You need to do a "trial pack" to see if you can get enough warmies in
your kayak. You should also camp out once or twice in winter without
the kayak, just to get the hang of it.

On the other hand, if the weather is below zero, where are you going to
find enough open water? I can't imagine dragging a boat over the ice
jumble at the edge of Lake Michigan.

The big problem is that your margin of error goes to near zero. I
assume you will wear a wet suit. Hypothermia sets in quickly, and can
occur wet or dry.

Richard



Drew Cutter wrote:

How much difference is there between winter and summer gear for sea
kayaking - camping . Plan to do some winter camping.

Thanks for the advice. I always believe to have an emergency backup.
For instance a white out or a sudden storm prevents me from getting back
right away. Too many jet skier in the summer months for a quick trip to
the lake. I have to go further north and less populated in the summer.

Are their places that have winter sea kayaking classes ? clubs ?

If you are willing to travel, yes. In your area, I cannot comment. I am
willing to bet that Florida and other southern states, like California and
Washington, have year round classes and clubs. Up in the frozen north where
you live, I'm not so certain.

Rick

"Drew Cutter" wrote in message
...
Are their places that have winter sea kayaking classes ? clubs ?

On Sun, 21 Dec 2003 15:20:56 GMT, "Rick" wrote:

"Drew Cutter" wrote in message
...
Are their places that have winter sea kayaking classes ? clubs ?

If you are willing to travel, yes. In your area, I cannot comment. I am
willing to bet that Florida and other southern states, like California and
Washington, have year round classes and clubs. Up in the frozen north where
you live, I'm not so certain.

In New England, I am not aware of anything kayak related during the
winter months, excepting indoor pool rolling sessions.

My friend who teaches sea kayaking has no classes, and the outfit he
teaches for shuts down until March.

A winter camping class would help you, even if land-based.

People here tend to change activities as the seasons change, except
for the ones who hibernate all winter indoors.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

Gary S. -
The cleveland club shuts down its out door activities for Dec, Jan . I
live a couple of hours from the lake. The reservoirs and one lake stay
partly open around here . Is it better to get a one piece or two piece
dry suit ? One piece are expensive. i will have to check the land
classes. The ski season around here is getting shorter . Allot of man
made snow. Lift ticket prices are getting out of sight . It now cost
75.00 dollars in vermont for one day.

On 21 Dec 2003 16:58:48 GMT, Drew Cutter wrote:

Gary S. -
The cleveland club shuts down its out door activities for Dec, Jan . I
live a couple of hours from the lake. The reservoirs and one lake stay
partly open around here . Is it better to get a one piece or two piece
dry suit ? One piece are expensive. i will have to check the land
classes. The ski season around here is getting shorter . Allot of man
made snow. Lift ticket prices are getting out of sight . It now cost
75.00 dollars in vermont for one day.

Not my specialty, but my understanding is that a one-piece drysuit
with insulating layers underneath is your best choice for cold water.

No dispute that they get pricey, but some aggressive shopping may help
with that, especially in the off season. Safety equipment is not the
best place to skimp.

I thought that most whitewater and sea kayaking groups did winter pool
sessions during the time they were not outside.

For $75, I would expect gold-plated snow.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

Richard Ferguson wrote:

I assume you will wear a wet suit.

Are you kidding? A wetsuit is NOT suitable for the kind of conditions
one may find in The Great Lakes area in the winter. A dry suit is the
only thing he should be considering. In addition to the difference in
protection, a dry suit is MUCH less bulky and allows you to utilize
insulation that's also useful when you're not paddling. A wetsuit is
essentially useless when you're not on the water.

--
Regards

Brian

In article ,
Brian Nystrom wrote:
Richard Ferguson wrote:

I assume you will wear a wet suit.

Are you kidding? A wetsuit is NOT suitable for the kind of conditions
one may find in The Great Lakes area in the winter. A dry suit is the


Brian knows already that this arctic wet/drysuit controversy is over.

This is now widely recognized as the ultimate truth on this matter:

http://www.kolumbus.fi/timo.noko/puku/INDEX.HTM

Timo Noko wrote:

In article ,
Brian Nystrom wrote:

Richard Ferguson wrote:


I assume you will wear a wet suit.

Are you kidding? A wetsuit is NOT suitable for the kind of conditions
one may find in The Great Lakes area in the winter. A dry suit is the



Brian knows already that this arctic wet/drysuit controversy is over.

This is now widely recognized as the ultimate truth on this matter:

Ultimate truth??? Be careful, you may get hurt patting yourself on the
back so hard!

Your system works for YOU because it's custom made to fit you and your
paddling needs and you're willing to endure being wet and smelly in a
cold environment for weeks on end. Personally, I can't think of any good
reason to do so when there is an alternative like a
waterproof/breathable dry suit with suitable underlayers. It's far more
comfortable, works in a broader range of temperatures and the
undergarments do double duty, reducing the bulk one must carry. Most
importantly, it will keep you DRY, which is critical to warmth, safety
and hygiene in a cold environment. At the end of the day, I can shed my
dry suit, throw on shell gear and I'm dry and good to go. Can you say
the same?

You've decided that your system is best for YOU, but that hardly means
it's best for every paddler. The "ultimate truth" is that it's not. Most
people are simply not going to be comfortable in 6mm neoprene in a
kayak. The argument about catastrophic failure of a dry suit is a
"tempest in a teapot". Theoretically, it can happen, but the reality is
that dry suit materials are very strong and they resist abrasion and
tears very well. For most paddlers, the odds of a dry suit failure are
probably about the same as being struck by lightning.

I'm glad you're happy in your neoprene "dry suit"; I'm just as happy in
my Gore-Tex one, and probably a lot more comfortable.

--
Regards

Brian