Patrick Maun wrote: > I paddle Lake Superior and have a Hydro Skin setup (I have the long > pants, a short-sleeved shirt and a long-sleeved shirt), I also have a > GoreTex drysuit. By July I am wearing the Hydro Skin. July can get > pretty damn hot. Present Great Lakes surface water temps and 365 day avi of Great Lakes surface water temps: http://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/glsea/glsea.html I can't see a full drysuit being of any great advantage over several other options on Superior on most July and August days simply because well before dumping, you'd end up in a big baggie filled with sweat, which severely diminishes its value. Better than nothing? Certainly, but not significantly better than other options. As far as swimming in Superior in July goes, its cold but doable on most days. I bathe on the North Shore of Superior regularly in July and August after paddling and setting up camp. Would I be able to swim a few miles in hydroskins, or polypro and a shell (polypro being far less effective than hydroskins)? I doubt it, but I'd be good for twenty or more minutes, making rescue possible unless I was alone and lost my boat. By the same token though, I would not be able to swim a few miles in my sweat filled drysuit -- bob about yes, but swim a long distance in a reasonable time no. Since I often do not come across others in many of the places I paddle, bobbing until rescue is not an option. But even if I wanted to wear a drysuit on a typical hot sunny day on Superior in July and August, I can't. I am precluded from wearing a full drysuit due to heat prostration. I'm not talking about discomfort. I mean actual incapacity due to overheating. So where does that leave me? I dress for immersion as far as possible, but I do not wear a full drysuit in good weather in July and August. If I plan on paddling beyond swimming distance from shore, I paddle with others who are capable of fishing me out (just as I am capable of fishing them out). I have a bombproof roll and keep practiced in reentry. I am highly practiced in rough water paddling. Most importantly, I keep a very close eye on the weather, and do not venture off shore if foul weather is in the offing -- the key being very conservative in judgment. I believe that it all comes down to Superior being significantly more risky than the other Great Lakes due to its temperature, and clothing only being one part of the challenge in mitigating the risk. Superior requires a paddler's full skill set. Richard Culpeper Thunder Bay *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Apr 04 2001 - 04:51:34 PDT
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