Drysuit
I usually lay down in the river first thing. Squeezes the air out (by pulling on the neck gasket) a little, and also checks for leaks. Hate turning into the michelin man when the sun comes out, also stinks to be bobbing thru the rapids, unable to touch the bottom. Who knows what I mean 
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Drysuit
Water in the 30’s? (by then that’s the most important temp) I tried neoprene and wetsuits down to 50 degree water or so, but somewhere in the 40’s there wasn’t anything in wet wear that worked for me which was not also so layered it constricted my paddling. The folks from Alaska seem to be able to push it further but they probably have half ice in their veins anyway.
I find fleece works best under a drysuit to mitigate the (inevitable) sweating when the sun is warm and you are dressed for immersion, but that really varies by individual. Best to experiment with stuff on sale and see what works best for you.
NRS
If you look at the NRS web site they have an educational section and you can find information of ways to dress for cold temperature. Layering is recommended instead of bulky clothing. and definitely no cotton clothing. I don’t have a wet suit either its very expensive and haven’t done that step yet but I wear wet suit and my best expense so far as been to buy a pair of paddling boots that come up to my knees and are waterproof. They are awesome!! Mia
In similar weather and water temp.
I layer starting with light weight polar fleece long johns, and a light weight long sleeve poly pro top or light weight polar fleece top.
On top of them I use waterproof cycling pants, and a north face water proof winter jacket.
I use NRS boundary shoes, with smart wool socks.
I try not to get much farther than fifty feet from the shore on rough days.
I always take a dry bag with a change of clothing just in case, but have never had to use them yet.
Cheers,
JackL
It gets cold here in Buffalo
and we do paddle in winter when the water is not solid. Most of us wear wetsuits layered overtop with fleece and usually some sort of jacket like the NRS storm jackets. Fleece or lined nylon pants over the wetsuit on bottom. We use neoprene or fleece gloves, fleece caps, NRS Boundary neoprene boots, sometimes we may need a scarf too.
We are aware that drysuits would be better, but few here have them. As precautions, we stay close to shore in really cold weather, and carry drybags with full changes of clothing and firestarters.
clothing
I have the exact site for you to check www.nrsweb.com/cold_water_layering
I’m also in the Buffalo area and planning to continue paddling as long as possible!!
Mia
bottom line
if you can’t wade out and go swimming in it for a few minutes IN THE VERY SAME CONDITIONS YOU WILL BE PADDLING IN without getting cold, you’re not dressed warm enough
I get the impression that some people here are gambling with their life and have lucked out so far
30-40 degree water is very cold
Seal-skin speedo.
Sorry ladies, I’m taken…
Worry - No Worry
When i paddled in Neo & Hydroskin, I worried. Especially on the cold cloudy days. I can still remember days with three layers of cappaline, hydroskin and neo and still getting chilled. A swim would have meant at least a couple hours or more before takeout. The thought gave me the chills. Figuratively and literally.
Since the drysiut, I just don’t worry. I have swam in 30-40 degree water and paddled for hours afterwords and the most uncomfortable I ever became was a result of taking the suit off at the takeout and getting chilled from sweat.
It really comes down to priorities. If you can afford a drysuit and don’t, that is just foolish. If expense is an issue (and it can be a good reason not have a drysuit), then you really need to evaluate just how much you should be paddling in cold weather.
bingo
what could happen
I did some quick research online to get the chart of survival times. For 32-40 degree water, you would become exhausted or go unconscious in 15 to 30 minutes. And your hand and legs would be the first things incapacitated (which you would need to get back in a boat), which would happen well before the 15-30 minutes.
Survival chart is at:
http://www.ussartf.org/cold_water_survival.htm
I think the comment above about wet suit down to about 50, and dry suit below that is a good one.
Palm Stikine dry suit
Dry suit is the only way to go! It’s like a security blanket. It’s just feels nice knowing that even if you blow the roll and go for a swim, you’re staying nice and dry and toasty warm. Don’t leave home without it!
Skills Are As Important As The Gear
– Last Updated: Oct-23-07 8:43 PM EST –
when in doubt, go with the drysuit.
Having said that, the last couple of years I surf paddle all winter in 33-40 degree water and air temps down to the upper teens (15 is about cut-off point for me, if the wind is blowing). On a weekend session, I easily go 4-6 hours in my winter wetsuit.
There are other options than a drysuit but a big deciding factor is your skills (and judgement). These provide a wider range of viable options.
sing
Love my wetsuits despite having two top of the line drysuit sitting unused in the basement.
