Hello. I am looking for a clothing item to keep my but dry in my SOT kayak. I have a pair of waders but I find that they severly hamper my maneuverabillity. Do I just need a pair of “paddling pants”? What then?
I have dry pants(waterproof) for
winter. In warm weather I get wet.
Kayaking is a water sport …
Stay home on the couch.
Kayaking is a water sport …
Stay home on the couch.
What is your point?
What is your point?
options
I’m not aware of any waterproof “paddling pants”. The closest thing would be sock-footed waders (as opposed to waders with built-in boots at the feet). They do make quite comfortable version of these, but they are expensive - up to $300-400. The $50-100 versions available at Wal-Mart ae not nearly so comfortable.
One thing you could try - I have seen extremely cheaply-made plastic pants sometimes sold as “waders” and sometimes as “rain pants” in some stores. You could buy these a couple sizes larger than your true size, which should make them more comfortable. However, I doubt they are truly waterproof if you’re sitting in water all day.
Which brings us to another option - prevent water from getting in your seat in the first place. Some SOT seats do not have drain holes - is yours like that? If so, look carefully at how it is made and see in you can drill some drain holes in it.
Also, how is water getting there in the first place? Is it coming off your paddle? If so, you might try using a “splash cloth”, a large piece of plastic like an apron, tucked into your pants at the waist and running down to your ankles (assuming you’re wearing waterproof boots or don’t mind getting your feet wet).
NRS Black Rock
pants are pretty nice.
I would never wear waders
they can be a killer,if you capsize and they fill with water.
You might want to think about cycling rain gear.
My wife and I use Performance light weight waterproof pants in the cooler months.
Check their catalog or the Bike Nashbar catalog
Cheers,
JackL
old wives tale
That’s not true about the waders, that’s an old wives tale. And yeah, I know you might be considered pretty nearly an old wife yourself, but it’s still not true.
Check out YouTube, there’s a dozen videos of people trying to drown themselves in waders for our amusement, in all conditions. None of them succeed. Here’s one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYwG52p4yjs&p=57EE5F7FF522D883
True, there have been people who drown while wearing waders and sometimes newspapers even repeat the myth when reporting such cases.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article689106.ece
But newpapers aren’t coroners and they weren’t there when the guy drowned. Don’t let a few erroneous headlines fool you - look at the ample experimental evidence. Google “drowning waders” and follow the links.
Waders are fine
I’m not sure where your opinion is generated from but from every thing that I have heard, waders are fine if you wear a belt. I also wear a dry-top so I think that the set up would be pretty water-tight. I’ll find out on Sunday for sure one-way or the other!
“Styay at home” Get bent. Getting dripped on is part of it sitting in a puddle of 40 degree water is not. I don;t know where you live, what you paddle or why you paddle but a smart assed answer like that isn’t going to get you invited to any cook-outs. No, YOU stay home!
The water, I am afraid… well, I don’t know where it comes from. I DO have scupper holes but I keep them plugged because I don’t want water comming UP throught them because a but slathered in 40 degree water is a cold but weather the water drains out or not. Water DOES come up throught he foot-scuppers. I guess it could be flowing up to the seat area.
I like the idea of the rain pants. I found some stocking foot “splash” pants that are supposed to be water-tight. Those might do the trick. http://www.outdoorplay.com/store/Product.asp?DID=93&PDID=87&SKU=PPP_KTTTM
Plenty of waterproof pants
– Last Updated: Jun-10-09 9:10 AM EST –
Drypants, available from a few manufacturers. Obviously they aren't dry any more if you swim unless mated very well with a dry top, but they'd be dry for the OPer's purposes. They should be more comfortable for paddling than waders.
The newest kids on the block are Kokatat's Tempest pants, Tropos3 drypants with GoreTex booties. Much easier than pulling latex gaskets over your ankles.
Various Ideas -
at http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product_list.asp?deptid=1173 and
http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product_list.asp?deptid=1173
and probably more I forgot.
Just maybe you should go and tell the
wife of the guy that I was involved with a search for that drowned wearing waders when he stepped into water over his head.
I doubt if she will believe you.
He supposedly was a swimmer too.
Cheers,
JackL
That’s another reason
to paddle a SINK 
Somewhat depends
on how that water is getting in and your boat design.
If you have scuppers at the seat and that’s where the water’s coming in, simply plugging the scuppers will help. If water is coming over the sides or from paddle drip and such, those stoppers will actually cause you to sit in more water because it can’t drain out.
Clothing can keep you dry and warm, even if you are sitting in water all day. A full drysuit would work and might be useful 9 months of the year in Mass. Some of the dry pants can help as well, particularly the ones that come up on your torso a bit. Nothing worse than feeling that cool water running into your pants right at your backside on a cold day.
A wetsuit can also keep you warm, even if you get a little wet. I personally don’t mind getting a bit wet, even in the winter, as long as I don’t get cold. On a nice summer day, I just put on clothes that dry quickly and enjoy the cool water.
jim
Second that.
Picked up a pair early Spring this year. Mated them up with an NRS Stampede semi-dry shorty top. I swam a class V rapid for about 4-5 minutes in them and emptied out less than a 1/4 cup of water from each ankle gasket afterward. I’d bet that the water came in from the non-latex neck and arm holes of the top.
The dry pants would absolutely keep one’s butt dry in an SOT, but if swimming, the waist (if un-mated to a double-tunnel dry or semi-dry top) would let a lot of water in. Just keep that in mind.
YoS
Keeping my knees dry
My butt is high and dry in the canoe but my knees are generaly down in the bilgewater and they don’t like being cold either.
When the weather is cool and I’m confident I won’t swim or get doused I wear a pair of breathable rain pants over fleece or nylon pants all tucked into my mukluks.
So far so good.
Tommy
how about a drysuit or better yet
a sit inside kayak
A suggestion
I’ll echo Celia’s suggestion - I have the Kokatat Tempest pants and they work well. They have attached socks, so no ankle gaskets, material is breathable enough. The waistband is quite wide and I have to ‘burp’ them like a drysuit to get the air out, so they should be pretty dry if you fall in. I haven’t jumped in to test them yet, but I like them so far. Sitting in a SOT they will work fine.