The short sleeves cause less drag and hold no water, unlike long sleeve anoraks. Think of these tops as beachwear or swim clothes with a hood, easy to wear in the water like a T-shirt. You can buy them in many colours and designs to better reflect your style.
The weave is denser than a T-shirt, so even when you get them wet, they still cut out most of the sun rays. The short sleeve design offers less sun or rain protection. For better sun protection you may want to wear a long sleeve swim shirt underneath, or a fleece pullover for more warmth.
The design below shows a hooded top with a short zipper closure
and a chest pocket for your small stuff.
The straps around the hem line let you tighten the width for a better fit on land.
When swimming it is better to wear it loose so no water collects.
This short sleeve anorak just takes the chill away when kayak play boating in the pool, and keeps the spray deck from chafing, It lets me move freely when padding, but doesn't pick up much water when rolling the boat.
In Thailand we rarely wear swimsuits. It is much more fun to swim in whatever clothes we happen to wear at the time. They dry out soon after we get out of the water and keep us cool in hot weather.
This anorak with front pocket is more practical than a T-shirt and dries quicker. It is loose fitting and airy in the hot weather, and feels great on land and in the water.
I have several of these and wear them most of the time, often with a long sleeve shirt underneath, and matching water pants, or the soft Thai fisherman's pants. Dressed like this I'm always ready to jump into the water.
In the afternoon I meet with friends at the lake to eat and have fun.
As soon as we arrived and placed our food order we run into the water to get our clothes wet so we stay cool.
This outfit is great for splashing around or swimming with my friends.
As soon as I go into the water I duck under to get the hood wet so it keeps my head cool.