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From: Christine Allison <sailnut_at_asan.com>
subject: [Paddlewise] Budget cold water clothing
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 10:08:31 -0500
Here's a question for you experts.

For paddling in water at a temp range of 40-55F.  Bay condtions, with-in 500
yards of settled land. With a budget of $350.  What items of clothing would
you buy?

Richard Smith

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From: Joe Pylka <pylka_at_castle.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Budget cold water clothing
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 10:40:31 -0500
> For paddling in water at a temp range of 40-55F.  Bay condtions, with-in
500
> yards of settled land. With a budget of $350.  What items of clothing
would
> you buy?
>
    A Kokatat drysuit, which can be had for about that.  Not Goretex, but it
would work fine.  --And you can layer under it for different thermal
conditions.
    There's an informal rule around coastal NJ.  --Called the 50/50 rule.
    If the water temps are 50 or below, you have a 50/50 chance of surviving
if you're more than 50 yards from shore.

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From: Hal Levine <hlevin_at_jlc.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Budget cold water clothing
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 10:56:25 -0500
>
>For paddling in water at a temp range of 40-55F.  Bay condtions, with-in
500
>yards of settled land. With a budget of $350.  What items of clothing would
>you buy?
>
>I would buy:  New Tevas, a sun hat and a round trip ticket to any island in
the Caribbean

Hal                 "Power your boat with carbohydrates not hydrocarbons"
Wilton, NH
http://www.jlc.net/~hlevin

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From: Ashton Treadway <ashton_at_tundra.org>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Budget cold water clothing
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 11:51:50 -0500 (EST)
I swear by (not at) my Mysterioso-wear. I've found it to be an economical,
very warm layering tool when used with a wetsuit, paddling jacket,
hetcetra. 

YMMV.

.ashton

On Fri, 16 Mar 2001, Christine Allison wrote:

[snipped]

> For paddling in water at a temp range of 40-55F.  Bay condtions, with-in 500
> yards of settled land. With a budget of $350.  What items of clothing would
> you buy?

-ashton


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From: Joyce, Thomas F. <TJoyce_at_bellboyd.com>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Budget cold water clothing
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 10:12:43 -0600
"Here's a question for you experts.

For paddling in water at a temp range of 40-55F.  Bay condtions, with-in 500
yards of settled land. With a budget of $350.  What items of clothing would
you buy?"

I don't hold myself out as an expert, and I would first make sure I had a
spare paddle and the proverbial bomb-proof roll.  I would also not impose a
dollar limit on cold water safety protection.  But for what it's worth:  I
have a tuiliq sized to my body and my kayak cockpit.  Mine is from Superior
Kayaks (no affiliation; under $200), made out of gortex, and I have done
repeated rolls and surfing with little leakage in water temps like the ones
mentioned.  I kayak in fresh water (Lakes Michigan and Huron).  The Superior
Kayak and the Brooks "wetsuit" version were reviewed in Sea Kayaker over a
year ago.  For the lower temperature range, factoring in waves, wind, and
air, you might consider insulating layers for hands (under the pogies),
torso, and cranium (latter could be little more than old fashioned swimming
cap).  Duct tape gives additional seam integrity between pogies and tuiliq,
and what with the cool silver bands around the royal blue sleeves, I am sure
the GQ photo-op is just around the corner.  

Tom Joyce

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From: Steve Scherrer <Flatpick_at_teleport.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Budget cold water clothing
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 06:53:00 -0800
Rich,

The debate is dry vs wet suit.  I personally have both, but I own a
paddleshop/ kayak school. ;-)

Kokatat Swift drysuit $320
Thrift store fleece set  $10
booties, gloves, hat?

 or

Farmer John wetsuit  about $130
latex gasketed paddle jac about $150
thrift store fleece top  $5
booties, gloves, hat?

I find GREAT fleece and an occasional wetsuit at the neighborhood thrift
stores.  Latest find was a PatagoniaŽ lightweight synchilla snap-t XL like
new $3.00.

