Ewan Scott wrote:

The kit is not restrictive

All things are relative. Paddling in a wetsuit and cag and BA is more
restrictive than paddling in just a BA. It might not be /unduly/
restrictive, all things considered, but it is nonetheless more
restrictive. That is one of the reasons I much prefer to paddle in
fleece tights and a Paramo shirt than in a wetsuit and cag *if* it's
calm enough that I won't get covered in very cold water.

it is not unnecessary

Sort of depends on definitions. "Not unnecessary" could reasonable be
argued to be the same as "necessary", and on the majority of
pleasureable paddling occasions I'm wearing the aforementioned fleece
tights and Paramo shirt and BA, and when I'm doing that the cag and
wettie clearly aren't "necessary", even if I've got them along in the
boat Just In Case.

and it need not be expensive.

But it will be more expensive than not having them.

Can't see how keeping drier and warmer detracts from the
enjoyment of the activity.

But there are numerous possibilities for paddling where you don't get
appreciably wet, in which case staying drier is a moot point. On a
typical sea paddle on a nice day (which I much prefer to 'orrible days)
I can get straight out of my boat, load it on the car and drive away
with no need to dry or change any clothes at all. Because my fleece
tights and shirt dry out incredibly quickly I'm usually considerably
drier than folk that wear wetsuits for the same paddle, because they
don't dry out and you sweat a lot inside them. And if you stay dry then
you'll probably be warm, especially if you're working hard, in which
case being warmer is a moot point. If you get hot inside a cag then
even a breathable one won't vent the sweat as fast as you make it, so
you end up less comfortable by wearing it, not more, if it isn't keeping
off cold water in appreciable quantities.

In the sea boat my cag travels on the deck by default, not on me. And
it does that because if the conditions are benign and don't demand it
then it's more comfortable not to wear it. Beginners will typically
begin in benign conditions...

Of course, that's for sea paddling, which is often effectively flat
water paddling, at least for beginners. I wear completely different kit
in the surf or my occasional forays into rock-bashing, but "a beginner"
doesn't imply anything about where, just a lack of experience. So my
advice returns to where it began: borrow stuff appropriate for the
particular context until you know what's right. Most of the advice has
been pretty much specific to white water, but that isn't the only game
in town. My first paddling was mostly inna fla****er touring stylee as
a kid. I very much doubt I'd have been any better off in a wet suit and
cag: I wasn't even using a spray deck...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/