Well…
Here in Quebec, in the summer, even if the air temperature is around 90°F, the St-Lawrence river near or in the Gulf can be around 40°F. A wetsuit certainly won’t cut it. I only paddle in lakes and rivers so in the summer time I have no problem. It wouldn’t e the same in the ocean though.
My paddling
I Paddle small rivers year round. Wear a wetsuit, (new purchase). paddle with trusted friends , keep spare warm clothes in a dry bag,( have good firestarter material in drybag.) Am in decent physical shape and can get out of the water in less than 5 min. Am planning on trying my wetsuit in 30 degree and lower temps to ensure it will work. Hope this helps.
A dry suit is smart consumerism
As I said previously, it will prevent you from wasting your money on products that won’t do the job. Isn’t is more sensible to buy one garment that can handle a broad range of conditions well, rather than buying several that are inadequate and will eventually be relegated to gathering dust? I’ve tried a lot of paddling clothing and all I’m hoping to do is to help others avoid making the same expensive mistakes I did.
No one here is claiming that a dry suit is “magical”, just that it is the most comfortable, versatile and safe solution for paddling in cold conditions. Do you dispute that?
You’re right that common sense and experience trumps gear every time. However, you’ve got to get out on the water to gain that experience and to work on your skills.
Just as with any other winter activity, it’s quite safe to paddle in the cold if you’re prepared for it. One key element of that preparation is proper immersion gear, in case you make a bad decision or get caught accidently in conditions beyond your skill level. It’s not “magical” gear, it’s basic clothing for the activity.
wow that’s cold.
I’d be very careful even with those precautions. I have paddled in 50 degree water with a wetsuit, hydroskin layers and a semi-dry top. Even 50 degrees caused a slight gasp reflex as I was practicing my rolls. 30 degrees is really dangerous and I don’t think a wetsuit would come even close to cutting it. Be careful!
WEll my attitude is similar
I do have a polartec aquashell wetsuit. It is way more comfy than 3mm neo but not quite as warm. For a drysuit owner it is a greatwetsuit. Polartec is easy to so you can make you own.
Wetuits are very reliable, a small cut will not negate their value if you are in for a big swim. Jon Turk wrote about this, but he is an expert padler and does not ofter do very cold conditions He published a letter to say that for truly cold weather paddlers drysuits have their place.
Like Brian I use by drysuit more than my wetsuit but I am glad to have the wetsuit when water temps are 50 to 65 conditions ant planns are mellow and air temps are 50 and above, On the other hand when intentions or conditions are bigger I’d take the drysuit till the water temps are at the 55 and above range.
“better” ?
>No one here is claiming that a dry suit is “magical”, just that it is the most comfortable, versatile and safe solution for paddling in cold conditions. Do you dispute that?
<
No one is disputing a dry suit is BETTER than a wet suit. But as you pointed out so clearly in your rock vs. hammer analogy, it’s also a hell of a lot cheaper.
A dry suit may even gives its wearer false security to go out when it’s really cold. If they do flip over, they would then find their hands can’t operate the pump to get the water out, or they after all didn’t wear enough insulating layers UNDER the dry suit…
Should we all wear helmet while driving a car because we may crash, wear body armor when taking a shower because we may fall in the bathtub…? It’s call proper risk analysis. And look at all the Hummers on the road because the drivers believe their car will “protect” them from their own dumb moves!!! Now, would anyone dispute an SUV is “better” at really rough off-road? So shouldn’t a soccer mom get one when she MAY go off-road once in her lifetime just to get her kid to the game???
For plenty of applications, wet suits are adequate and a lot cheaper, leaving money for other gears (better yet, lessions) that might be more useful in saving lifes. That’s all.
have read up on
relex gasp and immersion . Will have spotters near by too. Also swimming in the U.P. late and early in the seasons hellps to get ya used to cold water. I will be extremely careful though. Also might add I was First Responder Certified, so when my buddy tried it first I can be there for him.
Gasp Relfex?
I read an article recently that stated 30% of cold water deaths were caused by gasp reflex induced drowning.
I understand the gasp reflex is triggered by sudden immersion of the head/face in cold water. So, logically, it seems to me that both dry and wet suits offer the same (poor) protection for preventing/controlling gasp reflex, and, the best protection is to wear a neoprene hood and don’t immerse your head. Considering this isn’t a roll risky in cold water?
