New to the sport, need clothing advice..

Ok, I got me a used Wave Sport Ace 4.7 to enjoy the sport and have had a couple of pool sessions. They have been great.



I’m in the mid-west, so it’s still really cold and I need some clothing advice.



I have plenty of clothes and understand how to layer for my beloved Mtn. Biking, but I’m truly clueless when it comes to what I need to enjoy this sport without freezing to death. :slight_smile:



I probably won’t be doing a lot of Winter down river runs, but will definetly be doing spring through fall runs.



As a matter of fact, I’m going to be heading out to Colorado and Utah in mid-May, so I really need to get some gear to enjoy the trip. Moab won’t be bad (85-90 degrees), but Colorado will still be quite cold.



Thanks for all the advice!

Suggestions
The first principle is to dress for the water temperature. Assume you will get wet and possibly swim. On the cold end, a breathable dry suit or dry top with dry bibs is best. Wear layers of polypro underneath. Add a hood or skull cap under your helmet and Doc’s pro plugs for your ears and you should be good to go for water around 40 degrees (quite possible in some rivers in the Spring). For warmer water you can move to a farmer john wet suit with a poly pro top underneath and a dry top over it all. You won’t need the cap or ear plugs. For your feet, neoprene booties work fine (or wet suit boots if your feet get cold). I rarely use anything on my hands but Pogies keep your hands warm without interfering with your grip.

Moab
In May is not as warm as you think, in fact in can still get pretty cold at night. Also its the water temperature you need to worry about. In May the water is just a few days from Snow melt in the Uintahs and Rockies. Make sure you know what you are doing before putting in Spring higwwater.

what he said
Dr. Disco, that was spot on down to the hood, pro plugs, etc. Good advice!

Hydroskin
Dry bibs and tops are way over the top for that time of year. Hydroskin and wetsuits will do. Desert rivers have a high silt content and warm up considerably during the day. I paddle in Idaho on a SOT and use Hydroskin and Rash Guard to layer.



I take it you plan on running that section of the Colorado near I-70. It will be fairly warm there in May. Check with the gov on premits and be forewarned that there’s some challenging rapids there.

Don’t do it…
…seriously.



Cold water is no joke and even if our pool roll is bomb proof, it’s quite different in the cold water.



Get at least a warm season behind you first, then worry about the cold water.



in short, stay out of the cold water for now.


Some sense to this.
If you are not used to being immersed in cold water then it could be dangerous. Do a Google search on “gasp reflex”.

Dont wait for warmer weather.
I started yaking in October and missed two weekends in January and one in February because of the flu. I use my mtb gear under my drysuit for layering. The maiden voyage of my Sirocco, I rolled it. As I sat there upside down, I thought about all the talk of the gasp reflex. It never came. Then I remembered the thread about somebody getting sick rolling their yak, so I did a wet exit at light speed. I swam 10ft, climbed on top of the ice, and walked another 5ft to shore. I was expecting to start shivering when I got out of the water, but that never happened either. Properly prepared, you won’t have to wait. Next morning, my sinuses were bothering me, could still smell the river water.

Get thee to Vegas…
…right now.



Don’t wait.



Don’t pack.



Leave immediately.



You don’t want that kind of luck to wear off

before you take advantage of it.

i agree with the Doctor.
have fun in the ace.

Moab is doable in May

– Last Updated: Feb-27-05 10:57 PM EST –

Not sure what the flows are supposed to be this year. Some parts of the state have heavy snow pack this year .

Just make sure you dress for the water temps and go to the calmer sections of the river. Lots of river guides available for that area. If you paddling with experienced paddlers you should be fine. IF you are just driving out to CO and UT and putting in without experience, don't do it.


http://www.canyonvoyages.com/kayakschool.html
There are a lot of no frills outfitters in Moab area now... I don't know about these folks but they look decent. CO river near Moab in late spring can be placid; it depends on the run off from snow melt in the entire drainage ... call and check conditions before you head out.

Hmm…
Please elaborate, never cared for Vegas.

He’s just frustrated because boatertalk
.com has been down for a whole day, hence he hasn’t been able to exercise his gasp reflex.

dude boatertalk.com is killing me too!
I love p-net but boatertalk’s archive is more comprehensive and it is great information for a whitewater boater. No offense to the p-net crowd, but due to the demanding nature of whitewater, the proportion of high level boaters on boatertalk seems higher than p-net. I think I would feel just as bad if not more if p-net were down though.