PaddleWise by thread

From: Gerald Foodman <klagjf_at_worldnet.att.net>
subject: [Paddlewise] Ideal Touring Paddle Jacket
Date: Tue, 2 Mar 1999 21:51:56 -0800
1.  It should have a zipper so it can be easily put on or removed at sea,
without it going over your head.
2.  It should be full in the body so it can go over your pfd.  (So you don't
have to remove the pfd and put it back on.)
3.  It should be short so it doesn't bunch up against your spray deck.
4.  It should have a mechanism to keep it from flopping over your head if
you are rolling.
5.  It should be of breathable fabric.
6.  No hood.  Rain hats are better.
7.  Pockets.

Where can I get one?

Jerry

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************
From: Whiterabbit <whiterabbit_at_iw.edwpub.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Ideal Touring Paddle Jacket
Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 00:42:33 -0600
What weight? Insulated? Waterproof?  Windproof? Drytop with gaskets?

If no to above, a simple oversized fleece jacket with an elastic bottom
comes awful close to your ideal.  By the time it fits over the PFD it is
even short enough.  In our area these are going cheap in winter closeouts.

At 09:51 PM 3/2/99 -0800, Gerald Foodman wrote:
>1.  It should have a zipper so it can be easily put on or removed at sea,
>without it going over your head.
>2.  It should be full in the body so it can go over your pfd.  (So you don't
>have to remove the pfd and put it back on.)
>3.  It should be short so it doesn't bunch up against your spray deck.
>4.  It should have a mechanism to keep it from flopping over your head if
>you are rolling.
>5.  It should be of breathable fabric.
>6.  No hood.  Rain hats are better.
>7.  Pockets.
>
>Where can I get one?
>
>Jerry
>
>***************************************************************************
>PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
>Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
>Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
>Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
>***************************************************************************
>
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************
From: Dave Kruger <dkruger_at_pacifier.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Ideal Touring Paddle Jacket
Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 00:26:22 -0800
Gerald Foodman wrote:
> 
> 1.  It should have a zipper so it can be easily put on or removed at sea,
> without it going over your head.
> 2.  It should be full in the body so it can go over your pfd.  (So you don't
> have to remove the pfd and put it back on.)
> 3.  It should be short so it doesn't bunch up against your spray deck.
> 4.  It should have a mechanism to keep it from flopping over your head if
> you are rolling.
> 5.  It should be of breathable fabric.
> 6.  No hood.  Rain hats are better.
> 7.  Pockets.

I'm puzzled by something not on your list:  do you want this jacket to keep
you dry?  If so, then you will need latex gaskets at the wrists, and
(probably) at the neck.  In addition, that means you can't have a
top-to-bottom zipper, because it would have to penetrate the neck seal,
whether a neoprene or latex seal.

I'm also wondering how it can be full enough to go over your PFD without
being so large it flops around some when you go inverted.

Am I missing something here?  Seems like your list has some built-in
contradictions.  I think you'll have to give up on the zipper.  

In any case, my experience with Kokatat's Goretex paddling jacket (latex at
the wrists, neoprene at the neck; will go under the PFD, not over; no
zipper) is that I can put it on or take it off on the water, but, yeah, I
have to take off my PFD to do that.  I also need someone to stabilize my
boat in lumpy water while I'm doing the gymnastics!

The Kokatat PJ fits the rest of your criteria.

(No affiliation with Kokatat.)
-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************
From: Colin Calder <c.j.calder_at_abdn.ac.uk>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Ideal Touring Paddle Jacket
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 13:11:40 -0000
Jerry Foodman wrote:

> 1.  It should have a zipper so it can be easily put on or removed at sea,
> without it going over your head.
> 2.  It should be full in the body so it can go over your pfd.
> (So you don't
> have to remove the pfd and put it back on.)
> 3.  It should be short so it doesn't bunch up against your spray deck.
> 4.  It should have a mechanism to keep it from flopping over your head if
> you are rolling.
> 5.  It should be of breathable fabric.
> 6.  No hood.  Rain hats are better.
> 7.  Pockets.
>

Don't agree with your statement 6. I like hats, but with a bit of wind,
rain, and spray I prefer the protection you get from a hood. I've a
Patagonia Skanorak (sea kayak anorak) and it fulfils all of your criteria
bar 6 superbly (It has a hood, which IMHO
is absolutely the best design that I've seen). Patagucci has a pretty
comprehensive web site at: www.patagonia.com.

