Kayak Suitable Clothing, Pro's & Con's.

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Digger
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Re: Kayak Suitable Clothing, Pro's & Con's.

Post by Digger »

It seems to have been a particularly cold winter here this year and living in the foothills we usually experience 4 to 5 white frosts a season but this year we would have had between 20 and 30. I have to admit scraping thick ice of the windscreen does not make one keen for a pre-dawn launch!

Now my problem is often overheating but bare legs and feet exposed to wind chill were too much for me and I invested on a set of "Probe Insulator" pants and boots. These came in at $95 for both the pants and the boots, to my door and in just a few days (good transaction).

What I have got basically is 1mm wetsuit style material with an inner silver reflective coating. That of course is designed to keep the heat in. There is no restriction of movement and so far the 11 degree water hasn't been a problem. I wear the usual stuff on top and am generally comfortable.

Whilst "Sharkskins" are reputedly a very good option, the price tag (x2) was a bit of a factor for me. Link attached to Wetsuit Warehouse as we were very impressed with the advice and service they gave us.

http://wetsuitwarehouse.com.au/

Dig
Last edited by Digger on 08 Oct 2010, 08:20, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Kayak Suitable Clothing, Pro's & Con's.

Post by Haynsie »

Hi Elm,

I wear them year round (although my yak fishing slows down a bit in winter) and have found them excellent. I find they don't get "soupy" like a wetsuit does and if they get a bit warm a quick dangle of the legs over the side does the trick. They also protect tender thigh flesh from fish spines/hooks etc.

I think they were around $190 which sounds like a lot, but as you said Eddie, when you're cold, you'd pay almost anything to be warm. My only tip would be to buy them firm fitting - mine are a fraction loose on my chicken legs and tend to fall down a bit when wet. I've been going to the gym for the last 12 months to try and sort out my back, so hopefully that might improve the fit! :lol:

Cheers and thanks for the reply.

Tim
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Re: Kayak Suitable Clothing, Pro's & Con's.

Post by Ammo »

Hi Elm,

Great thread. I invested in a drysuit and thermals for winter but i am a bit unsure what to wear as it starts heating up. I want to avoid over heating in my space suit. Do i leave it at home when it gets to 25+C and start wearing a half wet suit? What do recommend for summer when it gets hot and sunburn is a big issue.
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Re: Kayak Suitable Clothing, Pro's & Con's.

Post by ELM »

Hi Amnon, I have worn mine all summer and it can get pretty hot in there, singlet and shorts under it, frequent dips or just putting your wrists in the water will help along with drinking lots of water. In the end however I went to a 3mm longjohn wetsuit for summer with long sleeve polyester shirt and wind jacket (if needed), once again take frequent dips of the wrists or all, but not as often as the drysuit.

Hatters wears his all year round I think, so a chat to him may also help with what to wear under it.
When we say it's BIG RED SEASON, we don't mean a big red blood stain on the bay,
GET YOUR LIGHTS ON + YOUR PFD'S.

Happy Sailing Fishing and keep blowing bubbles.
Cheers
Eddie

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Re: Kayak Suitable Clothing, Pro's & Con's.

Post by Babylon »

What i wear out are sharkskin pants and also top when i brought them the guy
made sure it was a tight fit not loose also now have sealskin beanie and socks
used them at azzos party am very impressed with them wasnt to hot when sun came out.Cheers Jim :)
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Re: Kayak Suitable Clothing, Pro's & Con's.

Post by momunny »

Thanks for the link Dig, :thumbsup: It looks like a great site for a buying a wetsuit or two at a very reasonable price.

Will be getting a wet suit for the missus.
Cheers,

Momunny
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Re: Kayak Suitable Clothing, Pro's & Con's.

Post by Windknot »

I bought myself some nifty summer kayak clothing whilst browsing though one of the opportunity shops in Merimbula. I bought two pairs of those really daggy long shorts that come right down to your ankles. They're made of super lightweight material that should dry almost instantly in the summer heat. I figure they will be good when launching the yak, as I can walk out into ankle deep water without them getting wet. They should be good when out fishing too, as they will cover my knees when sitting in the yak, stopping them from becoming sunburnt. They cost me the princely sum of $5.

Mick
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Re: Kayak Suitable Clothing, Pro's & Con's.

Post by ELM »

See that's where you and me are different Windknot, you think you got a good deal :up: , while I believe for kayak safe clothes, you wasted your money :down: . As I have said at the start, it's not about being comfy on the yak and walking around, it's about a prolonged immersion and minimizing heat loss (yes summer and heat loss). If water can run freely past the skin it will take heat away freely, minimize water flow against the skin and you will be far safer. A light 1 mm or 3 mm neoprene longjohn would (in my opinion) be a far better option, they would slow water passing directly over the skin and would also protect your legs from the sun, if you feel you are getting a bit warm, take a dip and practice a re-entry to cool you down.
When we say it's BIG RED SEASON, we don't mean a big red blood stain on the bay,
GET YOUR LIGHTS ON + YOUR PFD'S.

