"Robert C. Cline" wrote: > How long can you stay immersed in 50 to 54 degree water with the farmer john > before "the shakes" begin? Re: the Farmer John/Dry top combo's ability to sustain a person in cold water: I've been in 50 - 54 degree F water for at least an hour with that arrangement and not had any trouble with function in my hands. However, *below 50 F* my hands lose useful function within about 30-40 minutes (depending on my activity level, etc.). Typical wintertime water temps on the lower Columbia River are about 45 degrees F, so this arrangement "works" to give *me* enough time to do a self rescue or swim to shore *on the River,* but maybe not on Puget Sound. Read on. Caveats: 1. The original poster (was that you, Robert?) plans on paddling on Puget Sound, which might have winter water temps lower than 45 F. Yea/nay? 2. Rob MacDonald (new guy; great contribution, Rob!) pointed out that ability to function in cold water is strongly influenced by aclimatisation. I'm a "hot blooded" guy (like Ralph), achieved partly by aclimatisation, so others may not be able to function under the conditions I can. 3. Careful studies of cold-water aclimatisation (on fish-filleters who worked the slime line, hands in < 40 F water continuously !!! ) show that it takes about six **weeks** of regular immersion to develop full tolerance for the cold water. Newbies could tolerate 20 minutes before their hands went to lobster claws. After a week it was maybe two hours at a time, four hours at three weeks, and then a gradual increase on up to 8 hours. Yeah, you lose the tolerance, at about the same rate. (Can't remember where I read of this study.) Here is a case where YMMV applies *in spades!* Bottom line of the bottom lines: test your gear, *on you* in the conditions you expect. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Jan 11 2000 - 18:07:08 PST
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