The e-mail popped up on my screen with a simple enough question: What are the best sunglasses for kayaking?

Of course, when you’re talking about any outdoors gear, the answer is never simple. We’re lucky to have search engines on the Web that give us thousands of options.

But I love to ask locals, so below are some responses and recommendations from Southwest Florida paddling club members who regularly ply our sun-kissed waters:

“Maui Jim, hands down!” – Cathy Getz, dragon boater. (By the way, that was echoed by a few others who wrote in. “I sent them in for repair twice in 13 years and they were fixed for free both times,” one paddler reported.)

“Found a GREAT pair of sunglasses. … They are by Berkley, a manufacturer of an outstanding line of products for fishing, lures, rods, etc. The glasses are reasonably priced ($19.95), polarized for better vision into the water, and the BIG plus is that they have a reading bifocal built right into the glasses, in 1.5 or 2.0 magnification. With baby boomers starting to have a need for enhanced vision, these sunglasses should be selling like crazy...” – Don McCumber, angler, kayaker and member of three clubs

“Sunglasses? Never wore them till I started kayaking. The cheap ones are OK, but for long distance kayaking, clarity and comfort are critical and I prefer complete eye cover. I was using Costa Del Mar Eliminator in Blue Mirror to see through shallow water, which allows me to spot sand bars and rocks easier, and would slip on my reading glasses for reading charts. Now I need prescription distance with bifocals and chose Costa del Mar Harpoon.” – Pat Owen, kayaker and club leader

Maybe more important than brand, though, are criteria for selecting glasses. Paddler Bill Cromie offered these tips in terms of features to look for if you plan to paddle our blueway here in Florida’s marine environment:

1) UV coated polarized lenses

2) Lenses that wrap around your face and cover the entire eye socket out to the edge of your peripheral vision. “Any bright sunlight that sneaks in will cause a headache after a whole day on the water,” Bill reminds us.

3) Plastic hinge mechanisms instead of metal screws. “The saltwater environment will destroy metal prior to the end of the season.”

4) A rubber nose bridge to keep them in place, because you're going to be sweating.

What does Bill recommend? “My personal favorites for both cycling and kayaking are Oakley M Frames. They meet the above criteria and have outstandingly clear optics.”

Paddler Pat Appino knows paddlers are prone to losing a pair of glasses or two.

So she generally looks for light weight, full coverage but at a low price. Her recommendation: $4.97 SafetyVU by Greattech Vision of Ontario, Canada. They’re usually outside the optical area of stores like Wal-Mart and they’re paired with the safety glasses.