No, has to be the real stuff
There is no alternative to the good stuff. It can be two pieces, but good 2 piece stuff will still be several hundred. Breathable alternatives don’t work over time because they will have sweat pool inside which will make you chilled itself. People who are serious about paddling in weather with water temps 40s and under find the money.
Dry v semi-dry
– Last Updated: Oct-31-16 10:30 PM EST –
By the way, you still need a thermal layer underneath dry or semi-dry clothing. All it does is keep the water off.
In kayak parlance, the diff between the two is whether the gaskets are truly waterproof. That is, are the wrist, neck and/or ankle gaskets going to let water in should you take a swim. Latex gaskets are considered to always be dry. Neoprene gaskets on a garment usually mean it will be called semi-dry, though there can be confusing variation in neoprene gaskets. Some are lightweight and thin with what they call hook and loop (it is a tab with a velcro strip to tighten it up) and some are thicker and cut tighter to often be waterproof on individuals until they are in the water a long time or have capsized multiple times in a row.
The capsize part matters in skills training, because coaches will (correctly) push people to really explore the edges of their balance. A willing student will be in the water a number of times before they get it quite right.
The most confusing part for newbies is the combination of a dry top and dry pants. Each half is going to keep you dry as long as the water only ends up on parts of the body it most protects. So the dry pants will have Goretex or latex booties and you will be dry up to your waist standing in the water. The dry top will keep water out from you torso so that someone can roll and, assuming the skirt is tight enough, they will stay relatively dry inside. But in a swim the typical middle where these two garments mate will leak. So each garment is only dry as long as you respect the limits of its coverage. The top of the pants and the bottom of the top will be a quite leakable velcro closure with tabs to tighten them. Can't put latex there or you couldn't get the garments off and on.
There are a couple of exceptions out there to the leak-in-the-middle part. One is/was the old Kokatat pants and bib combination, which involved the top being rolled into the bottom. Kind of like a dry bag. The other is Kokatat's newest dry offering, a dry suit that is actually a separate top and bottom with a waterproof zipper around the middle. Maybe otehrs but I don't know of them.
Some people with thicker necks get a higher degree of dryness in a swim with neoprene gaskets than others. I have a chicken neck so it is latex or get wet.
The other criteria in dry/semi-dry wear - and this is what you pay for - is how breathable it is. If it does not breathe you will be chilled because of being soaked in sweat. If it does it costs more money. There is a point where you start deciding how deeply into cold weather you will paddle because of the preparation needed.
For a SOT, if you stay close to shore in the cold stuff, and/or find from practice that you can get back onto the boat from the water with very chilled hands (only takes about 10 minutes in 40 degree water) and carry a dry bag with clothing to change into should you get wet.... two pieces would probably do you fine. But I am serious about the practice - cold water robs you of judgement and a tremendous amount of time in which you can function to help yourself.
One source to get started is EBay for used dry/semi-dry wear. Sometimes you can score tremendous bargains, but at the least you can find something at reduced prices to get you thru a season and see what you want to invest in for longer term.
I live in the south but probably
north of you. I also paddle a SOT. I wear Chota Mukluks with wool socks. If I ever buy more boots they will be the NRS version.
I wear Bombergear dry pants I got from Sierra Trading Post. Under those are warm, wicking layers.
On top I wear several layers starting with a wicking t-shirt , followed by any one of several long sleeved shirts depending on the temp.I have a splash jacket for really cold days but often a windproof Polartec jacket. Given that the day may start at 30 deg and go to 70, I want to be able to lose layers.
I don’t go out on very windy wet days.
My head covering is a pullover hat or a Seattle Sombrero.
I carry replacements for my upper body clothes in dry bags and I don’t paddle alone.
You talkin to me?
If your reply was directed at me, I live on the left coast (Washington), but actually about 60 miles from the Pacific Ocean as a bird flies. Generally we have pretty mild winters and it can be very nice even in December if the sun burns through the clouds. This year it looks like it is going to be kind of wet and mild, but you never know.
I was responding to the OP.