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How to Dress for Winter Paddling
Time: 2018-12-11 15:48
Many people likes cold weather water paddling like kayaking or stand up paddle boarding, if you want to enjoy the thrill, you need to get dress to keep yourself warm.
Now it's very cold outside, isn't it? While most people choose to stay in the warm house, there are some crazy enthusiasts choose to challenge the cold weather paddling with their inflatable kayaks or inflatable stand up paddle boards. They said " If the water isn't frozen, there's no reason to stop paddling." The temperatures are low and the water is chilled to the marrow, not everyone has the courage to go out and paddling on water in such cold weather. But if you do the proper preparations to keep your body and extremities warm, you may enjoy a cool winter paddling trip! Here is more details about how to dress for the winter water sports.
dress for cold weather paddling

Dress for your body

The trick to keep your body warm is all in the layering. For professionals, the best choice to keep warm for cold weather paddling is a layered dry suit. But a dry suit is very expensive. Therefore, for other recreational paddlers, a wetsuit may be the best option. The wetsuit is much more affordable than a dry suit and will keep your body heat in and still leave room for you to layer. How it works? The wetsuit will keep a thin layer of water against your skin and the neoprene of the suit, which will retain your body heat and keep you warm.

However, for where I live, I don't need such a professional dry suit or wetsuit. The basic cold weather paddling outfit is some moisture wicking fleece-lined long underwear, a pair of waterproof rain pants, a long sleeve moisture wicking performance top, a fleece jacket and a waterproof shell overtop. This outfit can be suitable for most amateurs. You can add extra insulated jacket and pants according to your weather conditions.

All you need to remember are following two important rules. First, don't choose cotton clothes. The cotton will soak up water and make you feel damp and cold, so it's not a good option for winter water sports that you may get wet. Second, choose 3 layers of clothes at least. When dressing for cold weather paddling, you will need three separate layers. The bottom layer to wick moisture away, middle layer to provide warmth and top layer to protect you from rain and snow and the wind.
dress for cold weather sup paddling

Dress for your head

You head will bring a lot of your heat from your body in cold winter, so you need to wear a hat to keep your head covered and warm. For whitewater kayaking, you have to wear a helmet, so you can wear a thin beanie under the helmet. Other water paddling such as flat water paddling, sea kayaking, SUP surfing, etc. you can wear anything you feel comfortable. If the weather is particularly freezing, you can choose a balaclava to cover most of your face except for your eyes.

Dress for your hands

Of course you will need a pair of gloves in cold winter if you don't want your hands get cold and numb quickly. Since your hands are very likely to get wet, so you need waterproof gloves such as neoprene gloves, they are very comfortable and provide extra protection from blisters. There are different types of gloves, but the regular knit gloves are not suitable for water sports, you should consider something that can offer warmth and dryness for your hands.

Dress for your feet

The same as your body and hands, your feet also need a pair of waterproof booties for winter paddling. The special paddling booties work like your wetsuit, trapping a thin layer of water inside and holding it against your skin to keep your feet warm. For extra cold days, you can add a pair of water socks for added warmth and protection. You will be surprised with just how comfortable and warm the combination of water socks and paddling booties are.

You see, the inflatable kayak or inflatable SUP board is not the only thing you need to invest in for winter paddling, the proper cold weather gear is also necessary for you to enjoy the challenging and thrilling cold weather paddling. Safety first of course, make yourself well-prepared before you head out on the water!