November 22, 2011: An American manufacturer has finally produced something to deal with a very annoying, and sometimes fatal, infantry problem; sweat in your eyes. Now there is a helmet beanie (a soft stretch cap to be worn under the helmet). Troops have improvised solutions before, but none have worked as well as the new beanie.

This is not a uniquely military problem, and there have been "helmet beanies" using sweat wicking material, for bicycle and football helmets for some years. Both military and civilian beanies use fibers that wick sweat away from the body, cooling the wearer, or keeping them warmer in cold weather. For bicyclists, football players and infantrymen, some sweat in your eyes at the wrong time can have disastrous consequences.

Another popular helmet accessory is interior padding. Helmets are held from the head by a web structure. So some firms sell padding designed to fit inside with the webbing, and to make the helmet, often worn for twelve or more hours a day, more comfortable.

It's the little things that count for a lot, especially in the infantry.