-Bob
Inukshuk, try this…
Go ahead and buy the 3mm wetsuit (which would be adequate for the use you describe). When the water is as cold as you would paddle in, put on your wetsuit and go sit in some very shallow, close to shore water, with a spotter close by. Stay in that water as long as you might possibly be stuck in the water in your paddling situations (as in: you have come out of your boat, can not re-enter, and must swim to shore). If you begin to feel any discomfort related to hypothermia, or you just can’t take the cold, you could always sell the suit as “new” which would get you most of your investment back, to parlay into a drysuit. It’s the only way to be sure.
try a henderson hyperstretch hood
– Last Updated: Sep-14-04 8:41 PM EST –
tightly fitted with a drysuit. If you've got a roll you'll barely know you went under. Just get the wetsuit hood, regular hyperstretch, not the goldcore type.
No comparison of entry shock to chest between wetsuit and drysuit. The cold water infiltrating you wetsuit is really cold.
basically what I am gonna try too
– Last Updated: Sep-14-04 8:41 PM EST –
and yes a roll would be risky. Got me a rec. boat so rolls aren't really an issue with me. Also to go with the gasp reflex , the initial water contact can cause a stroke or heart attack( can't remember which).
OK, another question
I would like to know what you think about those none Gore-Tex type drysuit for less than half the price. I know Gore-Tex is more breathable but will the other one do the job too ?
I know I really sweat a lot, so will a Gore-Tex suit be effective enough to get rid of the extra moisture ? Will a none Gore-Tex dry suit be so wet inside that I will freeze like in a wetsuit ?
Thank you.
The Gore Tex
– Last Updated: Sep-15-04 5:48 AM EST –
will take definitely let some of the sweat through. Can it keep up with the rate you perspire? Don't know. But rest assured, if you have a non breathable drysuit, you'll definitely puddle and be likely to get chilled once you stop moving.
sing
BTW, if you don't want to spring for the price of goretex, consider suits made with other "breathable" fabrics. Frankly, I think my Bombergear and Rapidstyle drytops pass sweat vapor through as well as my Goretex Kokatat drysuit. I do get damp when I'm working hard but I am not soaked and puddling. Consider Ravenspring or Palm. If Bombergear made drysuits, I would definitely get one. I like their style, fit and attention to well thoughtout pockets and such.
Wow. Lots of options
do you get cold easily? Are you skinny? I know plenty of people that get cold just looking at cold water. And yet I know others that seem to tolerate it quite well.
i have been fortunate enough to be very tolerant of colder water. I also personally would never splurge to buy a goretax drysuit. I have an NRS heavy duty drysuit that I love despite being non breathable. It hasd never bothered me and I dont experience the negative effects that others find so bothersome. I also am quite happy to paddle in a wetsuit for more thasn half of the year up in NH and Maine and have quite a bit of swim time wearing a 3mm suit and paddling jacket in water that I know cant be mopre than 40 degrees. I guess I have been lucky enough to to ever experience hypothermia partly because of my body mass and tolerance to cold.
I wopuld agree with everyone that states only you will be able to sdecide if a wetsuit or a goretex drysuit will cover your #ss in the conditions you will find yourself in.
I never saw a drysuit on the water until the mid 1990’s. Everybody wore wetsuits for the new years day ice breaker runs. I think we are spoiled now. That aint a bad thing I guess.
After reading all the comments…
…and hearing you say that you “don’t go far from shore” and only out on calm days, I would be curious to know just how far from shore you do go?
If you are contantly paralling the shore and are within about fifty feet of it at all times, and are a competant swimmer you don’t need either a wet suit or a dry suit.
Cheers,
JackL
great post northman
nothing like good solid facts and research when making such an important decision. Thanks for the good info.
some one else originally
posted a link like this. Its what got me to buy a wetsuit for colder weather paddling.
Pointless hyperbole
Outrageous exaggeration like this isn’t going to further your cause. Exactly how stupid do you think people here are?
Wetsuits are cheap. Dry suits are better in many ways, but more expensive. You get what you pay for.
IIRC
Head and face exposure to cold water is supposed to trigger the “mammalian diving reflex”, but neck and chest exposure cause gasp reflex. If you lower yourself into cold water, you’ll probably find that you start gasping well before your head gets wet. As Peter points out, a hood is important, as cold water on just your face won’t cause gasping. I’ve rolled several times in water in the low 30’s with nothing more than a stinging feeling and numb lips.
The gradual feeling of cold that creeps in while wearing a dry suit will not cause gasping the way the flooding of water into a wetsuit does. I remember the first and only capsize I had in 40 degree water while wearing a full, snug fitting 3mm wetsuit. I was in shallow water and was out of the boat and standing up in a couple of seconds, but I was gasping to the point that I could barely speak. In contrast, I routinely capsize and swim in 40 degree water in a dry suit during our spring trip leader training program and have never suffered any gasping.