>I use mine here in New England mainly for Dec (sometimes Jan) >kayaking and early spring kayaking and feel it gives me an >adequate margin of safety should I wet exit, and it is all >I need to keep the winter/spring chill off when out of the >kayak exploring etc. Forgive me for jumping in here on the details. I don't own any Fuzzy-Rubber but I think it's great and everyone should have some. I'm a bit alarmed at the thought of using it for water below 50 degrees. I don't know where you paddle, only that your email address is for UNH. I live in NH and the water in this part of NE is far too cold for Fuzzy-Rubber only during the months of Dec - March. For me and many others this is dry-suit season (I personally wear my dry-suit from Nov through April). Fuzzy-Rubber is adequate for immersion during our summers but definitely not our winters. Heck, some wear Fuzzy-Rubber to our pool sessions and these are heated pools. Have you tried taking your Fuzzy-Rubber for a swim in December after you've broken the ice? If so, my hat's off to you! You must have an incredible metabolism to maintain core temp while soaking in 35 degree water. Jed *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
On Fri, Jan 18, 2002 at 10:27:13AM -0500, Jed wrote: > I live in NH and the water in this part of NE is far too cold for > Fuzzy-Rubber only during > the months of Dec - March. Oh, I agree -- having been to the Blackwater Slalom near Concord a bunch of times (in April) and hiking through snow to get to the start, I'm painfully aware of just how cold it can be. ("What?! Temps in the 30's? Sunshine? I'm goin'....sleeveless!!") That's why I figured I'd try out my fuzzy rubber combo (with layers under and over) on the Tohickon or something similar -- still pretty cold, but a short run with a nice toasty car waiting at the end. I don't expect to go swimming (ooooh...I probably just tempted the river god) but I probably should, if nothing else, jump in at the end just to see how bad it is. And to give my friends something to laugh at. ;-) I took an inadvertent swim at the Loyalsock Slalom last year on my second run; was wearing a drytop but only fuzzy rubber on poly on the bottom, because I didn't expect to be swimming. It was bone-chilling, and I had all I could to stagger up the bank and collapse for a minute until I kinda got my act together again. One of the people that I spoke to about it commented that I ought to consider earplugs -- that having them might help take a bit of the edge off the initial immersion shock. Thing is, I have a hearing problem already, and I'm concerned that this will make it hard for me to hear something I need to hear -- like "break off your run and go rescue this other person". But I may give that a try as well this winter, and do a little cold-water roll practice just to see how it goes. (Made *every* roll attempt at *every* pool session last winter; but blew the one at Loyalsock when it counted. Another lesson learned.) ---Rsk *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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