Mary Malmros wrote:

doug m writes:

Mary Malmros wrote:



except, perhaps, a
beginner's understandable desire to take a shortcut in figuring out
which x is right for them.



"beginner?" bit of an asumption here. started paddling my
parents
[story about how he was paddling in the womb snipped]

Take it easy, take a relax. It's a newbie question, for the most
part: what clothes should I buy. So you weren't a newbie to
paddling...mox nix. You went to buy a drysuit, presumably without
prior experience with 'em that would have allowed you to say, "Yep,
that's what I need." You yourself speculated that you might have
been "the victim of marketing hype", right? So...were you? What
did you base your decision on?
back to the original question...

has anyone seen documented fatalities attributable to hypothermia for a
properly fitted wetsuit or drysuit used in canoeing, rafting or kayaking?

In whitewater, and I expect in calm water too, hypothermia is rarely
the direct cause of death, and it's not something that can show up
on an autopsy like drowning or trauma. I can remember reading
accounts in Charlie Walbridge's safety reports where hypothermia is
listed as a likely contributing factor in a drowning death, but I
doubt you can ever prove that hypothermia was _the_ reason why
someone drowned. But it's a good place to look.

thinking about the question further, surfers in New England use wetsuits
nearly exclusively. i don't think i've ever noted a drysuit used by a
surfer. they spend hours in the water at cold temperatures and require
quick reflexes and great coordination. it would appear that wetsuits
offer these users the protection they need.

Can't answer that one, since I've never surfed in New England.
Check back with me in a few days -- I'm going surfing on Cape Cod
tomorrow.

re the surfers in New England - reflecting on my Windsurfing days. they
were more than likely to be using 'steamers'. These are 'wetsuits' but
all the seams are sealed so water can only enter slowly through the neck
hand and feet openings, the zip is usually almost watertight. These are
designed for constant use in the water. Once a thin film of water forms
inside the suit it is warmed by the body and tends to stay put. I used
to windsurf here in the UK in the middle of winter and stay comfortable
so long as I was active. As they are designed for a person who is
actually in the water some or most of the time - I am not sure how
appropriate they would be for someone only taking the occasional,
unplanned dip into the sea or river and then wanting to get out asap.

Within my circle of paddling companions the preference is for a fleece
type layer protected by a waterproof (but not dry) outer shell. This
stops us suffering from the overheating of a dry suit. Though I would
use a dry suit if I knew I was going to get wet - eg when rescue
training, etc.