Happy Sailing Fishing and keep blowing bubbles.
Cheers
Eddie

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Re: Kayak Suitable Clothing, Pro's & Con's.

Post by Windknot »

I already own a full coverage 1mm wetsuit for those times when hypothermia might be of some concern, but I find that I spend most of my kayak fishing time on smaller estuaries where an unexpected dip wouldn't really concern me, particularly in the summer heat.

I can re-enter my kayak. I have practiced. If I did fall in, I would be back on board in less than a minute. My lightweight clothing would be totally dry in another 10 minutes on a hot summer's day.

If/when I'm kayak fishing in the bay or the sea, I would certainly wear my wetsuit, especially during the cooler months when the water temperature is low. By the same token, I know that I can easily withstand the water temperatures in the bay for periods of an hour or more from mid to later summer because I have been swimming there at that time of the year, for those sorts of time periods before feeling really cold.

So, ELM are you suggesting that it would be better to wear just neoprene pants in the summertime, with lightweight but warm clothing on your top half, or are you suggesting that a full wetsuit would be required?

I don't proclaim to be a survival expert in this area, but my reasoning seems very logical (to my mind at least). I can't see any sense in wearing a wetsuit on a hot day when the water temperatures aren't an issue. I would rather try to catch fish than have to take contant dips to cool off. I submit to your superior experience in this area though. Perhaps you can enlighten me as to where my above reasoning is incorrect. :)

Mick
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Re: Kayak Suitable Clothing, Pro's & Con's.

Post by ELM »

Firstly, while it may seem I feel i have a superior knowledge, I have made it quite clear at the start of this thread that I am in no way any form of expert and that these are only my personal observations and I may also be wrong.
I don't wish to offend anyone nor am I dictating what anyone should wear,this is merely my opinion.
It scares me when we pat each other on the back, for skimping on the one thing that is going to save our lives if we are left stranded in cold water, "What We Wear".
I am no expert and I may be wrong also, but here is my take on suitable kayak clothing (Warning, long winded).
One thing I like to do is use the information and knowledge of those far more experienced than me, to do that in kayaking I believe you cannot go past the tried and tested ways of open ocean, sea kayaking and those that have been doing it for many many years. If you read kayak fishing forums about suitable clothing, you here of shorts, T shirts, cotton and wool, if you go on a sea kayaking web site you read about drysuits, cags, spray jackets, neoprene suits, NO cotton & No wool. If you are a rooky to kayak fishing, you get told best of luck, wear your pfd, practice re-entry and away you go pretty much anywhere you want and see you out there, if it were a sea kayak group, you would be invited to be put through training with experienced instructors and you would be only taken on trips they believe you have the experience for. Why is that? Because we are fisherman and they are survivalists !!!

At the end of the day, all I am trying to do is promote the safest information I can find so those trying to learn can make better informed decision, if you wish to ignore it, fine by me it's your choice. I want to see the sport of kayak fishing thrive without Government intervention, but if there are enough deaths and it appears we the people using them are not prepared to set some guide lines, then they will have no hesitation on imposing rule's and regulations and trust me, we will not be asked for advise as to what those rules should be because we will have already proven I lack of concern and regard for safety.

Everyone is different and there are certainly circumstances when shorts etc would probably be fine (eg streams, possibly rivers and small lakes where the shore and access to your vehicle or help is close if needed. I made my comments based on open water because there was no where in your post that showed that you would be only using them under those safer circumstances, but as I said and this is my opinion
I believe for kayak safe clothes, you wasted your money
As for your question re wearing a wetsuit in summer, if you are truly interested in my opinion and not being sarcastic, I think a thin wetsuit would be better than shorts but a set of thin, skin close longjohn pants or similar would be better than the wetsuit, specially if you are also a paddle yaker. I have both a 3mm longjohn and my 5mm diving wetsuit that I use over summer on my AI, undoubtedly the longjohn is far more comfortable and will still give me a good level of protection if I were to be stranded in the water for an extended period, but if I do go out diving of the yak then I wear the wetsuit and it is not as bad as some would think. I have stayed out for 6 + hours and only jumped in two or three times or just hung my legs over the side, I will however peel the top down and wear a light spray jacket over the top if I get to hot but if need be, I still have that extra protection with me, I also do recognize the fact that I am not working as hard as I do use a sail and pedals, not paddle.
When we say it's BIG RED SEASON, we don't mean a big red blood stain on the bay,
GET YOUR LIGHTS ON + YOUR PFD'S.

Happy Sailing Fishing and keep blowing bubbles.
Cheers
Eddie

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