Freezing when you're outside is never fun and also very unnecessary, because there are sensible clothes so you don't have to if you want. During the paddling itself, you rarely get cold because the body stays in motion all the time (the exception happens and feet).
But when you've arrived ashore and are going to coffee, lunch, break and for camp life in general, it's nice to have warm clothes.
When we started venturing out a little more, of course we used what we had in our wardrobes at home; one or two extra fleeces, thick jacket, etc. and it worked perfectly. As we were out a little more, we wanted better, warmer and smoother gear and have tried a bit of each; thick jackets/overalls of the "scooter model" which are warm and easy to use but also often very bulky and clumsy (but very durable). Then we got reasonably flexible jackets with synthetic filling and after that we realized Down's advantages. It was probably at the same time that we realized that down sleeping bags were the model 🙂 We each started with a thick, substantial down jacket, Pia had one from The North Face and I had one from Fjällräven, crazy comfortable, crazy warm and decently flexible considering the insulating ability. But they were still quite big, after all, they were almost expedition models 😉 After that we took a turn with Klättermusen's LIV model, which is a very light down sweater that weighs around 300 grams. Then it was lightweight jackets from Western Mountaineering, theirs Flash Jacket feel fantastically nice and insanely light (260 grams in size Medium with full zip, hood and pockets). Now we have some mixed down jackets, some finely colored ones from Bergans and alternate a bit according to taste and feel.
Some have been wondering how durable the really light jackets are. Now we have had ours for a couple of years and so far ours have not shown any signs of falling to pieces, but you have to be aware that they are primarily thermal garments. If you have to root your way through tangled brambles or carry a heavy backpack, there are guaranteed to be more suitable garments to have 🙂
Regardless of the brand you choose, I think most people really appreciate a good down garment. Some are a little worried that the down is more sensitive to moisture, and it certainly is, but you don't have to swim with the garments. We've used down garments and down sleeping bags quite a lot in recent years and don't think we've had any problems keeping the down dry. But if you are out on longer trips and perhaps above all longer winter trips, it can certainly be a bit more fun. But most of us are not... And there is little under the fluff woolen clothes rarely wrong.
If you compare size and weight, you can probably roughly say that a thin jacket with synthetic filling takes up twice as much space and weighs twice as much as a thin down jacket, and if you want to get the same insulating effect with fleece sweaters, you'll probably have to double up 🙂
Since the spring of 2011, we have also added down trousers. Not entirely unexpectedly, it's super beautiful too. And I'm guessing that we probably need to join down shoes for this cooler season!