Steve <wearing my new snap-T>
aldercreek.com



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From: Mike Wagenbach <wagen19_at_yahoo.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Budget cold water clothing
Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2001 12:21:27 -0800 (PST)
If you have a dive tour or instruction shop nearby,  check to see if
they have any used rental/issue neoprene gear for sale.  I still get
some use out of a 6mm thick Farmer John, which I bought at least 4
years ago for $50.  At the time, its major flaw was that someone had
apparently leaned against an unshielded exhaust stack until they felt
the heat, producing a scorch about the size of my palm on one side,
with a hole smaller than a dime on the lower thigh.  That area fits
snugly, so little extra flushing occurs through the hole.  The 6 mm
neoprene is a little less comfortable then 3 mm, but not much, and
clearly warmer (in the water--difference may be less obvious when dry).
 Presumably this suit, with jacket and hood of course, was used many
times for SCUBA in 50 degree water before I bought it.  The extra
thickness, under a equally thick sprayskirt tunnel and other gear, does
stiffen the waist enough to affect my rolling a little, but otherwise I
have no complaints.

With this I usually use a semi-dry top (double waist, latex wrists,
neoprene velcro neck since latex necks make me gag, about $140);
Coolmax or other polyester or polypro long sleeve T-shirt and long
johns ($10-20 each) under FJ; old wool sweater or fleece jacket over
FJ, unless air is warm (free, everyone already has this, I trust);
booties ($25-30); gloves ($10-20) or pogies; and fuzzy-rubber beanie or
hood (about $25, and worth its weight in gold in sudden immersion IF
you are WEARING it!).  If you have to choose between the booties and
the hat, I'd take the hat.

I've never had a severe swim.  My longest swim in this get-up was about
3 minutes (after 3 missed roll attempts) in surf at La Push, Washington
coast, in January 1999.  Water temp. ?, presumably no more than 50
degrees, overcast, light wind, air also about 50 degrees).  I reached
the beach embarrassed but comfortable, and remained so while standing
around on the sand for 10-15 minutes chatting, and trying to look
casual.

Also had a short swim about a year earlier in my first, abortive
attempt at a class III river.  Less than one minute, but cool air and
high on a snow-melt river in early or late winter, water temp probably
39-40 degrees.  Again got out feeling fine, but decided that the car
was the best route to the takeout until my rolling was more solid.

This outfit is not pretty, but it is rather effective, fairly resistant
to abuse, and has the advantage over an uncoated dry-suit that when the
air is warm and calm, you can put away the dry top and paddle in
reasonable comfort, while retaining a fairly decent level of immersion
resistance.

If you are solo paddling in 40 degree water, I would plan on attracting
lots of attention at the start of a swim.  Carry several of those small
smoke grenades in your PFD pockets as well as your flares.  The smokers
should be more effective unless the wind is howling, since they last
much longer.  I suppose the swim scenario assumes enough wind to blow
the boat away, but they're worth a try anyway.  I would light a smoker,
fire a flare, swim a minute, repeat, until out of signals.

Obviously, you should practice wet-exits and re-entry right by the
beach WITH a helper at hand, before you trust any of this gear.

Mike Wagenbach
Seattle

"Watch out, those monkeys bite!"

--- Christine Allison <sailnut_at_asan.com> wrote:
> Here's a question for you experts.
> 
> For paddling in water at a temp range of 40-55F.  Bay condtions,
> with-in 500
> yards of settled land. With a budget of $350.  What items of clothing
> would
> you buy?
> 
> Richard Smith
> 



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From: Andree Hurley <ahurley_at_viewit.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Budget cold water clothing
Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2001 18:51:28 -0500 (EST)
Like the tarp I made a bunch of my own clothing. I have a great pair of
stretch pants made from Polartech 2000 (think it has a new name now) from
Seattle Fabrics. They have the patterns too. The one I used for those is
only maybe two pieces!

Andree
http://www.onwatersports.com/KIX/

Viewit.com - Website Design, Hosting, Maintenance, E-commerce
http://www.viewit.com/

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