Our lake is currently at about 38 degrees F, too cold for me to start rolling practice. At what temperature do you other rollers start? Obviously, nature will let us know, but I am curious nonetheless.
I’ve broken 1/2 inch of ice in order to roll before. In a 3 mm tuilik, the hood keeps my head warm and doesn’t allow water into my ears…it is nice to have some sun for when you are done.
Best Wishes
Roy
70 and above. Life is too short to suffer.
I’ll roll in the middle of winter. I wear a good hood that keeps water out of my ears and only my face is exposed. I DO NOT stay under long, and I’m limited to maybe 2-3 times max before suffering sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia (a.k.a. “brain freeze” - thanks, Wikipedia).
I started doing this before I had a reliable and confident roll. I don’t recommend that as a step toward improvement, as you’re likely to be rushed and panicky. If you’re not already very good, wait until the water is warm enough to swim comfortably in a bathing suit.
I hate cold water but living down in Georgia, I only have to deal with it for a few months out of the year. I just did my first rolls for the year last weekend. The water was about 59 degrees, the air temp was in the low-to-mid 70’s. I was wearing a surfers hood and some custom molded ear plugs (and neoprene farmer john and jacket and paddle shirt). I was basically fine and feel I could have started a bit earlier.
@Sparky961 said:
I’ll roll in the middle of winter. I wear a good hood that keeps water out of my ears and only my face is exposed. I DO NOT stay under long, and I’m limited to maybe 2-3 times max before suffering sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia (a.k.a. “brain freeze” - thanks, Wikipedia).I started doing this before I had a reliable and confident roll. I don’t recommend that as a step toward improvement, as you’re likely to be rushed and panicky. If you’re not already very good, wait until the water is warm enough to swim comfortably in a bathing suit.
Sparky, what brand or type of hood are you wearing? I’ve found the hoods/caps that I’ve tried that are made for kayakers to not be very effective at keeping water out, and that the thick heavy hoods made for cold water scuba diving make me feel like my face is in a vice. I’ve got a couple of surfer hoods now that are both comfortable and reasonably effective.
@Monkeyhead said:
Sparky, what brand or type of hood are you wearing?
This one. Unfortunately the page says it’s no longer available, so I’ll need to do some research when I need to replace it.
EDIT: Actually, upon second look it seems to be available but under a different product number and/or link. It might be a slightly different design but the material description is the same.
https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5019-008/Capilano-Paddling-Hood
The neck “cape” is loose and not very useful except to keep wind off the neck. I tuck it in around my drysuit neck (not the gasket though) but it comes loose when rolling sometimes.
Paulo Oullet of Victoria, British Columbia (who makes and sell rolling and other paddling skill instructional videos) has designed and sews really nice custom breathable fabric and neoprene tuiliks for cool weather kayaking and comfortable rolling. Unlike a neck gasketed drysuit, the snug hood can be pulled down round the neck to ventilate and the bottom of the garment is a spray skirt. I’m saving up for one myself. https://www.dancingwiththesea.com/product/tuilik/
@willowleaf said:
Paulo Oullet of Victoria, British Columbia has designed and sews really nice custom breathable fabric and neoprene tuiliks for cool weather kayaking and comfortable rolling.
How does this work when someone goes for an unintended swim? I gather the idea is not to swim when you’re using a tuilik, but it has been known to happen and should be expected eventually.
I take the position that it isn’t worth the risk in truly “cold” water and thus opt for a drysuit. I suppose you could wear a wetsuit under the tuilik, but for the thickness and mobility compromise I’m not sure it’s better than a drysuit. Too bad though, as I think this could prove a nice combination for someone that has a very solid roll.
If you’re new to cold water paddling and gear, and if you haven’t already, I’m not sure what your experience level is or how long you’ve been paddling off season, but might be worth going for a “swim” with your gear on. Float on your back, swim a short distance, roll from your back to your stomach, bob upright. Probably best done with other folks nearby, or at least in a safe protected venue. I think it gives you a chance to acclimate to the gear, you get a feel for the difference in buoyancy, and how the temperature transfers through the clothing. A good time to figure out what works and doesn’t work for hands and headwear. I find good earplugs really helpful for keeping my ears happy. Good chance to burp your drysuit as well, if that’s what you’re using.
Also I find rolling in a drysuit is a little different from rolling in other gear. I think it’s more buoyant, and that changes the timing of the roll a bit. Especially in a bit of current, seems to really throw me of; I find it takes a little longer to get a good setup, or sometimes I end up at a strange angle under the boat. So might be a good idea to do a few bow rescues, or maybe practice a bit of dunking off a fixed object, before going for a full on roll.
The reason I learned to roll right away when I began kayaking was cold water danger. I learned in winter pool sessions in a whitewater boat in the Boston area, and immediately started practicing my rolls in my sea kayak in the frigid water. I don’t want to allow the days on the water that present the most danger to be the days I feel unsure of my ability to roll. So from the very beginning, I always roll regularly year-round.
If you are already paddling, you should be dressed so that you could handle a capsize, re-entry or swim. That would involve a good neoprene hood at those temperatures. When ever I go out when the ocean is cooler, the first thing I do is wade out into the surf and let a few big waves wash over my face and head and check that my wetsuit is not leaking and get my head and face used to the cold water. I’m not comfortable with water colder than about 52 F without a neoprene hood. YMMV, it’s best as the water warms up to see how your gear and your own body behaves in shallow water under controlled conditions.
I’m thinking low 60s is when I usually start. With nice warm air. Brrrr.
Paulo has an option to build his tuiliks with an inner tunnel extension which will seal the body of the garment to the paddler’s drypants by rolling it together with the waistband. He claims this assures overall water exclusion in the event of a wet exit.
Thanks for the interesting comments. In my own case, I use a dry suit when working on rolls with other people, because I’m often standing in water just above my waist as a spotter. On my own solo practice, I use a farmer john and dry top since I am not standing in cold water. I’ve not tried rolling below 50 degrees F, but will try to go a little colder for starters this year,
The tuilik won’t work for me when I need to spot other rollers, but it sure would work on my solo rolling practice. At this point, the farmer john & dry top work and I am reluctant to buy more gear. However, I particularly liked the video of rolling in the fragmented ice. I did try a tuilik once, but long ago.
I had been considering buying a Kokatat storm cag for emergency backup when I am on group outings (like when somebody gets sick or tired or dumps and doesn’t have good enough personal gear to keep warm on the way back) and to use for a rain jacket for myself. But Paulo’s tuilik design looks like it would do double duty for that as well as for rolling so I think I will do that instead.
Got finances tied up awaiting the closing on some investment property I am buying right now so I can’t order it yet. I hope Paulo stays in the tuilik business long enough for me to order one later. I missed the boat (or rather, the paddle) when I waited too long to order a custom carbon Greenland paddle from Novorca a few years ago. Also missed out on buying a Feathercraft Aironaut before they stopped making them and then closed up shop. There is an unfortunate amount of attrition in the paddling biz