Unlike many kinds of safety equipment, seat belts, helmets, air bags, etc., cold water "safety" clothing can easily be tested. My recommendation is go to your favorite lake, river or ocean put in, get you cold weather padding clothes on and jump in and swim around. I recomend that you do this with a partner who will keep the car warm and have a thermos with a hot beverage ready along with dry clothes. You can practice rolls, wet exits and resucues all summer but you MUST try these manuvers in cold weather (water) conditions. You will find things out that you did not expect such as: you hands get cold and won't work, cold water gasp, numb feet, leaking gaskets and that with polar fleece, a dry suit, boots and gloves you can not get back in you boat or roll as easily as you did all summer with just a bathing suit. You may want to get scientific and bring a thermometer and have your water stay timed. You may also want to do it with a group to see what works best. It can be a real eyeopener to find that you have so much air in the legs of your dry pants that you can even get up right. Hal "Power your boat with carbohydrates, not hydrocarbons." http://www.ez-troll.com *************************************************************************** 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 Tue Oct 22 2002 - 13:02:17 PDT
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