Anyone have a rec for a brand of kayaking hood. I bought a Deep Sea brand neo hood, but the collar only comes to my chin. I have seen others with a more shawl-like collar, across the upper shoulders, but are those any good (do they go inside or outside the drysuit neck?), and how hard are they to remove, for instance if it gets hot during the trip?
Ness and I want to know. :-) Any brnads? Links would be nicely appreciated.
What do you use on your head when in your hoodless drysuit? Thanks
For really cold air
I use a Camaro 3mm neoprene hood. For milder conditions say 20 deg or warmer, I use a fuzzy rubber hood over a fleece watchcap.
Henderson
Love my Henderson 3mm Magma hood. It has a longer neck that fits nicely in the neoprene overwrap on my Palm Stikine dry suit; it has a brim, that although somewhat smallish, serves to keep the sun out of my eyes and rain or snow off my glasses; it has a drawstring that allows you to tighten up the seal around your face to minimize water gettting under the hood when rolling and the price is right at $25 or so. Got mine through my local dive shop. It’s also available in 5mm, but I think that’s too restricting.
Pulling the hood back
– Last Updated: Feb-12-07 11:42 AM EST –
If its a really heavy-duty Henderson hood, like the 7mm jobs, they aren't easy to pull off and on on the fly. Somewhere thinner than that, as long as they have a neck of any sort, you should be able to just flip them up or down as needed. You just want to remember it is there when you come in and start to remove the drysuit - it's a bit confusing getting the latex neck gasket and a hood untangled from each other when the suit is halfway off.
I haven't found any that I could reliably have under the neck gasket and preserve dryness, but that may vary by individual.
By the way - thanks for the tip on EBay. We'll see how it goes.
3 mm or more dive hood
– Last Updated: Feb-12-07 11:09 AM EST –
I have had great success with neo diving hoods ordered from discount dive shops or on eBay. Some come with an extended neck that is designed to cover part of the back and chest and worn under a neo dive suit. I just cut down the neck extension so that it overlaps a few inches with the latex neck seal on my dry suit. I generally can find good quality hood for about $15 plus a few dollars for shipping.
The 3mm version is very comfortable, and it can easily be pulled back while the neck remains on. I have a 7mm, which is difficult to pull back but is very toasty on days like yesterday, when a friend and I were rolling in Lake Champlain's chilly 32 degree waters.
I bought this hood type hat to wear
with my bpod:
https://www.kayakproshop.com/Headwear.html
With the water being so cold now, I haven’t tried it out there yet. I have worn it a few times while jogging in 15 degree temps with high winds, and it kept my head as warm as toast. It won’t interfere with the neck seal of a drysuit, if that is a concern. I like the strap for security. Highly recommended. Happy paddling!
Thanks for bringing this up
It was next on my list. All good info. 
SurfSkin bill cap is nice, too …
Better for cooler weather and brief immersion, though very comfy and versatile for coastal climates and fall/spring – I supplement mine for high water Class III+ runs or cold surf kayaking by putting a silicon swim cap on underneath. The swimcap, it should be noted, is quite good for being thin and yet effective – it’s just not that comfy, so I only use it when I really need it.
I use this
– Last Updated: Feb-26-07 9:22 AM EST –
http://tinyurl.com/279z6u
It covers my forehead and mouth. On and off with my glasses on without a problem.
Henderson Hyperflex Magma
I’ve tried several and the best I’ve found so far is the Henderson Hyperflex Magma 5mm. I tried it after I read recommendations from sing and others on this board. The face opening can be cinched up if needed and the collar length seems to be just right.
This page has a picture of it:
http://www.scuba.com/shop/product.asp_Category_287_page_3_recs_10
Nelson
Hood/Drysuit
Hi
I see that you just put the collar of your dive hood into the outer neoprene collar of your drysuit and not under the neck gasket. When you do a roll - just how much water gets into it? Does it depend on the time underwater or any other factor?
I have a 1.5mm hood with long collar but am not sure to tuck it into neoprene collar only or to try to stuff it under the latex neck seal.
Thanks
Scott
I use an NRS mystery hood
It works well when paddling in temps over 40’. When I’m cold I buckle up the chin strap and when I get warm I’ll unbuckle the chin strap and pull the sides up over my ears. It can easily be folded up and stored in a pfd pocket.
http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=2025&deptid=1768
Siberian Sombrero (when hood not needed)
Might be discontinued and hard to find but it’s fleece with ear/neck flap that folds down … Though there’s a LOT of choices for when you don’t need a neo hood/ SurfSkin/ swim cap here:
http://www.orgear.com/home/category/home/headware/headware_all