — you’re choosing when you need which.
- Zipped chest pocket — small enough to stay out of the way, secure enough to carry what you need on the move.
- Drying loops — designed to drip-dry while travelling. Practical for multi-day trips, campers, or anyone who wants to wash and wear without a tumble dryer. This fits the prepper angle very well.
- Relaxed fit — this is not a technical performance shirt that needs sizing up. It wears like a shirt.
Size Range
Craghoppers offer the Kiwi II in S, M, L, XL, XXL, 3XL, 4XL, and 4XL Plus. That’s not a token gesture at inclusivity — it’s a genuinely useful range for outdoor technical clothing, where larger sizes are often the first to sell out or the last to be stocked at all. If you’ve previously struggled to find UPF kit that actually fits, this is worth noting.
Who Is the Kiwi II For?
Gardeners spending long hours outdoors without wanting to reapply sunscreen every two hours. Hikers and cyclists who’d rather not stop mid-route to grease their arms. Outdoor workers on site through summer. Anyone who’d prefer to solve sun and insect protection once, at 7am, and not think about it again until they’re back indoors.
It also travels well — packable, quick-drying, and versatile enough to wear through the day without looking like you’ve just descended from a mountain. The relaxed fit helps with this.
Is the Craghoppers Kiwi II Worth £27.29?
A decent SPF50 sunscreen costs £8–15 per bottle. Use it properly outdoors — which means reapplying every two hours — and a season of outdoor activity goes through several bottles. The Kiwi II costs £27.29 once, protects everything it covers for the life of the shirt, and requires nothing from you beyond putting it on. As a long-term investment in sun protection for the arms, neck, and torso, the maths are straightforward.
Craghoppers are a British brand with a decades-long track record in outdoor clothing. This isn’t a budget fast-fashion version of a sun shirt — it’s an established product from a manufacturer that has staked a reputation on making outdoor kit that actually works.
Craghoppers Kiwi II Long sleeved UV and anti-bite shirt
UPF 50+ sun protection and physical insect resistance built into one shirt — no reapplying, no bottles, no stopping mid-walk, no nasty chemicals, no nasty smells. Craghoppers Kiwi II, S to 4XL Plus.
Current Price at time of writing: £28.77 – £32.59 depending on size ordered
Rated: 4.6/5 ⭐ from 24 reviews
What the Rest of the Team Think
🦆 Keith the Prepper
The NosiDefence fabric is a physical insect barrier — no DEET required, no reapplication in the field. I’ve briefed this into my summer tactical rotation alongside the trousers. UPF 50+ plus insect protection in a single garment is the correct approach. The roll-up sleeves allow temperature adaptation without removing the layer. My wife pointed out I now own four versions of essentially the same shirt. That’s called redundancy.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🪖 Black Panther
Physical barrier rather than chemical. The correct specification. DEET compromises scent discipline and degrades with sweat — I cannot share more detail on why that matters in my line of work. UPF 50+ is the minimum I would accept. The fabric holds its integrity wash after wash, which a chemical treatment does not. Four stars — I already have something comparable from a supplier whose name I’m not at liberty to disclose.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
🤡 Camping Clown
I own a Japanese sun-protective hiking shirt that cost £280 and requires specialist dry-cleaning. The Kiwi II performs better on every practical measure. The Japanese one has a slightly nicer button. It remains on the rail. Four stars — loses one because it doesn’t come in the shade of ecru I was looking for, but that’s a me problem.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
🐾 Weekend Warrior
Full day on the trails wearing this. No sunscreen stops, no midge bites on the forearms, no overheating because the roll-up sleeves adapt as the temperature climbs. Pickle doesn’t need a sun shirt because Pickle has fur. Pickle does need sunscreen on her nose and ear tips in summer — that’s a different product entirely.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
🐕 Pickle
“Snorgle!”
🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕 (Translation: Dad wore this on our trail day and didn’t stop once to spray himself with the thing that smells terrible. It was an excellent trail day.)
