welcome to the dark side
That was my reaction also, a few seasons ago. Wait until you get into a lake or ocean full of 45 degree water, it’s like magic.
For all the expense it’s one of the best gear purchases I’ve made.
Use For A Dry Top
I bought a dry top a while ago for rolling practice when the water is a little too cool to be comfortable spending much time upside down. I find it great for this purpose. It extends the amount of time that I can enjoy practicing outdoors. I don’t think of it as protection for cold water.
Since I’m not a fan of cold anything except beer and ice cream, I haven’t invested in a dry suit. This year, I’m just spending more time in the dojo until the water warms up.
Lou.
Sea Story?
OceanFury = HUH>?
80 miles from shore on a day paddle? How did you get there - high speed ferry? Or get back? Did you have a 60ft yacht that you launched your yak off of? (e.g., mothership, etc.)
I don’t know ANYONE - Barton or Chalupsky that can paddle 160 miles in a day off the WA coast…them be BIG water there!!!
Not that I never had a sea story though…but lets keep it at least slightly realistic!!
Scott
Are “shoes” needed with drysuit socks?
Do dry suit booties or socks have a sole so that you can walk on rocks or gravel? Or do you need a shoe or boot in addition?
Yes, shoes are needed
At least for the Kokatat suits. You don’t want to walk around with just the socks because you will get holes in them (speaking from experience). I use NRS booties, and they work well.
What took you so long??
I think a lot of us have sung the praises of drysuits on here for many moons.
It is my favorite piece of clothing and has been since I first zipped one up!
As far as natures call for women (“I suspect a woman might be able to unzip and catch the urine in something. Uhhh… never seen it done.”)
Women can either get the back zipper model or, as I have, a lowered front relief zipper (they lower it about an inch) used with a ‘female urinary device.’ Works great.
I second (or third) the advice about attached booties. Personally, I sprang for gore-tex for its ability to breathe and I’m sure glad I did.
Oceans, you’re kidding, right?
80 miles off the coast of Washington…in winter?
Sizing shoes over booties
I have small feet therefore tend to have considerable extra material in my bootie, but on top of that I also wear up to two socks inside the booties in winter. A thinner wicking liner and a nice cushy thick wool sock on top.
So - for paddling shoes that’ll work with the drysuit, I buy at least a half size up from anything I’d wear in summer.
glacier gloves
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?
productId=39189597&memberId=12500226
Cost Mostly
– Last Updated: Dec-31-07 5:34 PM EST –
The high cost of drysuits is what kept me from getting one sooner.
When NRS dropped the Extreme model to $356 I leapt on it. The cold, cold butt walking to the truck helped inspire me, also.
preaching to the choir
"preaching to the choir"
Many I know like their dry suit more than any other piece of equipment including their boats.
Sort of launched off a "mother ship"
Since it was a helluva long paddle I hitched a ride with a fishing type boat that was heading off shore to check traps or buoys or something like that. He too assured me the island was there. He went about 40 to 45 miles off shore and then I took it from there.
True story, believe it or not. The plan was to land on the island and spend a week camping and exploring so my Kodiak was loaded down pretty good.
It was a long paddle back and I’m living proof that God really does love foolish kayakers.
At least I’ll never make that mistake again.
Lesson Learned: If it ain’t on the chart, it probably ain’t there.
What? You never had an oopsie while paddling?
Me?
I have oopsie’s when I paddle 50 yards offshore!! I am not an accomplished paddler, so doing 15 miles in a day of bumpy water leaves me exhausted!
Sorry to chide you - I should know better! Enjoy the “right” coast - as I am from OR and miss it.
No Harm No Foul
I’m really not that great a paddler. As my most recent ex-girlfriend put it “You’re a complete asshole with more balls than brains”. This was uttered in the emergency room after I blew off our anniversary dinner to go mountain bike riding. A couple of stitches and a new wheel later and I was good to go.
Ain’t life grand?
