On 14-Jan-2005, "Tinkerntom" wrote:

Don your
prospective gear, and go run up and down the shore, and do some good
aerobic excercises, work up a sweat. Then get in the water and go out
about 10 ft. and get good and wet. Remember kayaking is a wet water
sport. Don't fuss with a boat, or any other gear at this time. You will
know in about 5 minutes whether the immersion gear you have is adequate
or not. Try swiming, and be sure and get your head under. Check your
sudden gasp response. Do this about 3 times,

If this little test in any way represents the conditions that a sea kayaker
could reasonably expect while paddling, the mistake they made was paddling
in such conditions.

If you choose to paddle during the winter in conditions where you _will_
get seriously wet and/or are at significant risk of capsize and a swim,
then you clearly should not be allowed out of the house alone.

Most of us check the weather before going out. If the conditions are
acceptable, then we go. Under these conditions, I have _never_, ever
capsized in all my years of paddling. Not once. So, the cold weather
gear is to protect against an unlikely condition. Furthermore, if
I go alone, I will only wear a drysuit, since only a drysuit gives the
degree of protection that suits solo paddling. A wetsuit will not
provide enough protection unless it is so bulky that it can't be
paddled in. If I paddle with the usual gang, I might wear a farmer
john and drytop, since I know they can provide an assisted rescue
quickly assuming my roll fails.

The claims that drysuits are bulky are nonsense. They are no more
difficult to move in than any other winter clothing. Gore-tex over
fleece - what's the big deal?

In your other post, you point out that there is a risk that the fabric
might tear. Not likely. I wear Gore-tex clothing almost year round
when hiking, skiing and other sports. I put that stuff through a lot
of abuse and can't remember ever tearing Gore-Tex. The seals are the
weak point, but inspecting them is a good preventative measure. If
your suit has Gore-tex or neoprene protection over the seals, as some
good paddling suits have, the risk of a tear from an external source
is low.

The seals on my drysuit are 6 years old and should be replaced soon.
My drytop is about 8 years old and in much better shape. They can
last a reasonable amount of time if taken care of.

The risks are from the weather and water conditions, not from your
gear. If you focus on that and make sure you are prepared, the
risks are easy to control. Winter paddling can be riskier than
summer paddling, but you don't hear about paddling incidents in
the winter. That's probably because the winter conditions
keep the fools off the water.

Mike