Best Sunscreen for Hiking: Honest Trail-Tested Review After 13 Years Outdoors
What to look for when choosing the best sunscreen for hiking
Finding the best sunscreen for hiking is harder than most people expect.
Almost every bottle claims the same things.
SPF 50.
Water resistant.
Sport formula.
But once you actually spend long days outside, the difference between a good sunscreen and an average one becomes obvious.
Over the last 13 years, we’ve tested sunscreen across New Zealand, the USA, and Southeast Asia while hiking, diving, motorbike touring, and generally spending far too much time in the sun.
Some products were fine.
Some were pretty average.
And one stood out enough that we now take it on almost every outdoor trip.
Before we get into the details, one thing is worth saying clearly.
This is not an affiliate marketing article.
We’re not paid to recommend anything, and we don’t promote products just because they’re popular. If something works, we’ll say so. If it doesn’t, we’ll say that too.
And if a brand outside our own gear does something well, we’re happy to give it the credit it deserves.
What actually matters when choosing sunscreen for long days outside
When you're moving outdoors for hours, sunscreen needs to do more than just exist on your skin.
A good hiking sunscreen should:
🔸 stay put when you sweat
🔸 not run into your eyes
🔸 survive heat and sun exposure
🔸 work around water
🔸 feel comfortable enough to reapply
Most outdoor safety guidance recommends broad-spectrum protection with SPF 30 or higher, ideally SPF 50 for long exposure, and reapplication roughly every two hours.
That’s the baseline.
But real outdoor use adds another layer of testing.
Because sunscreen that works perfectly on a beach often performs very differently once you’re walking uphill, sweating, and carrying a pack.
Sunscreens we’ve actually used outdoors
This isn’t a giant list of products we’ve never touched.
These are sunscreens we’ve used repeatedly across real outdoor trips.
That includes:
🔸 hiking and fishing
🔸 coastal missions
🔸 diving and hunting
🔸 motorbike touring
🔸 hot-weather tropical travel
The three worth talking about here are:
🔸 Banana Boat
🔸 Cancer Society sunscreen
🔸 Goodbye Natural Sunscreen SPF 50
Each one behaves very differently once you start putting real miles on it.
Banana Boat: widely available but fairly average
Banana Boat is one of the easiest sunscreens to find.
It’s everywhere, relatively cheap, and marketed heavily for sport and outdoor use.
On paper it looks great.
High SPF.
Broad-spectrum protection.
Water resistance.
In real outdoor use though, we found it fairly average.
The biggest problems were:
🔸 greasy skin feel
🔸 tendency to move when sweating
🔸 feeling like it disappears faster than expected
For casual beach days it’s probably fine.
But on long exposed hikes, it never felt like something we could completely rely on.
Not terrible.
Just not impressive either.
Cancer Society sunscreen: reliable but traditional
The Cancer Society sunscreen sits comfortably in the middle.
It’s well trusted, widely used, and generally performs reliably.
We’ve used it on multiple hikes and it usually does the job without major issues.
But it still feels like a fairly traditional sunscreen formula.
It can feel a little heavier on the skin in hot weather, and it doesn’t quite disappear the way you’d ideally want when moving outdoors for hours.
So it’s solid.
Just not something that made us think,
“this is the one we’ll always pack.”
Our current top choice: Natural Goodbye Sunscreen SPF 50
The sunscreen that surprised us the most was Natural Goodbye Sun Balm SPF 50.
It’s a smaller New Zealand brand and we originally tried it out of curiosity.
But after a few hikes it quickly became the one we kept reaching for.
It stays put better than most
One of the biggest differences is how well it holds up during sweat and long outdoor days and can also be used on your lips (super rare quality so far for creams).
Instead of feeling like it melts off your skin, it tends to stay in place much more reliably.
That alone makes a huge difference when you’re hours into a hike.
It performs well around water
We’ve used it during coastal walks, swimming breaks, and dive trips.
It holds up well around water without feeling like it instantly disappears.
That’s something many sunscreens claim but don’t actually deliver.
The skin feel is much better
A lot of sunscreen leaves your face feeling greasy or heavy.
This one feels more like a protective balm than a lotion.
You still know it’s there, but it doesn’t feel like your skin is coated in oil.
That makes reapplying it much easier during long outdoor days.
Their brand values align with ours
We also spent some time researching Goodbye Natural.
What stood out was that the brand appears to share a lot of values we respect:
🔸 natural ingredients
🔸 outdoor-focused product design
🔸 environmental awareness
At Wyld Peak we believe good gear deserves recognition.
Even when it’s not ours.
And in this case, the product earned that recommendation.
Sunscreen works best as part of a bigger outdoor system
Even the best sunscreen isn’t the entire solution.
Sun protection works best when combined with:
🔸 hats
🔸 sunglasses
🔸 protective clothing
🔸 shade when possible
This is also why breathable outdoor clothing matters.
A good hiking shirt or lightweight hoodie protects your skin while reducing how much sunscreen you need to rely on.
If you’re planning longer days outside, sunscreen also belongs in the same category as other essentials.
Water.
Good shoes.
Basic gear.
Quick sunscreen tips for hikers
Apply sunscreen before you start walking, not halfway up the trail.
Reapply roughly every two hours, especially after heavy sweating or swimming.
Don’t forget the places people miss most:
🔸 ears
🔸 neck
🔸 back of hands
🔸 top of feet
And if a sunscreen constantly annoys you, switch.
The best sunscreen is the one you’ll actually keep using all day.
If you're building better outdoor habits, sunscreen is just one part of the equation. Packing the right basics makes the whole day easier. Our Day Hike Packing Checklist covers what most people forget.
Once you’re not getting cooked by the sun, the whole day just runs smoother.
You’re not thinking about it every few minutes or trying to find shade all the time. You just get on with it.
And that’s when the other small things start to matter more. What you packed, how much water you brought, and whether you kept things simple or made it harder than it needed to be.
Honest verdict
After 13 years of outdoor use across hiking, diving, travel, and general sun exposure:
🔸 Banana Boat felt average.
🔸 Cancer Society sunscreen worked but felt traditional.
🔸 Natural Goodbye Sun Balm SPF 50 became the one we now pack for most outdoor trips.
It stays put better during sweat.
It works well around water.
And it feels far better on the skin during long days outside.
That’s why it’s currently our pick for the best sunscreen for hiking.
FAQ
What SPF is best for hiking?
For long outdoor activity, SPF 30 or higher is recommended. SPF 50 provides additional protection during extended exposure.
How often should you reapply sunscreen when hiking?
Most guidance recommends reapplying every two hours, and sooner after swimming or sweating heavily.
Is mineral sunscreen better for hiking?
Many hikers prefer mineral-based formulas because they tend to stay in place better during heat and sweat.
Do you still need sunscreen if you wear outdoor clothing?
Yes. Clothing helps protect skin, but exposed areas like your face, neck and hands still need sunscreen.