Embarrased Newbie

Hello everyone i a new to kayaking my wife and i just purchased some kayaks and cant wait till we can get out on the water. I want to buy a wetsuit and here is the embarrassing part i am 5’6" and weigh about 220 lbs and am having trouble finding a wetsuit to fit me without having a constant water exchange. Any one have any ideas without having to spend $300-$400 right now i am trying to lose weight but it takes time. After my wife and i spent the money on the kayaks paddles and etc. not a whole lot left to buy to wetsuits fortunately my wife does not have the same problem with sizing. any advice that wont break the bank? thank you

NRS Grizzly?
Might be worth a look:

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=2219%20G

nrs grizzly
i don’t know how i missed that it looks like the right sizing. it should fit tight correct? What would you recommend besides that, as far as a wetsuit jacket, dry top or splash top? the water generally does not get warm until late June or July so probably the water would be between 50-60 until then? I used to do some rescue diving for emergency services and i had a 7mm wetsuit custom made for me but i have put on some weight since then.

thanks for any advice

commonly used

– Last Updated: Jan-30-13 7:56 PM EST –

For waters from 50 up until your comfortable (probably somewhere in the 60s) is a 3 mm farmer john. A paddle jacket is an excellent addition, as wet suits don't do much for wind protection (though you could possibly use a non-paddle specific wind breaker in place of this at first). With these two, and added base layers of polypro, wool, or similar (often clothing you'd use for pther exercising, like hiking, biking, etc) you can deal with a pretty good range of temps.

thank you
thank you for all the suggestions now to try to start to decide

thank you

hey there lageared …

– Last Updated: Jan-30-13 9:35 PM EST –

...... when are you expecting those upstate NY water temps. to be in the 50F.-60F. range ??

I don't paddle or boat in NY but I'm guessing your water temps are in the low 30's at present . Don't know this for certain but I'm bettin it'll take a month and a half still , to push through the 40's ... maybe some other more informed NY'er's can be of better assist on those NY water temps for you and wife ... be safe , that's cold water and can be especially dangerous to the uninformed .

You are well north of us in MD and our peidmont river temps are 37F.-40F. ... PA is still in the low to mid 30's right now .

Don't think you should count on a wetsuit in those temps . Wait till it's well into the 50's water temps and then go slow and careful until things are warmed up more .

Until you can get something better , save this link for NY inland water temps. (it's in Celsius so you'll have to convert) ... and I think you'll have to click on "Temp." to open the map , I did ...

http://waterwatch.usgs.gov/wqwatch/map?state=ny

and converter ... http://www.metric-conversions.org/temperature/celsius-to-fahrenheit.htm

Pool Session
If you must water your kayaks and get your fix it’d certainly be a low consequence method of getting the feel of your new kayaks and a chance to work on wet exits and other watery fun without the Eskimo Pie Headache effect, and without the same cost as immersion gear.



You planning on hitting the water soon? I know that the past two days have been abnormally warm but I think winter is supposed to still be in full effect.



I have a Paddler’s Pool Practice on 2/10 at the Culinary Inst. in Hyde Park, NY depending on what your defining as Upstate NY in your profile. DACC (Duanesburg, NY) near Schenectady is another option if you’re in the North Country.



Kudos to you for looking beyond the “Got kayak and go!” heedless of the conditions set.



See you on the water,

Marshall

The River Connection, Inc.

Hyde Park, NY

www.the-river-connection.com

hudsonriverpaddler.org




Consider separates
You can get bottoms and tops, like vests, shirts and jackets, separately.

water temps
hey pilotwingz

maybe i typed it wrong and you miss understood me i know what the water temps are about now i meant that even in June they are only at that temp and probably dont get much warmer until after July. I am not going to even attempt to hit the water until May unless the climate changes drastically. Right now considering the air temp is 32 degrees f. But thank you for the info.

good to hear …
… glad you are aware and keping an eye on water temps . … just wasn’t sure if you were at 1st .



Something crossed my mind about that 7mm custom wetsuit that was made for you back when … don’t know this but it seems intirely possible to me if you still have it , that suit could be altered/taylored to fit you just right at this time . Might be something to check into .



I was impressed with a 7mm full suit once , though heavy it was impressive .


good to hear
yes it was i did dive a couple of times into water temps in the low 40s though was not fun at all besides you only find one type of person during those times not pretty that is the reason i stopped made me stop diving the suit is the only thing i kept.

pantyhose
will make the wetsuit slide on a lot easier ! a synthetic top too .

nrs or overton
I weigh 220 and am 5ft 7in. In 2xl either of these suits fit me for about $140. And I wear a neoprene hood or balaclava down around my neck. The idea is to pull it up over my head if I swim.