You may also be interested in having a look at:

http://www.knoydart-kayaking.co.uk/foul.htm

If I didn't already have the patagucci Skanorak, I'd probably buy one of
knoydart's ocean cags.

Cheers

Colin Calder
57º19'N  2º10'W

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************
From: Jack Martin <jcmartin43_at_radix.net>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Ideal Touring Paddle Jacket
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 10:12:27 -0500
From:           	"Colin Calder" <c.j.calder_at_abdn.ac.uk>
To:             	"paddlewise" <paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net>
Subject:        	RE: [Paddlewise] Ideal Touring Paddle Jacket
Date sent:      	Wed, 3 Mar 1999 13:11:40 -0000

> 
> If I didn't already have the patagucci Skanorak, I'd probably buy one of
> knoydart's ocean cags.
> 

Strong endorsement on the Skaonarak.  I have an ancient one --- 
pre-breathable fabrics --- that is an all-purpose piece of rain gear.  
Also picked up a slightly damaged (stained) Palm storm cag at a 
kayak show --- fits over everything, including the cockpit rim and 
the PFD, has a very effective hood, and is bright colored --- 
flourescent yellow.  No breathability, but is a great piece of gear for 
paddling in cold rain.  Long zipper so you can paddle with it in 
place, and pull it up when needed, but you do have to pull it up over 
your head otherwise.  GRO has it in their catalog --- not cheap, but 
not as expensive as the Patagucci Skanorak.  But not as multi-
purpose as the Skanorak, either --- kinda hard explaining the storm 
cag's skirt in the 7-11 when you're out for milk on a rainy day.

Jack Martin
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************
From: <rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Ideal Touring Paddle Jacket
Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 10:32:55 -0800
Jack Martin wrote:

> not as expensive as the Patagucci Skanorak.  But not as multi-
> purpose as the Skanorak, either --- kinda hard explaining the storm
> cag's skirt in the 7-11 when you're out for milk on a rainy day.

I dunno about that red-neck Chesapeake scene down in Jack's country.  I
have walked into delis and local MacDonald's in the Bronx and Brooklyn
wearing a sprayskirt and PFD and gotten not even a glance. :-)

As for breatheable jackets, I see in the latest NOC catalog that they
are offering several Palm models at quite reasonable prices in a range
of styles, also one model of breathable waterproof pants. All the items
seem to be lower priced than their equivalents in Kokotat, Patagonia,
Mountain Surf, what have you.  These waterproof/breathable Palm items
are supposed to be quite lightweight which is an advantage and breath
via a coating rather than membrane, referring competitively to Goretex,
and therefore not likely "to clog."

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/
***************************************************************************
From: Dave Kruger <dkruger_at_pacifier.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Ideal Touring Paddle Jacket
Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 08:25:12 -0800
rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com wrote:

> [snip] These waterproof/breathable Palm items
> are supposed to be quite lightweight which is an advantage and breath
> via a coating rather than membrane, referring competitively to Goretex,
> and therefore not likely "to clog."

It's the skeptical chemist speaking here:  

Membrane, shmembrane, coating, shcoating, if it's a breathable waterproof
fabric, it's pretty much all the same technology.  A coating is a membrane
by another name, perhaps differing in thickness by a few millionths of an
inch.

The Palm assertion that a "coating" is less likely than a membrane to
"clog" is highly suspect.  Whatever its name, each depends on having
submicroscopic holes in a water-repelling layer (coating, membrane, you
pick the label) which water vapor molecules can diffuse through, but which
water **droplets** -- being larger -- can not wick through.

If the Palm coating is appreciably thinner than Gore's membrane, then it
might be more breathable (at the same waterproofness), but I would question
its durability.  Even the Goretex membrane, field-tested and improved on
for over twenty years, eventually will develop cracks and voids, allowing
water droplets through.

