I was at the beach one windy day. It was not until several weeks later that I noticed the salty spray had etched small spots on the front element of my multicoated lens. You need to use distilled water to repeatedly clean any salt from the lens surface. I am a big fan of lens tissue. Cloths can trap grit that may not be removed by washing.
I agree with using a "transparent lens cap", ie a UV filter or such.
Look at lens tissue under a microscope and you will never use it again. In the past I have explained my cleaning procedure on this forum using activated charcoal - No Scratches, No liquid to get between elements
As far as the non-obvious hazards go (dropping a camera, bumping into a door, etc.), I almost always have a lens shade on (the exceptions being one or two lenses for which I just don't have an adequate shade) , pointing the correct way when the lens cap is off, so I've managed to avoid those problems.
As far as the non-obvious hazards go (dropping a camera, bumping into a door, etc.), I almost always have a lens shade on (the exceptions being one or two lenses for which I just don't have an adequate shade) , pointing the correct way when the lens cap is off, so I've managed to avoid those problems.