Patagonia Men's Long Sleeve El Ray Shirt

Good backpacking shirt.
Good shirt for backpacking. It doesnt stink as bad as some synthetic shirts do. cleans and dries fast when you bucket wash it at camp. Good sun and bug protection.

Excellent Shirt - Roomy Fit
The quality of the the shirt overall is top notch. The fabric is substantial but not too heavy for hot weather and it sheds wrinkles so it travels well. The snaps rock. I purchased a medium. I am 6' 153lbs. I found the fit to be roomy on me. There is plenty of length in the sleeves and torso for me.

Excellent sun shirt
I have to say, I'm surprised to see no reviews for the El Ray shirt versus 5 reviews up already for the Patagonia Sol Patrol shirt. First, it really is a "regular fit." I'm 5'11", 172lbs, 33" waist, and the medium fits perfect, being definitely more "fitted" in the body. As a sun shirt it has a slightly higher UPF rating than the Sol Patrol (which is 30-UPF), and is a blend of poly/nylon versus 100% poly for the Sol Patrol. If you are looking for the main differences, they are: 1) Fabric feel: El Ray has a soft, cotton-like feel versus a very synthetic feel of the Sol Patrol. 2) El Ray has no venting at all versus back vent and side vents on the Sol Patrol. 3) El Ray is advertised as "highly breathable" and may be slightly more inherently breathable than the Sol Patrol, thus the lack of venting. But make no mistake, this is still a poly/nylon blended short with high UPF protection and has a tight weave. If you are exercising and sweating, breezes feel cool and almost feel like they are coming through the shirt, but breathability is relative - maybe breathable compared to other synthetic materials, but still less breathable than a cotton shirt, a capilene shirt, or even a blended cotton shirt like the Island Hopper. Still, it is very functional for blocking the sun and does have a cooling effect, even more so if you have worked up a sweat. I've not tested it against the Sol Patrol in hot sunny weather, but have tested it against the Mountain Hardware Canyon Shirt (S/S) and the Patagonia Island Hopper (L/S). Frankly, all are comfortable in hot (and humid) weather. The full synthetic shirts build up a stink much faster than shirts blended with cotton - that I have definitely learned. The full synthetics, however, seem to be more comfortable the higher your exertional activity, maybe because of the slightly shorter drying time. For travel (like my recent trip to Thailand), I'd still opt for the Island Hopper if I was only taking 1 L/S shirt and was not going to be spending many long days with direct sun exposure, as it is more comfortable overall when doing a combination of low-exertional and high-exertional activities, dries quickly enough, is breezy enough (more breathable than the full synthetics), and washes just as well in a sink or shower. Still, the El Ray does exactly what it is supposed to, is soft and comfortable, resists wrinkles if you are using it for travel, and is great for sun protection. I hope this is helpful.