How helpful are wet suits in cooler water

Advice
#41

@Mountainpaddler

I see that Overstreet handled it… but please be careful in this area. Granted extreme whitewater has issues all its own. But that is not the category of most paddlers or the original poster here.

And frankly it is dangerous to beginners. I personally know of at least one person who refused to ever practice a wet exit in his transition/rec flat water plastic boat because he had been convinced that his nylon skirt would trap him in the boat. This was not remotely true, but his belief in this created a level of anxiety that could make this a self-fulfilling prophecy. He paddled alone, often.

#42

I must be a wimp for once the water gets anywhere into the 50s, give me a dry suit over a wet suit everyday. Wet suits are ok when waters are in the 60s. However, I like to practice self and assisted rescues year round. Being dry except for head and hands makes for much more enjoyable paddling. My life is worth the extra cost of a drysuit in cold water.

3 Likes
#43

You bring up a very important point, that cold water dramatically reduces your margin for error and amplifies any weakness in your skills, judgement and safety strategy. That’s why it’s critical to train in the conditions you paddle in. Until you actually experience the effects of cold water, you basically have no clue as to how it will affect you. The first step is to find a place where you can safely wade out into cold water and test your clothing. That’s when you’ll discover the limitations of a thin wetsuit (standing in a cold shower tells you almost nothing).

Although I don’t like to discourage people from paddling, I agree that if you’re not willing to properly equip yourself with the necessary clothing, safety gear and training, you shouldn’t be paddling cold water. Period.

Every time an ill-prepared paddler gets in trouble and requires rescue - or worse yet, dies - it provides more fodder for politicians that want to restrict our access and pass idiotic regulations in a misguided effort to protect us from ourselves.

Don’t be that guy.

4 Likes
#44

I have paddled a time, or two when there was ice, but I don’t do that anymore. For me, it has to be above 40 degrees. I wear a full wet suit with polyester, spandex under clothes when it’s cold. In good (warmer weather) I just wear shorts and a long sleeved shirt.

I have no idea how effective the wet suit might be if I got dumped. I don’t want to find out. I’ve been paddling for a very long time and I’ve only been flipped once while surfing and that was almost right on shore. That was in the summer.

The wet suit does keep me nice and warm while paddling in cooler temperatures, but my aim is to stay dry, so I don’t go paddling in cold water where conditions might lead to ending up in the water. Yes I know there is always a chance of getting wet, but it’s about as likely as being hit by lightning.

When I used to do canoes and small sail boats, that was a horse of another color. The likelihood of getting wet while messing about in those crafts is almost a sure thing. And then there is white water, which I don’t do anymore, not because of getting wet, but because big rocks are too danged hard.

#45

There is a good source of information on cold water safety: The National Center for Cold water Safety at http://www.coldwatersafety.org/nccwsRules3.html by Moulton Avery. And here is a live presentation given to the Chesapeake Paddlers Association a few years ago https://www.facebook.com/CPAKayaker/videos/10151408664486865/ . It is in four parts. CPA offers this free course every year or two. It was just run a few weeks ago.

I totally agree that a wet suit is not adequate for the temperatures you describe, especially the lighter weight wet suits that are suitable for kayaking. I’ve worn wet suits, before dry suits were common, for oyster and salvage diving in the Chesapeake with water temperatures in the upper 30s to lower 40s, but those were very heavy wet suits that were not at all suitable for kayaking. They are too stiff and assume a different body position. I would not trust a full wet suit designed tor kayaking much below 55F water temperature.

I also agree that the 120 rule, or some other total of air and water temperature, has been totally discredited years ago, but it doesn’t seem to want to die. The ACA is largely to blame for this. When you are in the water the air temperature is totally irrelevant.

There are other considerations as far as cold water safety. If you capsize in cold water, how quickly can you get back in your boat in the conditions that caused you to capsize? If you do not drown immediately from the gasp reflex, time is the enemy. Muscle coordination is the first to go. From personal experience in 45F water, I lost the use of my hands in less than 10 minutes without gloves. Can you do a self rescue with gloves on? It can be harder with heavy gloves. Do you have a means of summoning help if you can’t get back in your boat or lose it? There aren’t many other boats out there in the winter.

Always field test your cold water gear. Walk into the water when it is at the temperature you were planning on paddling in. Is it warm enough. If a dry suit, does it leak. If you ended up in the water, how long could you stay there without the temperature becoming a problem. It might be a lot less than you think and you might be in the water for far longer than you think. The USCG has estimated that for an open water rescue, the average response time can be over an hour depending on your location and how long it takes to find you.

I’ve been paddling for over 20 years, a fair amount of time solo, but I’d never paddle in cold water with out the proper gear, no matter how protected or calm the water or how short a time I planned on being out. I also would not paddle solo in cold water but only with other people properly equipped and skilled in rescues.

As far as thinking that your chances of capsizing are about the same as being hit by lightning, people are killed by lightning all the time. No one plans on capsizing, but it only takes a second of inattention no matter how skilled you are.

Another safety note always wear a PFD. At the very least, it saves a lot of public money in recovering the body. And finally, for the average sea kayak, a spray skirt is an essential part of a sea kayak, not an optional accessory. It doesn’t take much to swamp a sea kayak, and without it performing an assisted rescue might well put you in the water too. It only takes a few inches of water sloshing about in your kayak to make it very unstable.

