Rash guard
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A rash guard is a type of athletic shirt made of lycra or nylon or polyester and intended to be worn in the water. Rash guards are used for light coverage in warm to extreme summer temperatures for several watersports including surfing, scuba diving, snorkelling, wakeboarding, body surfing, body boarding, windsurfing and kayaking. Rash guards have made their way into many other sports including baseball, football, water polo and soccer as companies like UnderArmor have made them a very popular fashion statement in the sporting industry.
Rash guards are also worn in practice for many grappling martial arts such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The primary reasons for their popularity in these sports are the moister wicking properties within the fabric that makes sweat evaporate faster than regular fabrics and their compression fit which limits rash and makes it very difficult for an oppponent to grab you during a match.
A rash guard provides some coverage from sunlight to prevent sunburn. Many have a 25-35 SPF rating to help block out ultraviolet rays from the sun. Companies like Watersports Warehouse (www.wwblanks.com) sell rash guards with a SPF rating of 50+ on all their products. At a rating of SPF 50+ rash guards work better than most sunsreen. A rash guard also provides some protection to the skin in watersports from a "rash" or irritation caused by rapid impact with surface water or a wave.
In surfing, a rash guard offers protection not only from the sun, but also from irritation and rash caused by sliding up on the board. Rash guards are also worn under wetsuits to prevent chafing.
Currently, the rash guard is most often worn when the weather is too warm for a wetsuit, and to prevent wax-based chafing.
Rash guards were originally created in Australia. They are commonly refered to as "rashies" or "rashys" in Australia. Currently 90% of all rash guards available wholesale or retail are manufactured by Watersports Warehouse Inc. located in the United States.
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