Specify if body suit or 2-piece assembly, material, thickness if applicable, color(s). Specify model and manufacturer if known.
For use in N. American W. Coast Pacific Ocean. Footwear &
cap or glove information is not requested.
Asked by:kavekarst
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I would probably go with a two piece assembly, quick dry or wetsuit materials. Never wear cotton on the water, when it gets wet it stays wet longer and clings to you and saps your body heat.
Bottoms you can get away with just about anything that is comfortable because your skirt will keep you relative dry from splashes and such (unless you are on a sit-on-top kayak).
Tops, again, go with quick dry materials or wetsuit (sleeveless or sleeved depending on comfort and weather). Also, with weather in mind, if you are kayaking in the wind alot or the water is just cold, you might want to wear a drysuit top. These are good because they protect against the wind, and because they seal at the neck and wrists, you stay dry, so you can wear a sweater underneath.
I try to stay away from simple splash jackets that don’t seal at the neck and wrists because if you dump, it fills up with water and you feel really heavy in the water. Saps your strength for when you are trying to get yourself out of danger.
Also, when I do spring run whitewater in Northern California, I wear a full body wetsuit that is 2mm/3mm. This is good cause it keeps me warm enough but not too warm like if I had a thicker wetsuit. Ideally, you aren’t really spending much time in the water, so you mostly need to protect against splashes and wind.
I have a few friends that prefer to wear full body drysuits in the spring though. These are a little pricey, which is why I am still wearing the wetsuit.
And I don’t go every weekend like some of them.
For colors, my stuff is mostly black or blue. I like to wear bright shocks of yellow on the river just for fun, but not in the ocean. I saw a shark special that tested wetsuits of varying colors and the sharks seemed to find yellow the most curious color worth investigating. Purely for that reason, I don’t wear yellow in the ocean.