Dave Kruger wrote: >Small question: when rolling or wet exiting, do you find there is much >leakage at the bottom of the dry top? What mfr/model do you have? I use >Kokatat's Goretex paddle jacket, which has the neoprene tube/bungie closure >at the waist, and have never encountered much leakage in the little bit of >stern use I have made of this arrangement. But, I think that may be the >weak spot for my rig. My answer: My Navarro dry top has a double tube seal with the spray skirt. It works well enough, but does permit more than a modicum of H20 in, if I'm swimming in heavy surf, if I bail and make a long swim. It works great if I remain in my boat. these dry tops are designed for whitewater use. My particular dry top has both a latex neck gasket and a neoprene closure. My point in my last post was that I cut the latex a little more on the comfortable side, then velcro shut the neoprene closure for wilder water or swims. >What's your experience? I did a wet exit last week off Trial Island in a big tide rip on purpose, as my rudder failed. I swam around, fixed it, then did a re-enter and roll, pump-out with foot pump, etc, and continued on.(I use my short Lotus web tow line as a tether to keep me connected to the kayak). The four minutes in the water produced some wetness around my waist. Obviously water will migrate up one's torso wearing a wet suit anyway. However, the waist seal is the weak link for certain. My expectations are modest without a full dry suit. I actually don't own a full dry suit (subsequently, I do not paddle solo during arctic-outbreak weather where much wind is present or a possibility - which it usually is). I shall purchase one when some manufacturer offers custom sizing at a reasonable price, in a breathable fabric other than Goretex. BTW, my wet suit has a zipper installed for "watering the horse", so winter paddling is a little less traumatic - well, at least on land. (Ladies, disregard following) I did some research for an extensive article (currently on hold) for SK Magazine on Paddle Float Rescues. The on-water part was done in winter storm conditions. Those of us wearing the wet suit/dry top combo froze our "you know whats off"...and I mean more than our butts. Those in the group wearing drysuits faired much better...something about a "warm cold" was the comment from one paddler. A wet suit/dry top combo is a, well, "wet cold" (you gotta have the bal...never mind!). On our trip down from Bella Bella to Port Hardy (10 day trip plan) we encountered snow, hail squalls, and ice conditions. One day was so cold that I wore three layers under a summer short sleeve paddling jacket; over that I wore my dry top, and over that I wore a British made Wildwater cag with hood. I was still cold, and the group was reduced to survival fires on the beach. Interestingly, all our gear was synthetic. The sparks from our fire, plus the intense heat, melted and/or put holes in most of our clothing gear. I think next time (if my wife ever lets there be a next time) I would take a bit more wool gear where wet and cold conditions were going to be the norm on an off season paddle. You just can't beat the smell of roasting and toasting wool on an open fire. N Now, would somebody please order some summer around here, it is still snowing in parts - what a year! A year for drysuits...maybe a year for space suits: you know, thermally controlled for heat or cold, built in skirt and pump, water supply with hydration hose and water temp control, an internal oxygen reserve for slow Eskimo rollers, maybe heads up display on helmet visor with GPS read-out, ear speaker and voice activated VHF, satellite linkup to call home, range finder, night vision, helmet mounted camera/ VHS camcorder, etc. Oh, sorry, I shouldn't share my most intimate fantasies on a public listserver. :-) > >BC'in YA >Doug Lloyd >>-- >>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/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sun May 09 1999 - 13:19:24 PDT
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