[Paddlewise] Understuff (was Re: cold water article)

From: <rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com>
Date: Wed, 02 Dec 1998 11:09:22 -0800
Sisler, Clyde wrote:

> I'd be interested to know how others dress under the dry suit (don't get too
> personal).  Do you dress as you might for air temperatures?
> 
> In my case, I won't be out in very cold air temperatures, not much less the
> 50-60F (I hope).  The water will probably be less than 40-50F though. 

At a _minimum_ for the dry suit to work at all you should be wearing
around Polartec 100 or so for top and bottom but that will not take you
very far down in the cold water range beyond the high 40s. (And personal
stuff like garters and net stockings etc. a la Dennis Rodman.  Dry suits
are great for discreet cross dressing ;-)).  Then it is a matter of
balancing air and water temperature.  40 degree water would need around
Polartec 200 at a _minimum_ and be tolerable at 60 degeee air
temperature.

While others might disagree, a Goretex dry suit would seem to require a
bit more insulation than a fully coated one.  Some heat is lost via the
breathing\body-moisture venting process of the Goretex whereas a fully
coated suit keeps all the heat and moisture inside.  But if in a fully
coated suit, you need to have stuff that wicks moisture away from your
skin.

Again, I am looking at what you said about not being in air temperature
below 50 degrees but perhaps in water under 40.

A lot depends on your intentions.  If you were planning to play in surf
in Rhode Island in January or February with air temperatures in the 20s,
water in the 30s and likely to be doing a lot of swimming, then you
would want lots of stuff underneath, 300 Polartec or possibly a wet suit
such as the Polartec 2000 stuff.

This is what I was trying to drive at with my previous posting.

ralph diaz  
-- 
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Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter
PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024
Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com
"Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag."
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Received on Wed Dec 02 1998 - 08:08:46 PST

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