I recently went to Hawaii with my husband and 3-year-old daughter. I love snorkeling, stand Up paddle boarding and all kinds of water activities so it’s a challenge trying not to get sunburned. My DSAP spots turn bright red and they will often itch. But it’s inevitable that at some point during the holiday I forget to put on sunscreen.
So after I had forgotten one too many times, my spots became itchy and I was uncomfortable out in the sun. I didn’t want to be left out of the fun (& sun), so I went to the local surf shop (we were in Kauai) and purchased a really cool ‘rashguard’ and some Surf Leggings
What are ‘surf leggings’ you ask? Think a blend of bathing suit and work out pants. They come in really cute patterns, bright and beachy, they are really comfortable and they dry quickly, just like a normal bathing suit. And, I have come to learn that these are actually quite trendy as surfers learn about the danger of too much sun on the skin (If a surfer wears them they must be cool, right?).
Granted, only myself and one other person were wearing surf leggings at the pool, but I honestly couldn’t have cared a less. It freed me up to stay at the pool all day without worrying about my skin, and feeling that uncomfortable sensation of getting sunburned… and knowing the consequences.
Other benefits of surf leggings are they can also be used as workout or yoga pants and they keep you a little warmer when it’s cold, but you still are cool if it’s hot. The Surf Leggings I purchased were from O’Neil (see photo below). They are cute and comfortable. But since I’ve been home I’ve discovered Roxy that has even cuter leggings, and NaluTribe which is more expensive but really cute and flattering.
(By the way, I wish I could say that these photos were of me, but they’re not!)
Thank you for the information about these leggings! They are way more fashionable and fun than the ones I have from Coolibar. I live in Southern California, and Hawaii is a frequent vacation destination, so sun protection is a must. I find it much less of a hassle to protect (and hide) my skin with clothing, so I don’t have to be applying sunscreen all over all the time, particularly since I’m in the water so often. I’m so excited, since I have plenty of time to order them for my trip to Hawaii in October!
Glad you found the info about Surf Leggings. It definitely made a huge difference when I was in Hawaii last month. I’m usually worrying about my skin, feeling inhibited, but with these I felt oddly liberated to be out in the sun, having fun. As we should be doing in Hawaii!
The surf leggings sound fabulous! I’m excited to try them. Thank you very much.
You’re welcome! Hope you find some that you like!
I thought I posted a question here before, but don’t see it. I also haven’t seen much activity here since Sept 2014.
My question was: Did you find that the surf pants were thick like a wetsuit or did you find thinner swimsuit weight pants? I just returned a pair I ordered from Billabong because they were quit thick.
HI Mary,
Just a couple of months ago we published the results of the survey, the largest one of DSAPers to date, take a look around. Lots new since Sept. 2014.
To answer you question, the surf leggings are the same material as a bathing suit. The websuit type are great for the water but obviously way too hot to lounge around in!