Hi all,
I’m curious about options for warmer weather paddling. I’m leaning towards neoprene shorts and a longsleeved top in one of the above materials for quiet water paddling when its warmer in Central CA. Any opinions/favorites? How do the options rank on the warmth scale? Thanks in advance.
Might look at Chill Cheater too
Chill Cheaters are becoming very popular in our neck of the world. I don’t own any myself. I prefer to buy where I can touch and feel first. The Chill Cheaters are only available overseas.
There are a bunch of local folks that are ordering them mailorder and they swear by them.
http://www.chillcheater.com/
Wade
Mysterioso Top
I really do not know about fuzzy rubber or Mystery, but I love my Mysterioso long sleve top.
Almost as warm as 2mm neoprene in the water, but breatheable and very comfortable. I sometimes wear it as an undershirt at night if it gets cold when camping, and it has not been soaking in seawater all day.
It does have to be hand washed, and line dried.
The Kayak Connection in Santa Cruz Harbor sells them for about the same price as the big retail stores, so I bought mine there.
Thanks Cuda
I’ve been leaning that way. Wife and daughter both have them (also from Kayak Connection). They even use them in the snow.
I so love my mysterioso paddling
clothes that I sometimes wear the pants when I am not in the water:)I love my pants- they have more stretch, and fit tighter, sort of like a second skin, and I much prefer them to my fuzzy rubber shorts. The regular tops and bottoms by mysterioso insulate about as well as 2mm neoprene, and make a really nice base layer under a wetsuit when it’s really cold. They wick moisture away from your body so they help you stay warmer longer when in the surf zone or practicing safety stuff. They don’t protect against wind, however.
I just picked up a new mysterioso top that has .5mm titanium on the core, and four way stretch, breathable fabic, on the side panels and arms. I plan to wear fitness paddling and rowing (signed up for an on the water rowing class 5/2).
For paddling in Monterey Bay, they make a great addition to your wetsiut. All of our outfitters carry the stuff.
These look pretty cool!
– Last Updated: Apr-24-04 10:29 AM EST –
I don't see much difference between their fleece and mysterioso, but their aquatherm fabric looks like a great subsitute for neoprene. I also like that their clothing comes in colors besides black-black can be so hot, and so hard to see! I wear a white, 50 SPF UV protectant rash guard when it's hot.
Here's another link re: paddling gear/clothing that might provide some options:
http://hullspeed.net/resources/gear.html
They had a nice pair of shorts that was made out of thin .5mm titanium (warm,thin wind resistant fabric) with the option of ordering them with an extra 3mm paddling of neoprene in the seat. Seemed like a nice feature for SOT and ski paddlers. I may pick up a pair.
I am happy to pick up sweat pants at any discount store, and I have an assortment of wool shirts I have picked up second hand, but I love some of these new high tech fabrics for sports and the outdoors. I think they're worth their weight in gold!
which model is that?
– Last Updated: Apr-22-04 10:17 PM EST –
Hey Barracuda,
Which Mysterioso model are you talking about?
NRS sells Mystery clothing but,
who makes Mysterioso and Fuzzy Rubber? Any website URLs to look at to check on sizing options and more product info on them?
Thanks,
Jeff
Differences
Here goes, as far as I can tell by having fondled and/or worn the various fabrics:
Mysterioso (this is a brand name): Breathable; has soft fleece inner side with stretchy Lycra-type semi-smooth outer face. Probably the least warm of the three (immersed) but the most comfortable for above-water wear. Light weight and fast-drying. My husband loves his Mysterioso T-shirt, and I am considering buying one for myself to layer under a Farmer Jane. By itself, I doubt it would be warm when immersed, unless you paddle in warm water.
Mystery: One of NRS’s fuzzy rubber fabrics. Has a rubbery, windproof outer side (looks like a bicycle inner tube’s surface), very thin neoprene sandwiched in the middle, and a soft fleece inner face. I borrowed one of these during a rolling session and it immediately blocked a chilling wind that had come up. Downside: won’t breathe as well as the Mysterioso, and it’s HEAVY and bulky.
Fuzzy rubber: Generic term for immersion wear that has a rubber-impregnated outer skin and fleecy inner face. One common material is Polartec’s Aquashell (I think that’s their name for it), which has a mildly stretchy shiny outer face that is windproof and waterproof, along with Polartec’s nice fleece inner face. The Farmer Jane and long-sleeved jacket I have are made from this. They are more breathable than neoprene but not as breathable as things that don’t have rubber in them.
Yesterday I looked at Reed’s Chillcheater website and wanted to look at their ultra-stretch Aquatherm. Alas, there are none around to fondle in person. The high abrasion resistance and compactability are big attractions, and they custom-fit their Aquatherm Farmer Janes/Johns.
The water I paddle in is
about 50-58 degrees, and the reason mysterioso gear sells so well here is because it helps keep us warm! It isn’t enough during the winter, but still makes a great base layer. I was wearing it under a wetsuit (leggings only), during a safety class when it was very cold (air and water). They kept me so warm by almost instantly pulling the wet water away from my body so that I felt warm and dry, that I went out and bought a shirt the next day. I am very sensitive to cold. I do think they leave me feeling less sweaty than my fuzzy rubber, so maybe if I was in the water for a long time the others would be better??? I have also been told that they won’t protect against wind and the paddlers will feel cold once wet, unless being used as a base layer.
wind and mysterios
sounds like if you combine the mystrios long sleve with a goretex zippered bicycle jacket you will be prepared for both. I recntly bought one (50$)that was deeply discounted as the warm weather is coming. Fits snug and has an added benefit of heat retention.
I like the look of the Reeds bottoms. On a surfski, you need a pant or shorts that come up high on the back, because sometimes you are sitting in water that collects in the seat. This year, I’ve been using an old 3-4 mm patagonia wetsuit bottom (precurved) that worked great. When it was windy, I would put on a windshell nylon pants over the weetsuit bottom.
Long Sleve Shirt
All I know is it is a long sleve shirt. I think Mysterioso only makes one model of long selve shirt.
Personal Tolerances Vary…
By the time the water times reachs about 55 I can boogie board for hours in just the 3mm farmer John without a top.
I probably have more tolerance for cold water than some folks…
Another vote for Mysterioso
I think my long sleeve top is one of my favorite pieces of clothing, ever. I wear it as a base layer under a goretex drytop and it keeps me nice and toasty. I also wear it under a winter jacket when shoveling snow as it wicks away perspiration really well. It’s snug and stretchy, but not tight or restrictive feeling like some others (I tried on the NRS Mystery top and it was so tight I felt like I was about to pop). The short turtle neck is really comfortable, too. Great stuff.
I posted a link that will show you some
of their other items. They actually have several long sleeved shirts. I ordered one through the catalog after seeing it at the surf kayak festival. The type I had before was the same fabric as the paddling pants, and has a high collar and small zipper that doesn’t go down the length of the shirt. I have seen them as pullovers as well, more tshirt style. I find the fleece ones too hot in long sleeves for paddling-but really nice afterwards!
Chdops I Have the M-Tech
I was looking around and they do have different models. I have the M-Tech which is a polartech fleece.