🐔 Chicken Licken
UPF 50+ blocks over 98% of UV radiation. I have been saying this matters since 2019. Nobody listened. UV penetrates cloud cover. It penetrates car windows. It accumulates over a lifetime. The Kiwi II blocks it at the fabric level, which means you can’t forget to reapply because there is nothing to reapply. The insect resistance is a physical barrier — mosquitoes cannot pass through. They have been trying for millennia. This fabric stops them. Five stars.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📋 Calm Clarissa
One per household member, labelled, laundered according to care instructions — cold wash, low spin, which Janet has added to the laundry rota. The flip-up collar means I’ve removed the separate neck scarf from the summer kit list. That had been an outstanding item since March. It is no longer outstanding. This pleases me.
✅✅✅✅✅
💄 Survivl Gurl
Worn for outdoor content days this month. No sunscreen stops mid-shoot, no visible sweat marks, no insect bites ruining the arm shot. It doesn’t crease badly on the move. Craghoppers don’t do a camo print in this cut — a missed opportunity — but the earth tones work fine for my colour grade. Four stars. The fit could be slightly more tailored but I’ve styled round it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌿 Aroura
The protection here comes from how the fabric is constructed — not from synthetic chemicals applied to the surface. No treatments that wash away, no compounds against your skin, just thoughtfully woven fibres doing their work. The sun gives us life and also UV radiation. Both things are true simultaneously. Wearing this is a quiet acknowledgement of that balance. Namaste 🙏
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the insect protection wash out over time?
No. NosiDefence is a physical barrier — the fabric fibres are constructed to be too tight for insects to penetrate. Because it’s structural rather than a chemical treatment, it doesn’t degrade or wash out with repeated laundering.
What does UPF 50+ mean in practice?
A UPF 50+ rated fabric blocks over 98% of UV radiation from reaching your skin. A standard white cotton T-shirt offers roughly UPF 5–10. The Kiwi II is in a different category — meaningful protection rather than incidental coverage.
Can I wear the Kiwi II instead of sunscreen entirely?
For the areas the shirt covers — arms, torso, and neck when the collar is flipped up — yes. You’ll still need sunscreen on exposed skin: face, hands, and any uncovered areas.
Is it too hot to wear a long-sleeve shirt in summer?
The roll-up sleeves help — button them down for full coverage when you need it, roll them up when you want ventilation. The fabric is designed for active outdoor use and moves moisture away from the skin. Most people find it more comfortable than repeatedly reapplying sunscreen mid-activity.
What sizes does the Kiwi II come in?
S, M, L, XL, XXL, 3XL, 4XL, and 4XL Plus — an unusually comprehensive range for technical outdoor clothing.
Is Craghoppers a reliable brand?
Craghoppers are a British brand with decades of experience in outdoor and travel clothing. The Kiwi range is one of their longest-running lines. Craghoppers can be found stocked in many outdoor shops. The Kiwi II carries a 4.6-star rating on Amazon.
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Subscribe to Our NewsletterCraghoppers Mens Kiwi II Long Sleeve Hiking Shirt
UPF 50+ sun protection and physical insect resistance built into one shirt — no reapplying, no bottles, no stopping mid-walk. Craghoppers Kiwi II, S to 4XL Plus.
Product SKU: B0FN4C9V19
Product Brand: Craghoppers
Product Currency: GBP
Product Price: 28.77
Product In-Stock: InStock
4.6
Pros
- UPF 50+ sun protection built into the fabric — no reapplication needed
- NosiDefence insect barrier is structural, not chemical — doesn't wash out
- Flip-up collar protects the neck, the most commonly forgotten area
- Roll-up sleeves adapt to temperature — coverage when you need it, ventilation when you don't
- S to 4XL Plus — one of the widest size ranges in technical outdoor clothing
- Trusted British brand with a decades-long track record
- Relaxed fit — wears like a normal shirt, not technical gear
Cons
- Only 24 Amazon reviews at time of writing — limited buyer consensus
- Limited colour range
- Does not replace sunscreen on exposed skin (face, hands, neck above the collar line)