Re: [Paddlewise] Wetsuit Overheating Danger

Strosaker_at_aol.com wrote:

> 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. [snip]
> 
> Hasn't anyone considered the risk of heat cramps, heat exhaustion or even
> heat stoke from paddling while wearing a wetsuit?  [snip]
> 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. [snip]  For most touring paddling it is
> nonsense to be dressed for water temperature rather than air temperature.

There are trade-offs, for sure.  Your point about only needing a level of
immersion protection to cover the probable time in the water to achieve
reentry is well taken.

One option is to adjust your wetsuit/dry top combination to fit the water
temperature, rather than wearing a full-tilt heavy wetsuit all the time. 
If you wear a 3 mm farmer john as the basic immersion protection, ramp up
with a dry top as the water gets colder, and add fleece as the water gets
colder yet, you can generally avoid overheating problems, at least where I
paddle. (Yesterday I paddled under a waterfall to cool off -- worked
great!)

In sunny SoCal, perhaps this would not work so well as up here.  I will
admit to having discarded the dry top on really hot days, when I might have
needed it if I capsized.

As another poster mentioned, hydrating yourself well will avoid most
overheating problems.

You have raised a good issue.
-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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