Paddle Jacket

In two to three months I will need a paddling jacket and I am starting to take a look at a few. I have two old sailing jackets and I took one out and tried it and did not like it paddling, a bit too tight and the material chafted quite a bit.



I will want to use the jacket with water temps down to about fifty and air temps typically in the fifties and sixties. I would rather add an inside layer than start off with a extra warm jacket. Ill be using the jacket with a skirt.



What do you like?



Mark

Prefer Dry Top
since it keeps water out in a roll. If you don’t like latex gasket, the IR semi dry top with neoprene neck gasket is pretty comfortable and keeps out much of the water. Repeated rolling, you’ll feel the water seeping though…



Mountain Surf and Rapidstyle also make semi drytops with neo gaskets.



sing

Hey Mark
Here in our neck of the woods what works great for us is The North Face waterproof jacket with it’s zip in polar fleece liner

If it is cold use it with the liner, but than as the day gets warmer, you can remove the liner and have a nice light weight but fully waterproof jacket.

You usually can get a good deal on them in the Campmoor catalog

They have a hood that tucks into the collar and are truly waterproof too. We have been in some big time gully washers in them, (especially up in AK) and stayed dry all day long



In the real cold weather we wear a long sleeve poly propelene undershirt under the whole smear, but down at the beach you will probably only need the liner or the undershirt, but not both.



If you are planning to do rolls forget all of the above and get a dry suit.



Cheers,

JackL

here’s what i use …
GORE-TEX® XCR® Re-Action Jacket. wrist gaskets and an ATP neck closure which is far more comfortable than latex and almost as waterproof.



http://www.kokatat.com/images/ProductsT/XRJ.gif



http://www.kokatat.com/paddlingjackets.htm#XCR

Camaro brand ?
Any opinions on the Camaro brand? I see that they are imported from Austria and have all types of paddling clothes including drytops at attractive prices



Avi

100 Miles North of You
I use an old waterproof windbreaker leftover from my college days for those light, balmy 50/50 days you’re talking about. Now when it gets cold (that’s somewhere about 10 degrees above freezing) I slide into my Remington wickers, put on my Farmer John and put that same ol’ windbreaker on top of it all.



Oh yeah! When it gets below 99 total then I grab a bottle of “my best”, walk the 3/10ths mile down the street to my put-in and “wish”.



SYOW

Immersion Research
makes some paddling jackets with narrow rubbery neck and wrists that seal out almost all the water but are more comfortable than latex gaskets. With a wetsuit top or Farmer John underneath, they might take you down to 50 degree water, but I personally switch to a full drysuit well above that temperature.



Sanjay