If my work schedule holds out
and I get Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday off then this weekend will be spent paddling and beach camping. Finally got my new tent off lay away and home with me. It’s a Mountain Hardwear Bunker 1 four season solo tent. Hopefully it will prove warm enough. Going to load up the Kodiak with good eats and go! Don’t have a real definite route yet. Probably going to put in near Port Angeles and “sneak” into Canada and do some camping on the west side of Vancouver Island. Don’t worry I have my passport and all that jazz is I run into a Mountie or something. They’ve been pretty chill about it in the past.
Why put your boat in a rack all winter when you can enjoy some winter beach camping? A whole lot less tourists than in the summer months. Winter paddling is fun! Try it!
Mind if I take out a life insurance…
…policy on you? One side of me wants to do that and the other side says my bs meter is pegged. Hard to believe the stuff you’re saying and I’ve spent a fair amount of time in the areas you mention.
Post some pics and video and tell us about your skill level and training. I’m not saying you’re lying. I am saying that what you are saying you have done and will do was/is outrageous and indicates a lack of knowledge and good judgement, especially solo, especially in the winter. From what I’ve seen of your other posts, you’ve got alot to learn (as do we all) and shouldn’t be doing what you say you have done or trying what you say you will do.
If you’re shining us on, I hope you don’t encourage somebody to try what you’re talking about that isn’t prepared for it.
Have you checked the weather off the coast for next weekend? Only 20ft swell forecast for next Saturday off Washington Coast, not to mention the 7 to 9ft. wind wave forecast on top of that…
COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE FLATTERY TO JAMES ISLAND OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM JAMES ISLAND TO POINT GRENVILLE OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM POINT GRENVILLE TO CAPE SHOALWATER OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE FLATTERY TO JAMES ISLAND 20 TO 60 NM- WATERS FROM JAMES ISLAND TO POINT GRENVILLE 20 TO 60 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM POINT GRENVILLE TO CAPE SHOALWATER 20 TO 60 NM- 300 PM PST MON DEC 31 2007 …SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING… …SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM PST THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING… .TONIGHT…SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT RISING TO 20 TO 30 KT BY MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT…BUILDING TO 4 TO 6 FT. W SWELL 12 FT AT 13 SECONDS…SUBSIDING TO 10 FT AT 11 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. CHANCE OF RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT. .TUE…SE WIND 20 TO 30 KT…BECOMING S 25 TO 35 KT. WIND WAVES 6 TO 8 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 10 SECONDS…BUILDING TO 12 FT AT 11 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. CHANCE OF RAIN. .TUE NIGHT…S WIND 25 TO 35 KT…BECOMING SW LATE. WIND WAVES 6 TO 8 FT. SW SWELL 15 FT AT 13 SECONDS. CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE EVENING…THEN RAIN LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT. .WED…SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT…BECOMING S 20 TO 30 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 4 TO 6 FT. SW SWELL 14 FT. .WED NIGHT AND THU…S WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 5 TO 7 FT. W SWELL 16 FT. .FRI…SE WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 6 TO 8 FT. SW SWELL 17 FT. .SAT…SW WIND 25 TO 35 KT…EASING TO 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 7 TO 9 FT SUBSIDING. SW SWELL 20 FT.
Here’s the short-term forcast for the west coast of Vancouver Is. south.
Forecast:
Storm warning continued.
West of Estevan Point…Winds southeast 30 to gales 40 knots rising to southeast gales 40 to storm force 50 this evening and to storm force 50 to 60 overnight. Elsewhere…Winds southeast 20 to 30 knots rising to southeast 30 to gales 40 this evening and to gales 45 to storm force 55 overnight. Increasing cloud with rain developing tonight.
Seas 3 metres building to 5 to 7 metres overnight then subsiding to 4 to 6 Tuesday afternoon.
Outlook. Storm force southeasterlies easing to strong southerlies.
Yeah I saw that
The weather is definetely on the gnarly side. I’ve paddled in worse though. So we’ll see.
