Kayakers, I have read that for safety reasons you should be dressed for water temperature, not air temperature, when kayaking. As a result, the authors say you should wear a wetsuit when paddling in cold water. I wear a wetsuit when I know I am going to be in the water, such as when I am surfing and practicing rolling, sculling and bracing; and when I am surfing, I find that I have to roll about every 5 minutes to cool off. I couldn't imagine wearing a wetsuit on a regular paddle, because it is too hot. Hasn't anyone considered the risk of heat cramps, heat exhaustion or even heat stoke from paddling while wearing a wetsuit? I saw a lot of guys suffer from overheating injuries when I was an airborne infantryman in the army, and it is as serious and deadly as hypothermia. As a result, when touring I think it is better to dress for air temperature and to be prepared for capsizes by developing good rolling and reentry skills to minimize time in the water. I would rather risk the rare occurrence of getting hypothermia from being in the water for a prolonged time than risk getting overheated everytime I paddled by wearing a wetsuit. For most touring paddling it is nonsense to be dressed for water temperature rather than air temperature. Your input is encouraged! Duane Strosaker Southern California *************************************************************************** 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 Sun Apr 11 1999 - 21:02:14 PDT
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