wanewman_at_uswest.net wrote: > this reason I prefer to use Pogies and a wood paddle to keep my hands toasty > warm. The Pogies ice on to the paddle but I have nothing between my fingers and > a nice warm paddle shaft (fiberglass or graphite shafts are colder, and plastic > covered aluminum shafts are really icy cold!). I earlier reproduced a sidebar from a back issue of my newsletter concerning how Gail Ferris used a hoe and flexible plastic sheet kid's sled to cope with ice situations. In the main story was a mention of something else she did to make paddling more comfortable. She shoved insulation into the shaft of her fiberglass paddle (I think she had either a San Juan or Camano from Werner). She claimed that this kept the shaft from feeling cold against her hands. Thinking back, I believe you would to first have to remove the snap button temporarily to get insulation past it. This, of course, would only work with a breakapart paddle. I forgot what she used for insulation but anything that would not absorb water and could stay in place should work. As for the issue of using pogies and risking the problem of having bare hands during a rescue (for attaching sprayskirt, etc.), there are some real light flexible neoprene gloves on the market. In and of themselves they would not really give you enough warmth when paddling in cold weather but used in conjunction with pogies they would give you the best of both worlds: warmth and comfort while paddling: a modicum of hand warmth for effecting rescue tasks. The kind I mean is generally found in the fishing tackle section of sports shops. Cost around $20. Buy them on the large size for your hand to assure lots of flex. Depending on amount of use, they should last several seasons. They beat the heavy neoprene gloves found in paddle shops which need to be pre-curved and all that to have any amount of comfort and minimal hand restriction. ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Jan 12 1999 - 13:20:29 PST
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