With a couple of titanium hips
I find it almost impossible to get out of a standard Farmer John wetsuit even with a polyester underlayer.Cutting the thing off after each use is expensive and leaving it on permanently is a social liability. Unlike the "old days’ when i paddled all winter, i will now be satisfied if I can stay on the water and close alongshore until the water temp drops below 50F which is usually around the end of November. I’ve heard of the stuff called “Hydroskin”. Is it easy to get on and off? John
on marginal days
marginal meaning air 50F water 50F I wear a kokatat paddling suit. I’ve got the kokatat dry suit but only use that if the air is 30F and water 45F and lower. Skills yes, gear yes, judgement yes, and knowing what (if you can) you cant get into. For most of my paddling its big lakes and the crossings are rare, short, or can be avoided by another 30 minutes of hugging the shore. The paddling suit to me is inf. more comfortable than the drysuit and my thinking is that my head/neck will in all likely hood be above the water so minimal water will pass the neo neck before I’m heads up. Because of the paddling suit I’m in a suit far more often now, no dread of the neck gasket, no dread of the ripping/pulling it takes to get it past even my short hair. Even for rolling practice the paddling suit does a fine job, it will leak a bit but not enough to worry about and probably a less amount than I will accrue with sweat. Another plus is the paddling suit is much cheaper than the drysuit-though it is not as robust in construction.
UA cold gear
– Last Updated: Oct-24-07 1:15 AM EST –
I have a compression Under Armour cold gear top that does a good job whisking moisture and cutting the wind. I also wear waterproof pants w/ wetsocks/gloves. While I live in ND and water temps are now ~50F, I'm paddling on a narrow river, typically less than 10-20 yards from shore with little current and very little boat traffic. While there is a remote risk of tipping, I'm confident that if s*** hit the fan, I can make shore and get warmed up.
As always, I carry a dry bag with extra change of clothes and an emergency signaling device (aka cell phone). I live several blocks from the river, so worst case scenario I'm in water for less than several minutes, and wife can pick me up within 10 extra. Would I be comfortable? Probably not, but I'm not dead either.
a great layering garment
I am just getting back into kayaking and doubt I would encounter water temps that cold where I live in central coastal California. On the other hand the water temps in the ocean are in the 50s, regardless of the air temperature being 100 or 30. I have found that a clothing line called mysterioso (mtech series) works great as a base layer over a wide range of activities. It is fairly wind proof, breathes, wicks perspiration, stays warm in the water and air when wet, and is about the thickness of pair of sweats. I would compare its insulating abilities to thinner neoprene. I wear it alone on medium days and under a wetsuit on colder days or inclement weather. I have been very happy and satisfied with my purchase. Another point to consider is if you get wet, how long would it take to swim to shore, or how long would it take to remount your boat, under the worst conditions, and get to shore and change into dry clothes.
awesome /thankyou
great and timely advise thanks one and all… mia i will check out the nrs website as well…
Wetsuits
I keep forgetting - there are wetsuits out there that are way more technical than the usual Farmer John (or Jane) paddling wetsuit. Lighter weight and warmer, also more expensive. Last I checked they seemed to cost towards a cheap non-breathable (and ultimately barely worth the investment) drysuits. Sing has mentioned these and would be a good resource.
I tend to stay with drysuits because they are probably the best choice for my particular habits and needs, but if you are just starting out it would really be worth checking out these other wetsuits. The more inexpensive drysuits tend to be short-lived investments - often paddlers find that they wish they’d gone for the more expensive one after a season in the lesser suits. A high end surfing wetsuit would no more expensive and probably way better.
By the way, you should still think about having a wind-blocking layer on you no matter what for winter paddling. Up in the air, sweaty or wet is a problem in a cold breeze.
Almost Killed Me…
the winter wetsuit I bought last year for $350 was on sale for $250 last month. 
The needs of a paddler is different from a surf paddler who is constantly getting wet.
If I were just paddling in the winter, I would not go with a 6/5/4 winter wetsuit. I would sweat to death. I would go with a 4/3, or even a 3/2 paired with a drytop. 4/3 if I weren’t particularly fast in getting back into the boat after a swim. The hard part is regulating heat when sitting in the boat since one is supposed to dress for immersion. Heck, when I used to layer for immersion in a drysuit I would sweat like a pig when just paddling. Needed to roll periodically to keep relatively temperate. But, this approach can also be applied to wearing a really warm wetsuit too. The difference is that a 4/3 fall/spring wetsuit paired with a drytop only works out to maybe $350 – the price of a non-breathable (obstensibly) drysuit.
As I said, there are options but these are much more limited for folks at beginning stages of skills development.
sing