4 Likes
#46

Another video showing you can’t wear a wet suit in water colder than 55 F, and that they are not flexible enough.

#47

:grinning:What have we got there? 5 or 6mm? Great for sea kayaking. Whatever.

1 Like
#48

A brief note on the cowboy or ladder rescue. Unless you have an extremely good sense of balance and/or a very stable boat (and hopefully no rudder), I would not count on this type of self rescue in rough water unless you have practiced this time and again in those conditions. Most people learn this technique in calm water, which is not when you are likely to find yourself in the water. It’s a quick rescue when it works, but failed rescue attempts eat up time and energy, which can be critical in cold water.

I have never personally seen this technique used successfully in rough water, although I’m not saying it can’t be done…

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#49

My “standard” immersion wear is a 5/4, hooded wetsuit, 3 mm NRS mitts, and 5-7 mm surf boots.

I usually go 3-5 hours of paddle surfing before calling it quits. In the above, the water temp was 39 degrees and air temp in the upper 40’s.

I gave up up on my drysuits because for me to layer sufficiently for dealing with a long swim/immersion in sub 40 water, I would need need at least three base layers. These become more “inhibiting” than my wetsuit for immersion. Worse, in the course of surf paddling, my “drysuit” becomes a very damp sauna suit (yes, I mean my so-call breathable Goretex Kokatat Meridian). If I go with fewer layers, I get chilled when I am not actively paddling. But, more important, this lighter layer approach is probably insufficient layering/warmth for prolonged immersion.

My winter wetsuit has kept me warm for hours in sub 40 degree water, combined with air temps in the upper teens. When I get too hot, I just do a couple of rolls to cool off.

The bottom line is that whichever immersion gear approach one takes, there is a compromise of some sort. What helps to minimize the extent of compromise is the combination of skills and physical conditioning that one brings to a particular winter paddle venue and whether one is one with partners skilled enough to provide assisted rescue in said venue.

sing

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#50

Keep in mind, the original poster asked “how helpful are wet suits if a person takes a notion to go kayaking in cooler water temps”. The presumed comparison point is wearing no thermal protection.

Without a doubt, wearing a wet suit will extend the time when you can both have a chance of self rescuing and the time you can survive over wearing no thermal protection.

Making blanket statements that wet suits won’t work, must have dry suit, etc. are making a whole bunch of assumptions beyond what the original poster had asked for. What works for you may or may not be what is right for the original poster.

4 Likes
#51

I agree that there is no one answer as far as cold water gear. Surfing near shore vs open water touring, highly skilled vs relatively new to paddling, solo vs with other skilled paddlers.etc.

My comments, based on the original question were for a relatively new paddler looking to extend the paddling season. I do a lot of paddling on the Chesapeake Bay which may color my views. Due to its size combined with its relatively shallow average depth, the Bay can have some of the coldest waters in the US in winter and the widest water temperature range through the year, from the low 30s to the upper 80s. It’s not uncommon, especially in the Spring to have water temperatures in the mid 40s and air temperatures in the 80s. Every year we have deaths due to cold water immersion, people going out in shorts and a t-shirt with water temperatures in the 40s or 50s and air temperatures in the 70s or 80s.

I tend to be very conservative in the colder months. Having been a winter diver and still a winter kayaker, my experience has been that newer kayakers and other small craft boaters generally have no idea how incredibly dangerous cold water can be if not properly prepared.

It’s great to see someone have the foresight and intelligence to post a question here before venturing out. Hopefully they will sift through the posts here and be able to arrive at an informed decision. One of the best things they can do is field test their gear. Wade into the water with it and see how it performs. Think of how long they will possibly be in the water. At our cold water workshop we offer this option under controlled conditions. This year the water temperature was in the mid 40s, a bit above they typical temperature for this time of year and people doing this for the first time were shocked at how quickly the cold affected them.

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#52

Thank u peter I am thankful that u picked up on this facr.thank u so much from understanding where I was coming from

#53

R Stevens Thank you for understanding where I was coming from with my original post

#54

I wore my Farmer John wetsuit and a long-sleeve Hydro-skin shirt under my cloths on a flatwater paddle last Sunday. I was paddling tandem with a friend who doesn’t have a drysuit, and I think he feels better if he knows I will feel his pain if we dump. We didn’t, but we have a couple of times in the past.

Skyline from the Basin

It was fine. River temps around here are in the high 30’s/low 40’s now, so you wouldn’t want to stay in the water long. Change of cloths is always a good thing. If you are serious about cold water paddling, you can’t beat a drysuit - safer and more comfortable. (Unless you are surfing like Sing.)

#55

great link! << Dressing for Paddling >> thanks for sharing…

1 Like
#56

Glad you find it useful. That PaddleSafely site contains loads of helpful information.

#57

What link u referring to

#58

If you travel and want to paddle. The drysuit adjusts the best to all conditions. The same fleece that you would carry {or long underwear} works for the variable insulation layers, or you can just put the drysuit over your everyday street cloths for a jaunt. Wet suits don’t cover all bases as well. For flying , I like to carry a drysuit and also something like a pair of Aqua therm pants and a rashguard and neo vest. Takes me into any temp range.

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#59

@Jasonswoodcrafts

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#60

Thank u for sending lknk