Maybe something to wear on your head?
When I have looked through the pictures from ours paddling so I'm 99% sure something is on my mind. In the summer, it's great to have a cap that protects against the worst heat and protects against the sun's rays in the eyes. If it's really hot, you dip the cap in the water and then on your head. Clears the mind and is very nice! 🙂
The cap also protects the eyes from the rain, as the screen takes the worst of it. There are as many caps as there are paddlers.
There are lots of varieties of caps, and the ones we have are a kind that are thin and dry quickly, in addition it is good if the cap stays on when it is a bit windy, a little bonus is that the cap should stay on if you roll and swim with it. A hat is also not wrong, the advantage is that you don't burn your ears in the sun and it also protects your neck a little. There are also caps that have a piece of fabric that you can fold down and protect your neck with, which is good if there is a lot of sun or if you are extra sensitive.
When it gets colder, it's the hat that matters, as a rule I use a regular simple hat in wool or fleece and nowadays often a home crocheted. A woolen hat clearly feels the best, from the same point of view that woolen socks and underwear are the best. It warms even when it is wet. And that's why you wear a hat, if you're not a teenager... 😉
I also have a hat that is wind and water resistant, with a screen. It works great when it's a bit windy and when the sun is shining. However, the extra protection makes it a bit noisy, so you don't hear much when people are talking, so I prefer to use a normal hat. We also have the Kokatat "cute hat" when the weather is really rough. It is a neoprene-like cap with a screen that goes down a bit on the cheeks and under the chin. Works well if you want to roll a bit as well.
A slightly thicker neoprene cap is great if you are going to swim a lot! And then you also become extra cute, but you basically hear nothing at all 🙂
A thin windproof hat can be good as a spare and to have e.g. under the helmet. We often have a Hiko Cap under the helmets and they work great for that. Works even without a helmet and then you also look a bit funny 🙂
The hat is also a highlight when you sleep. The sleeping bag warms a large part of the body, but unfortunately not the head. And the heat disappears through the body's chimney... So wear a hat if you get cold at night! If you are paddling in salt water, a separate sleeping cap is recommended so that you do not need to salt the pillow more than necessary.
In addition, both a cap and a beanie work to keep the hair in place, for those of us who have longer strands than 3mm... 😉
