Ultra runners logging six to twenty-hour efforts in exposed conditions need arm sun coverage. Light-colored, long sleeve moisture-wicking shirts provide meaningful protection on extended trail runs, particularly in early morning starts and high-altitude terrain where UV exposure is elevated. Bear Grips Pro Shops offers custom-printed long sleeve performance shirts with no minimum order. These are not technical UPF-rated garments, but they provide real sun coverage for the vast majority of ultra running conditions.
Ultra runners are exposed to sun for longer cumulative durations than nearly any other outdoor sport. A 50-mile effort on an exposed ridge trail in summer can mean six to twelve hours of direct UV exposure with no shade available. Repeated over a training season that includes 20 to 40 long efforts, that cumulative exposure is significant.
Arm coverage is one of the simplest forms of sun protection available: a long sleeve shirt covers the surface area of both arms without requiring reapplication, without sweating off, and without the sticky-hands problem that sunscreen creates for runners who need to handle nutrition, poles, or pack clips during an effort.
The tradeoff has historically been heat. A cotton long sleeve in warm conditions adds enough thermal load to make the trade-off uncomfortable. A moisture-wicking performance long sleeve in a light color changes that calculation: the fabric wicks sweat and the light color reflects solar radiation rather than absorbing it. The net thermal experience is significantly cooler than a cotton long sleeve while still providing meaningful arm coverage.
The long sleeve options in the Bear Grips Pro Shops catalog that work for sun coverage on ultra running efforts:
Fabric color affects thermal comfort in direct sun conditions. Light colors reflect solar radiation rather than absorbing it. A white or light gray long sleeve in full sun is meaningfully cooler than a black or navy long sleeve at the same UV exposure level.
For ultra runners using a long sleeve performance shirt primarily for sun coverage on exposed trail runs in warm conditions, the color choice matters:
For club stores where the team color is dark, offering a light-colored version of the performance long sleeve specifically for warm-weather runs gives members the option to choose coverage over color-matching when the conditions call for it. Many clubs run both: a team-colored performance tee for general use and a white or light gray long sleeve for desert or high-elevation summer efforts.
Long sleeve performance shirts in club stores are slightly lower-volume than short sleeve tees but carry a specific buyer: runners who train year-round in variable conditions and want a complete kit from the same club store. Offering a long sleeve alongside the standard tee adds a natural upsell for members who already bought the short sleeve and want the cooler-weather option.
Design considerations for club long sleeves:
For the full shirt guide including short sleeve options, see custom ultra running shirts. For the broader fabric performance guide, see ultra running training apparel guide.
Light-colored performance long sleeves with your club logo. No minimum, free shipping, ships in about a week.
Start FreeNo. The performance long sleeve shirts are not rated UPF garments in the technical sense. They are moisture-wicking polyester long sleeves that provide physical coverage and solar radiation reflection in light colors. For ultra runners with specific medical sun sensitivity requirements, a clinically rated UPF garment from a specialty supplier is the right choice.
White, light gray, or off-white reflect the most solar radiation and are the coolest color options for warm-weather sun coverage. Dark colors (black, navy, dark green) absorb solar radiation and are significantly warmer in full-sun conditions.
In light colors with proper moisture-wicking fabric, a performance long sleeve is significantly cooler than a cotton long sleeve in warm conditions. The PosiCharge polyester in the Sport-Tek long sleeve wicks sweat effectively and dries quickly, which offsets most of the thermal load from arm coverage in manageable temperatures.
Yes. There is no minimum order. A club director can order one sample long sleeve in the intended club design to check the fit, color, and print quality before ordering for the full membership.
Bear Grips Pro Shops