> Julio MacWilliams wrote: > Maybe a dry suit is not the best thing to use in some conditions. > snip < > Therefore, hyperthermia is extremely > difficult to treat with a drysuit, unless the paddler opens the zipper, > which creates a deadly harzard. > more snippage < > I conclude > that if the conditions are such that a paddler will not be comfortable > with the dry suit closed all the time, a dry suit might be a death trap. > What you write is true IF there is no way to moderate one's temperature while in a drysuit. Two suggestions: a) stop paddling or slow down, so heat is not generated b) rid the body of excess heat. One way to do this is to roll, but this is not palatable to many and may cause other problems in extremely cold conditions. Another way that is quite effective is to immerse your bare hands and wrists in the water, and keep them there as long as you can stand, or until you feel less overheated. The blood circulating through your hands acts as a heat transfer medium, and can help regulate your core temperature. The blood vessels are close to the surface in your wrists, so immersing the wrists provides for the best heat exchange. I was quite amazed at how effective this is after a grizzled veteran pointed this out to me in my newbie days :-) It's very easy to overdress while putting on the drysuit before getting on the water. Thought must be given to the anticipated activity level (a fast paddle for a solo aerobic workout vs. a slow cruise with a large group including rank beginners), and how much insulation is needed for that anticipated activity level. If one plots the temperature sensation one feels on a line, with freezing cold about-to-die hypothermic at one end of the line, and sauna-like sweating at the other end of the line, the feeling that I personally strive to attain is to be just to the warm side of neutral for the majority of the time on a given paddling outing. This means that often I must dress so that I am on the cool side of neutral until I get in the boat and paddle for 10-15 minutes. This is what works for me - everyone has to find their own balance point on the temperature continuum for the conditions and circumstances on a given day. As with everything else, experience is the best teacher. Play Hard, Erik Sprenne *************************************************************************** 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 Sat Mar 13 1999 - 10:48:26 PST
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