what should i wear under my dry-suit for ocean kayaking?

Question

i live in massachusetts, have been ocean kayaking for two years and am seriously considering buying my first drysuit and kayaking all winter long, i believe i have already found what will be a great drysuit for me, but my question is what should i wear under the drysuit to stay warm. keep in mind i live in MA, and the water temperature can get close to the freezing point during the winter i believe in February the average water temp is around 36 degrees, the air temp can go to the teens or single digits. can anybody list some specific products you feel will do a good job of keeping me warm in these temperatures. also i want garments that will not retain water in the event that my drysuit floods, so no cotton.
does anyone have any ideas, any websites that specialize in the sale of this stuff ??
thanks for the help

Answer 1

here is a great site to start with



http://gillna.com/Files/WEB_WTWGUIDE_LR_09_UPDATE.pdf



it deals with layering for sailing but should be good advise for kayaking also. your fist layer should be a layer that wicks water away from your body, like a rash guard vest. additional layers will depend on the air temp.



more info on kayak layering uner a dry suite



http://www.iwls.com/courses/documents/alaska_kayak_eq.pdf



http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002G3OYSI/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=



hope this helps

Answer 2

Your best best is polyester thermal pile, either a one piece suit (with relief zippers) or a two piece outfit. Most of the kayaking drysuit companies make them (Kokatat, Palm, NRS, etc.) but a good quality "polar" pile top and bottom by Patagonia or Helly Hansen will work also. If you are on a budget, any stretch Polartec heavyweight longjohns will suffice. I see a lot of these Kokatat and Palm drysuit liners on eBay.



These garments not only insulate, but absorb perspiration and move it away from your skin so you don't get evaporative chilling. Like natural wool, they will dry quickly from the inside out from body heat and they maintain their loft to keep you warm even when wet. Polar piles were originally developed by companies like Helly Hansen as clothing for North Sea fishermen so the material is well-suited for cold water kayaking purposes. Most Himalayan mountaineers and even Arctic explorers now rely on suits of this type for warmth.



I would NOT recommend regular "sweat" suits. Most are a blend of poly and cotton and will hold too much moisture and lose their insulating properties quickly. And nylon types don't offer adequate warmth.

Answer 3

Wear layers under the dry suit. You can use a simple measure. What type of clothes do you have that will keep you warm at 35 degrees? Layers of sweat suits/tshirts can do the job. Hunting socks are a good choice. Too many layers restrict movement so use your best judgment where to draw a line. Keep in mind you will not be in the water constantly unless something goes wrong. Keep in mind not to over dress. This can cause excess sweating leading to dehydration, cramps and other unwanted fun things. I ski on lake Michigan and the water drops to about 50 degrees before we beach ourselves near winter time. We use sweat suits under our dry suits. We also hug the shoreline to minimize trouble from hypothermia if something goes wrong.

Answer 4

There are undergarments designed specifically to be worn under dry suits that are intended for scuba diving but there is no reason you couldn't use them for kayaking in cold water. Materials may vary from Thinsulate to a polyester pile (fleece) to wool (rare nowadays), but they are all intended to keep you fairly warm in case you should get wet. Here's a page that lists and reviews a number of different undergarments from 2006: http://www.scubadiving.com/gear/2006/10/cold-comfort-dry-suit-undergarments



Outdoor stores that specialize in kayaking equipment such as NRS also carry lighter weight lycra/fleece undersuits designed for kayakers. Here's an example: http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=2555&pdeptid=950



You could also try wearing a polyester fleece jacket & sweat pants over a polypropylene base layer such as Under Armour to help wick moisture away from your skin.