Re: [Paddlewise] summer wear revisited

On 5/22/07, Paul Montgomery <paul_at_paddleandoar.com> wrote:
>
> It seems that a goretex drysuit is going to be necessary. Goretex so
> that I can use it in the summer and drysuit because it is... dry.



There are other breathable fabrics than Goretex and most of them are less
expensive. The chillcheaters use a fabric that's breathable.


> There is also the cheaper route of going with bibs and dry top. I'm
> not sure if this is a flexible set up ( a good thing ) or inferior to
> a drysuit ( a bad thing ).


If you have a good, reliable roll you can just paddle with the dry top like
most white water paddlers do. A good skill set that can actually save you
money. However there are times in both w/w and sea kayaking when you can't
roll back upright and must exit. On a river the bank (or a rock) is usually
pretty close once you wash out of the rapid that tipped you over. This is
often not true when sea kayaking. So it only makes sense to wear some
thermal protection for the rest of your body.

I have found that wearing a farmer john for long periods of time is
uncomfortable. A wet suit must conform closely to the body's contours in
order to keep you warm in the water and while this is a great idea in cold
water it's not that great while sitting in a cockpit for hours. At least
it's not for me.

An F/J will protect your body from sharp pointy things better than almost
anything up to kevlar body armour.

On warm summer days I found wearing an F/J very uncomfortable and I would
try to divest myself of garments to alleviate the heat buildup. Taking off
your PFD and top to cool off while paddling across 50 degree water is
probably not the most sensible thing to do but neither is dying of heat
stroke.

Putting on a wetsuit in the morning is no fun. Especially if you wore it all
day yesterday. And the day before that. Putting on a drysuit is funny to
everyone watching but it's usually not cold and clammy. And, if you are
wearing good layers underneath, it's actually comfy.

A drysuit will keep you comfortable across a much wider range of air
temperatures and makes a dandy windbreaker. How warm you stay when submerged
in cold water depends upon what you are wearing under it. An F/J prefers
that you wear nothing under it. If you have a drysuit you will also need to
invest in the layers of clothing to wear under it. Good polypro is not
cheap. There's always Goodwill.

You can wear a drysuit all day on the beach if you want; or in the car
driving to another place to paddle; or even home after you're too worn out
to take the thing off. The F/J (or any wetsuit) isn't as comfortable to wear
and I used to take mine off as soon as I could.

Peeing is no fun in an F/J cuz you have to strip it down to your waist
(brrrrr!) and then (argh!) put it back on. (Of course there is an
alternative since it does, after all, absorb water.) Nor is it fun in a
drysuit without the appropriate appurtenances; but a drysuit with the relief
zippers can make it well worth the extra money on a long trip. A drysuit
with a good set of Depends works too as long as you have an unshakable ego.

I have a F/J in the closet at the lake house. I tried it on last summer and
I don't think I've worn it in a long, long time... cuz it shrunk so much I
couldn't get into it. Hmmm.

If you buy a F/J and a drytop and continue to paddle regularly you will
almost certainly buy a drysuit eventually; maybe soon. But if you won't
paddle much after this trip, or if you will only paddle on warm water then
just a drytop and the F/J will probably do the job at the lowest cost. If
you paddle a lot the most versatile arrangement is a quiver of paddle
clothing consisting of drytop, waterski wetsuit shorty, F/J, drysuit bibs, a
drysuit, a hood and enough polypro layers to make a Big5 manager envious.
For only about $1k you'll be ready for anything.

Craig Jungers
Royal City, WA
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