I think the Palm claim is marketing hype, but, as usual, I could be wrong.

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
organic cheist
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************
From: Dan Hagen <dan_at_hagen.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Ideal Touring Paddle Jacket
Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 11:20:58 -0800
Dave Kruger wrote:

> ...  Whatever its name, each depends on having
> submicroscopic holes in a water-repelling layer (coating, membrane,
> you
> pick the label) which water vapor molecules can diffuse through, but
> which
> water **droplets** -- being larger -- cannot wick through. ...

Well said.

I have owned various Gore-Tex garments as well as various garments with
microporous coatings.  It has been my experience that  the Gore-Tex is
more breathable (for a given degree of waterproofness).  I have a theory
as to why this is the case.  As Dave states above, you need the holes to
be small enough so that water droplets cannot pass through. But due to
inherent imperfections in the manufacturing process, there is
significant variability in the diameter of the holes.  It is the
*larger* of the holes that must be smaller than the water droplets.
Given this, and given sufficient dispersion in the distribution of hole
sizes, some of the smaller holes may be too small to allow water vapor
to pass through.  This is where the differences arise.  I would assert
that it is harder to achieve uniform hole size when applying a
microporous coating (in comparison with the manufacturing of the
Gore-Tex membrane), and thus the microporous coatings have a higher
variance in pore size.  This implies a higher percentage of excessively
small holes in the case of the microporous coatings, which would result
in less breathability than with Gore-Tex.

I hasten to add that this is just my own theory.  But it would help to
explain why the microporous coatings are either less breathable or--as
in the case of Ultrex--both less breathable and less waterproof than
Gore-Tex.  Increasing the size of the smaller holes to improve
breathability would increase the percentage of larger holes that allow
water droplet penetration.

So that's my crazy theory--the superior performance of Gore-Tex is due
to greater uniformity of hole sizes in the manufacturing process.

Dan Hagen


***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************
From: Reeves, Debbie (Debbie) <"Reeves,>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Ideal Touring Paddle Jacket
Date: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 17:58:36 -0500
I have a Palm Storm cag (breathable, built-in skirt, big enought to go over
PFD, built in hood).  This is my favorite piece of gear by far.  Well worth
the money if you seem to paddle through a lot of stormy weather.
Debbie Reeves
Sandy Hook, NJ
> ----------
> Strong endorsement on the Skaonarak.  I have an ancient one --- 
> pre-breathable fabrics --- that is an all-purpose piece of rain gear.  
> Also picked up a slightly damaged (stained) Palm storm cag at a 
> kayak show --- fits over everything, including the cockpit rim and 
> the PFD, has a very effective hood, and is bright colored --- 
> flourescent yellow.  No breathability, but is a great piece of gear for 
> paddling in cold rain.  Long zipper so you can paddle with it in 
> place, and pull it up when needed, but you do have to pull it up over 
> your head otherwise.  GRO has it in their catalog --- not cheap, but 
> not as expensive as the Patagucci Skanorak.  But not as multi-
> purpose as the Skanorak, either --- kinda hard explaining the storm 
> cag's skirt in the 7-11 when you're out for milk on a rainy day.
> 
> Jack Martin
> **************************************************************************
> *
> 
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************
From: Rob Gendreau <gendreau_at_ccnet.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Ideal Touring Paddle Jacket
Date: Sat, 06 Mar 1999 10:48:17 -0800
Jerry:

You might try buying a cycling jacket in a size bigger than your normal
size. Campmor has a Pearl Izumi Zephyrr for sale for $25. Breathable
microfiber, zipper, no hood, elastic at wrists and hem, short. Just buy it
big. Not much on pockets, though. They also have an Activent jacket for $60,
with a hem drawcord and more in the way of pockets. I prefer more boating
specific paddling jackets that are more weatherproof, but these fit your
criteria and are cheap.

--
___________________
Rob Gendreau
Oakland, California
gendreau_at_ccnet.com
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:32:57 PDT