New to kayaks what winter clothing do you recommend

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g_dog
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New to kayaks what winter clothing do you recommend

Post by g_dog »

Hi recently brought my first kayak what does everyone recommend for clothing in winter I’ve been looking at wet suits , water proof clothing , etc what thickness wet suit do you recommend,
Any help would be greatly appreciated as I don’t want to get the wrong thing
Cheers Gary
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Seasherpa
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Re: New to kayaks what winter clothing do you recommend

Post by Seasherpa »

This is a few years old now but the info might be useful:
https://seasherpakayaks.wordpress.com/2 ... onditions/
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shane
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Re: New to kayaks what winter clothing do you recommend

Post by shane »

You will also find a lot of information in this thread:

http://vyak.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1989

The best recommendation I can give is to invest in quality dry pants that keep your feet dry - Lovigs or Kokotats. Then add a waterproof jacket over the top. Beyond that you add or remove non-cotton layers underneath to suit the weather conditions. This will keep you comfortable for hours on the water in any conditions Vic weather can throw at you. I've recently stepped up to the ultimate setup, which is a full body dry suit with layers underneath as needed.
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4liters
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Re: New to kayaks what winter clothing do you recommend

Post by 4liters »

I'll echo what Shane said although TBH I found that thread pretty overwhelming when I was first looking into clothing, lots of different combinations of things to wear.

I've now settled on drypants with explorer socks and thermals underneath, and a hi-vis spray jacket with more thermals underneath. You'll get a feel eventually for how many layers to use for the different times of year but you'll probably have to endure a couple of uncomfortably hot or cold sessions before you work it out.
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spider25160
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Re: New to kayaks what winter clothing do you recommend

Post by spider25160 »

Not sure if it was mentioned in the links but I tried wetsuits early days. Two problems 1) they are restrictive for movement even the 3mm after a long day adds extra energy requirements. 2) They are not worm when out of the water. The way wetsuits work in the water is by using your body temp to warm up the water inside the suit and keep it there. When not in the water that water drains away and leaves nothing to keep you warm....not even a 5mm suit. These days I wear dry pants and thermals and layers on my upper body.
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Re: New to kayaks what winter clothing do you recommend

Post by happyas »

I will show you what I have Gary. Although I still have to be careful not to overheat. Take off a layer when too warm.
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cheaterparts
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Re: New to kayaks what winter clothing do you recommend

Post by cheaterparts »

spider25160 wrote:Not sure if it was mentioned in the links but I tried wetsuits early days. Two problems 1) they are restrictive for movement even the 3mm after a long day adds extra energy requirements. 2) They are not worm when out of the water. The way wetsuits work in the water is by using your body temp to warm up the water inside the suit and keep it there.
I also started out with a 3 mm wet suit damm cold over the cooler months - I would only use one now on surf day when you know your going to go for a swim and not for fishing
like it's been said dry outer layer and layer up with thermal - a good set of thermals are a great cost effective way to stay warm -

I've upgraded to a set of Neopene dry pants these are really warm and quite comfortable but cost a bit more than basic Kokadat of Lovigs

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Re: New to kayaks what winter clothing do you recommend

Post by ecoronad »

A combination of Ian and Cheater is what I go with (except I use a breathable set of waders that I got for free - instead of neoprene, hence i have thermal poly-propelene pants and tops). I wear a light weight hi vis spray jacket over a hoodie. I wear my columbia convertible pants over my thermals, the columbia pants wick away the sweat from my legs. After 5 minutes of paddling, I'm usually pretty warm. so i don't bother with a beanie, I just wear a cap. Windchill usually isn't a factor for me, because I'm usually super cautious about the conditions I venture out in. During summer, I wear a columbia shirt underneath the spray jacket and leave the thermals at home. Wicking technology is key, because it removes the sweat away from the body keeping you dry and comfortable (both in summer and winter).
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Haynsie
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Re: New to kayaks what winter clothing do you recommend

Post by Haynsie »

Hoodies, tracksuit pants and other absorbent cotton clothing are fine on a boat, but you should never wear them on your yak. If you end up in the drink they will quickly become waterlogged and heavy. And once you're back on the yak (if you can get back on) you will get very cold, very quickly.

The only thermals you should wear are those designed for immersion. Most diving, wetsuit and surf brands produce thermal rashies with a polyfleece lining that will keep you warm both in and out of the water.

I wear one of these under a shirt or waterproof jacket nearly all year around in Vic:
https://wetsuitwarehouse.com.au/product ... mal-rashie
Full range here (no affiliation) :
https://www.adrenalinwetsuits.com/2P-Th ... ducts.html

Cheers

Tim
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Re: New to kayaks what winter clothing do you recommend

Post by clintos »

I just purchased a pair of Lovig dry pants - I missed out but apparently they are doing a special with free delivery at the moment.
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