breathability
lemme see. breathable dry suit covered from the waist down in a cockpit with a neoprene cover (sprayskirt)
top core covered by a pfd
pretty much leaves the arms and shoulders to breathe. so I never bought the how much better goretex is to all the rest. Perhaps in lab conditions but for the paddling I do I am going to sweat regardless and no fabric is able to transfer that much anyway.
I have a NRS Extreme that is a couple of years old. no frills and probably too big for me but I can layer undrneath if I need to.
Paul
3mm vs. 7mm
To answer the original question, 7mm is too thick to paddle in, IMO. 3mm will be much more flexible. I’d say 5mm is about max for a wetsuit that you can move in. Leave the 7mm suits to the divers.
What is the water temperature when
you will be paddling?
I once ordered a custom wetsuit, and
specified 3mm. They made it in 5mm and I could not paddle in it. Having a copy of the order form I had sent in, I was at least able to get them to change the sleeves to 3mm. I never got much use out of that wetsuit, and it cost a bunch.
Georgian Bay
As someone who has actually paddled on extended Georgian Bay Trips the last several years (Tobermory and the Mink & McCoys), I’d have to echo the previous paddler in asking when are you going?
Early August the last couple of years has brought water temps to respectable levels. Even enough to do a bit of swimming for those with thick skin. If you’re going early summer or fall, I’m guessing a Dry suit or Wetsuit, whichever fits your budget would be a must.
On several trips our group included paddlers who used dry suits exclusively and others like me that used fuzzy rubber on the sunny days and a dry top on the windy overcast days. The ladies in our group used their drysuits primarily for warmth and the guys layered as needed.
Water/air rules state to dress for the water, so whatever makes you comfortable. I paddle warm, have a bombproof roll and self rescue skils and am always with a group of very experienced paddlers on these kinds of adventures. So I don’t plan on being in the water for an extended period of time, but there is always that sliver of a chance I’d be in the water long enough to experience hypothermia. That’s the chance I take, not owning a full drysuit.
I’m assuming you don’t have $500-$800 to spend on a drysuit. Have you thought of a farmer john and a drytop, this combination of layers allows for flexibility in your gear throughout the season and buys you some in-water time if you are out of your boat. You get the warmth of a wetsuit, the shoulder flexibility of the farmer John and then you can regulate your heat by layering to fit your needs?
I have been testing my own theory
on the paddling prejudice against wetsuits.
I think it depends on what you are going to do, and what range of temps we are talking about.
Sea Kayaking in air temps above 50 with water temps in the 30-40, would be a good case for a drysuit. You are exerting yourself in a temp range where water and air are fairly disparate and you may not be repeatedly getting wet.
I have been toying with the idea of a 4/3 suit for surf kayaking in spring and fall. Water temps 30-40 air temps 50-70. But I will be wet and not paddling continually. I got a good used Xcel 4/3 full suit. I used it this weekend on an inland lake for a paddle round the lake. It was really warm, too warm, but the range of motion was excellent. The newer surfing suits are pretty nice. It was warm and didn’t impede paddling at all.
I have a good Kokatat Drysuit for paddling, so to me it is a choice.
But a 3mm suit should be fine when paired with a drytop.
LOL!
In the land of “group think”, individual theories are not welcomed, even if based on actual experience rather than conjecture.
sing
Yeah,
I should stop with all this empirical stuff, it just gets me nowhere.
We’re going to have you on a waveski
before the end of the summer …
The trip to the darkside continues …
oh wait I did have you on a waveski …
Never mind …
it was not a very exciting one though …
My farmer john breathes pretty well …
through the arm holes …
Back to the original question
Since a Farmer John allows complete arm movement would a 7mm be better? After all if you get too hot you can always take a swim. Thats what I do in the spring and in the fall.
not just arms
You need easy movement of the torso, abs, shoulders, and to some extent legs.
When I wore a 5mm farmer john I felt like a hube rubber band was resisting my every move. Granted the higher quality neoprene in surf suits is probablly better, but I’d think 7mm would be a problem in any material.
Wetsuit/neo vest/drysuit combo
I used this combo and was able to continue to “practice my roll”, aka swim a good bit, down to water temps of 45 degrees farnheit. Also hood and gloves of course. That was when I was in a state of mind that was much more doggedly determined than I have been since. And even then, water at 45 degrees was my stopping point.
The wetsuit was a typical paddling suit, a Farmer Jane, NRS vest and a long sleeve hydroskin top under the wetsuit. I had neo. Dry top was a good one.
My own experience -
Somewhere below 50 degrees a typical paddling wetsuit is prohibitively cold and uncomfortable, so I stop doing the things I should be contuing to practice or play with out there.
A drysuit with the layers I need to keep me warm, even Goretex, will leave me sweated up some underneath unless it is a perfect day of low to mid-fiftes air and water temps. So I frequently change into dry layers at lunch break if it is a longer paddle.
All of this is about the typical paddling wetsuit - NOT the much more advanced suits that surfers use these days which are a step way above and cost halfway between the basic wetsuit and the more expensive dry suits. There are probably just a handful on this board who have any real experience with them - Sing is one.
I Don’t Know…
It depends on local conditions, and your own personal tolerance for cold water.
The trouble with asking a question like that on a national board is you are going to get opinions from people that just don’t have a clue
Yup…
– Last Updated: Mar-17-10 5:52 AM EST –
bottom line - whatever one wears, it's a compromise between the conditions, the venue and one's skills. The latter makes a huge difference in deciding what kind of compromise one makes in the choice of immersion gear. All immersion gear is a compromise of factors.
Have no clue what the OP wants to do or the skills s/he has or not. When in doubt, say nothing. Though in likelihood, given the question, I would suggest with the majority, go buy a "drysuit" if you can afford it and experiment with the layering to figure how much to layer underneath without getting drenched in sweat and yet still have enough insulation for some "immersion time" necessary for self or assisted rescue, a swim in, or staying alive long enough for someone to pull one out.
sing
I haven't worn my two drysuits in years. For me and what I do, my wetsuits are much safer.
personal preferences
Personally I like the freedom of a wetsuit and the lack of dependency on a gasket. It is a given with me that I am going to get wet. I just want to be warm enough so that I can function well but cool enough to not overheat.
good combo for me: farmer John 3mm with a hydroskin or similiar long sleeve top. gives me 3.5 mm for my core and the rest 3mm. If it gets real cold I also have a hydroskin vest that I can wear bringing my core up to 4mm.
Having a wetsuit also (mostly) takes the need for a breathable drysuit or drytop away and a splash jacket with a neoprene/velcro collar is sufficient for any wind chill.
caveat: I base my decisions on the fact that my number one choice of dealing with a capsize is a roll and my number two choice is a re-enter and roll. both take seconds.
ocean travels off shore would get me in a drysuit
As the water temps increase a bit and the weather gets balmy, I absolutely love my Stohlquist shorty 2mm wetsuit. That and a shorty semi dry top is my absolute favorite combo for comfort.
Paul
i think what I was suggesting frank
is that a newer full 4/3 surfing suit actually has really good range of motion and is really warm. Maybe too warm.
if it’s…
that warm that all you need is a farmerjohn suit style …then you only need the 3mm. I have 5mm neoprene waders…and they keep me comfortable in 40 F water w/ insulated longjohns on underneath …7 mm farmer suit is overkill.
Drysuit
with layers underneath.
jim