I like
the Breath like a fish shirts. They’re not cheap but they work good and they last. I’ve been using one for over a year and it is holding up good, so far. The fist one I bought had the long mask, with the hat I wear I don’t need it, so I’m going to get another without the mask.
http://www.breathelikeafish.com/order.html
Long sleeve rash guard
A long sleeve rash guard or UV blocking shirt is good. If you get too hot just splash each other down. A bilge pump is a great tool for that. I usually just roll my kayak along the way to cool down but this is obviously not for everyone.
Gary
Thanks
Thank you all for the replies. I’ll be looking into all this stuff this weekend. 
Agreed. Cotton is fine when both
air and water are warm, as they are for me right now on the Gulf Coast. Air temps in the 90s, water temps in the 80s, I wear nothing but cotton. Those who regurgitate the “no cotton, anywhere, anytime” dogma need to learn to yield to common sense every now and again. Griffin800’s claim about cotton that “once it gets wet, it stays wet” statement is just one example of how people take the “no cotton” orthodoxy too far. Of course cotton dries out, and in a fairly reasonable time, especially light weight cotton garments. It may not dry out as fast as wools or synthetics, but on a hot day with warm water, that longer drying time is not dangerous, and in fact can actually feel kind of good. The only place I won’t ever wear cotton, even in the summer, is socks.
It really is high time we dispense with the kneejerk regurgitation of supposedly hard-and-fast rules like “no cotton, not ever”, or “down sleeping bagsare inferior because they lose all their insulating power when wet.” Honestly, I tried sleeping in a damp synthetic bag, it was colder than sleeping with no bag in my dry clothes, so I did just that.
Chilled in summer storms
I could see in some parts of the country how that might be a problem. However, here on the Gulf Coast, any summer storm powerful enough to lower our subtropical temperatures enough to chill you - then you have bigger problems than being chilled. You should have been off the water before that storm hit. Otherwise, I welcome the little afternoon showers that come off the Gulf, drench me and my cotton clothes for a few minutes, and move on, bringing back the sunshine. so I guess it all depends on your local conditions.
ditto
– Last Updated: Jun-25-10 2:52 PM EST –
Same with blanket statements like "cotton kills!" - I routinely wear a thin cotton tshirt when hiking in the mountains during hot summer days. It cools my core temperature and that is a good thing under these circumstances, and it does not stink like a plastic banshee! - - Of course I have either wool or polypro garments in the backpack in case Cotton decided to kill me but otherwise it is the t-shirt, supplex nylon shorts, wool socks and leather hiking boots and I'm doing great. I've hiked 19 days straight like that and cotton stopped the killing spree with me.
I’m not sure if that is true.
“cotton is not the best choice. When it is wet it stays wet, that does not keep you cool. What you want is something that will let water evaporate from the material, that’ll take the heat away from you”
Generally, the whole premise behind the “cotton kills” dogma among outdoorsmen is that in cool weather, cotton stays wet longer, so it keeps cooling you off, making you loose body heat, which leads to hypothermia. why should this be any different when the temperature is higher?
I think, too, of the times I have gotten caught in a summer downpour in a shopping mall parking lot. Going into the air conditioned mall, I am usually chilled, because my clothes are wet. When I have been wearing all-cotton, I stay chilled a lot longer, because I stay wet a lot longer. If I’m wearing, say, supplex nylon, or tropical wool slacks, I dry off faster and stop being chilled faster.
It seems like the principle here is, the longer you stay wet, the longer you are going to be losing body heat, and in the summer, this can be a good thing, and we all know cotton keeps you wetter longer.
I’ve done the same
I go to my wife’s mother’s cabin in Red River, New Mexico a lot of summers. I’ve worn the exact same outfit you describe, cotton t-shirt, nylon shorts, smartwool socks, hiking boots, hiking to the top of Wheeler Peak many times, gotten caught in showers several times, haven’t died once. Fleece vest and light waterproof jacket in my daypack were all I needed to finish the hikes comfortably.
fleece vest
exactly - on my backpack. great also for situations when sun goes down or when it gets cloudy. One can take the cotton tshirt off and put on only the fleece vest. It warms the core but still lets armpits ventilate.
Bet you can’t guess what our friend:
"naked Ed’ down in Florida on the Sante Fe River wears ?
Jack L
new favorite shirt
It was kind of pricey (near $40) but I recently got an SPF 50 long sleeved, half zip high neck knit shirt from LL Bean that has proved to be really great for paddling – it’s light and quick drying enough with flat non-chafe seams that it is comfortable even on hot days with the sleeves all the way down and the collar protects the back of my neck. Almost feels like being nekkid. Eddie Bauer makes some similar shirts and they are often on sale for less than $20. Also agree on the fisherman shirts – like tailored work shirts with button flap pockets and mesh ventilated backs and armpits. Light, solar protective and cool. For a hat I’ve I’ve come to prefer a straw mesh “pith helmet” with a suspension liner that is cooler than my old Filson waxed cotton hat yet shades my face. And cheapo discount store nylon capris (from the athetlic department), especially with the nylon mesh liner, are my preference for the lower half (I paddle closed cockpit boats – long athletic pants would be better for a SOT or open cockpit kayak.)
What To Wear… or not
I encourage my sweetie to wear sunblock. And maybe some shoes.
OLD NAVY
Not sure how much sun protection, but Old Navy has 100% polyester shirts. Everything is 30% off, I got a couple for around $4.