As far as training. I took a 1 day lesson 4 or 5 years ago. Since I don’t make much money I can’t afford lessons and good gear. It’s one or the other. So I’m basically a self taught sea kayaker. However now that I have a computer with internet I’m reading up on sea kayaking. Oh and I’ve read a few magazine articles over the years.
Not everyone has money for bling equipment and fancy schools. Some of us have to settle for good mid range equipment and go it alone. I’m juggling rent, food, car insurance, gas, and all those other living expenses pus mountain biking and sea kayaking hobbies on $7/hour and 40 hours a week. Not to mention that when I want to go sea kayaking it’s a pretty good drive for me since I live in Idaho. So whenever I have the time and the pennies scraped together to go on a trip I go. Rain, shine, blizzard, whatever. Hell I’ve had to bypass Snoqualmie Pass a few times to go on a winter trip to the Sound because a blizzard shut down 90. Didn’t keep me from using what little time and resources I had to go on a trip. When you sacrifice as much as I do to afford a paddling trip they tend to mean a lot. Right now it’s 19 degrees outside and I have the heat in my apartment off to save money on the gas bill. That’s so I can afford some new tires for my mountain bike this summer.
True, I might not know all that much about canoeing and white water kayaking. Maybe that makes me a bad sea kayaker, I dunno. Been doing pretty good these last few years.
Maybe I just don’t let anything stop me from living my life the way I want to…
Maybe that makes me free…
Maybe if I
explain better you’ll have more respect for me.
I work for a small environmental group. We work very hard to protect the natural resources and waterways that you and I enjoy. While not very financially rewarding it is rewarding in other ways. I find it spiritually rewarding.
To be able to enjoy these natural resources takes some sacrifice on my part. Nothing is free after all. To cut down on living expenses I took Section 8 housing about 22 miles from where I work. As much as possible I ride my bicycle to and from work. Once the snow clears a bit I’ll be parking my van and riding to work again. My van is an old Plymouth minivan that I paid $300 for. She’s not much to look at but she gets me around. To save money I keep discount insurance on it at the minimum level. To save money on utilities I keep the lights off as much as possible, rarely run the heat, and I’ve never run the A/C. My little pad is furnished care of Goodwill.
Breakfast in the morning is a granola bar. Lunch is a Cup O’ Noodle soup, dinner is usually a Dinty Moore microwave meal. This lets me stretch the $200 a month food stamps I get.
When I want a new piece of gear I can’t whip out a credit card and buy it. It goes on lay away. Sometimes for a very, very long time. Luckily I have a good relationship with the local retailers and they let me do this. Every piece of gear I purchase is a significant investment for me. The decision to drop $150 on a snazzy new PFD may be easy for some. For me it’s a carefully calculated decision.
I try to go sea kayaking at least once a month for a 4 day weekend. This means pinching my pennies for the 3 to 4 tanks of gas it will take to get me to the coast and back. That means cutting back everywhere I can. When I finally do have the money to go, I go. Too much has been sacrificed for me to cancel a trip due to weather. It’s a big investment for me. I’m proud to say that 2007 was a perfect year. Thanks to exceeding frugalness I was able to go sea kayaking at least once a month, every month in 2007.
When I do finally go on a trip I really make an effort to enjoy myself. No matter the conditions I am always glad I went and have fond memories when I return. Perhaps someday I will be able to afford a waterproof camera and have some nice pictures to go with the memories.
It’s the same way with mountain biking. However since this is not a MB site I won’t bore you with that.
All I’m asking is that you see my side and treat me with a little respect. After all I am sacrificing $9.95 a month to People PC to be able to meet you. Hopefully be your friend. If you’re ever out this way you are more than welcome to share my campsite, a Dinty Moore and a Miller with me.
Peace?
used to do the wetsuit thing
bought a drysuit this spring and my only regret is not getting one sooner—increases both the phsical and psycholical comfort level by tenfold