Some of the best gear starts with someone who's simply fed up. For Free Fly, it was a fishing guide standing on a riverbank in a heavy, sweaty, overbuilt shirt who thought, there has to be a better way. More than a decade later, that idea has a name, "Wild Comfort," and it has become some of the softest sun protection we carry at Swim City.
A Brand Born on a Montana Riverbank
Free Fly founder Tanner Sutton grew up in Montana and guided fly-fishing trips on the Missouri River. He loved the work but not the clothes. The professional guide gear he wore was heavy and stuffy, and by the end of a long day it stuck to him like plastic wrap.
Tanner eventually packed up his car and moved to Charleston, South Carolina, drawn by its year-round fishing weather. He spent about 18 months researching and testing fabric blends, and the answer turned out to be an unlikely one: bamboo. Blended with a touch of moisture-wicking material, the fabric was lightweight, soft, odor-resistant and sun-protective.
Free Fly launched in 2011. Tanner sold his first Bamboo Lightweight Long Sleeve out of the back of his car at fishing shows, hearing "no" more times than he could count. He kept going. In 2013 his sister Jenna and her husband Austin, who both worked in product marketing at Nike, left their corporate jobs to join him as co-owners. That made Free Fly a true family business, which is something we relate to as a family-owned store here at Swim City.
Who Free Fly Is For
We recommend Free Fly to a lot of different customers, but they tend to have one thing in common: they want performance without giving up comfort. Free Fly is a great fit if you're:
- A coastal-lifestyle shopper who already loves brands like Vuori or Patagonia
- A boater or angler who spends long days on the water (it's where the brand began)
- A traveler who wants soft, stretchy pieces that work on the plane and at the destination
- An athleisure fan looking for something you can wear all day, every day
- Anyone who finds performance fabric "too synthetic": this is the brand that changes minds
What Makes Free Fly Different
Once you've worn Free Fly, you understand why people get hooked. Here's what sets it apart:
Soft viscose from bamboo
Many of Free Fly's signature pieces are made from viscose from bamboo blended with polyester, and often a little spandex for stretch. The result feels more like your favorite worn-in tee than technical gear. Free Fly calls bamboo a regenerative material with natural performance benefits.
Built-in sun protection
Many Free Fly pieces carry a UPF rating, and it varies by fabric, so check the tag. Free Fly rates its ultralight Bamboo Lightweight fabric UPF 20+ and its slightly heavier Bamboo Shade fabric UPF 50+. Under our Gulf Coast sun, a long sleeve and a hood can do a lot of the work, so you're not reapplying sunscreen to your arms every hour.
Quick-dry and stretch
Free Fly builds its Breeze and Reverb shorts and pants with quick-dry construction and stretch-infused fabric, and its Bamboo Lightweight tops have four-way stretch. Go from a swim to lunch without changing, and move freely while you cast, paddle or chase the kids down the beach.
Odor resistance
Free Fly describes its viscose-from-bamboo fabrics as breathable, moisture-wicking and odor-resistant, so a shirt still feels fresh at the end of a long, sweaty day.
Designed for women, by women
Free Fly says it skipped the old "shrink it and pink it" approach to women's apparel, and Jenna led the effort to design its women's line by women, for women. You can see it in the fit, from the longer-length tanks to the relaxed crossover hoods.
From Sun Up to Sun Down
That's the real test of a Free Fly piece: the same hoodie works for a morning on the flats, an afternoon on the beach and dinner on the patio. Free Fly's fabrics are made to stay cool, dry and comfortable through all of it, which is exactly what you want on a Florida day that starts early and ends at sunset.
Free Fly or Patagonia?
We carry both, and we get asked about them side by side. Patagonia's sun shirts and Capilene Cool Daily tops offer sun protection, and Patagonia describes Capilene Cool Daily as a quick-drying polyester knit with stretch and odor control. Free Fly's difference is the feel: its viscose-from-bamboo blends are noticeably soft, more like a favorite tee than a tech shirt. If you love a technical feel, Patagonia is a great choice. If performance fabrics have always felt a little too synthetic to you, start with Free Fly. Better yet, try both on in the store. Shop Patagonia and Free Fly.
Our Favorite Free Fly Pieces for Florida Living
Here are a few styles our customers come back for again and again:
- Men's Bamboo Lightweight Long Sleeve: the shirt that started it all. It's ultralight, breathable and rated UPF 20+.
- Men's Bamboo Shade Hoodie and Women's Bamboo Shade Hoody II: UPF 50+ with thumbholes and a hood. They're our pick for boat days, fishing and long beach walks.
- Women's Bamboo Slub Hoodie: a lightweight, breathable layer for breezy Gulf Coast evenings.
- Men's Breeze 8" Short and Women's Pull On Breeze Short: featherweight, quick-dry shorts with stretch.
- Men's Reverb 7" Short: part athletic short, part swim short, part everyday short, with quick-dry, water-resistant fabric.
- Men's Breeze Pant: a lightweight, breathable pant with full-length sun coverage for travel days and sunset cruises.
- …and more in our full Free Fly collection.
Shopping for someone specific? Browse Free Fly for men or Free Fly for women.
Why We Carry Free Fly at Swim City
"We carry Free Fly because it's an elevated outdoor and lifestyle brand with a unique style and well-made products that our customers love. It fits nicely with the rest of our collections."
— Nick Johnson, Swim City
Free Fly also fits right in with the other comfortable, sun-ready brands on our shelves, like Vuori, Fair Harbor, Patagonia and more. Pair a Bamboo Shade Hoodie with a pair of men's volleys or a cover-up and you're set from the sandbar to the sunset.
Caring for Your Free Fly
Follow each garment's care label. Many Free Fly pieces made with viscose from bamboo call for turning them inside out, washing cold on a delicate cycle and hanging to dry. A little care keeps that famous softness going wash after wash.
Feel the Softness for Yourself
Viscose from bamboo is something you really have to touch to believe. Stop by Swim City to try on Free Fly and see our full selection of swimwear, resort wear, accessories and more. Our stores carry far more styles than you'll find online. If the style or size you want isn't at your store, just ask: we can hold items for you, transfer them from another Swim City location (it can take a few days or more), special order from the brand when it's available, or ship to your home. Find your nearest store on our store locator, call us at 1-800-210-6221, or shop the Free Fly collection online anytime.
