Layer up! How to Dress Properly for Kayaking

[@maxmcrae379]

Great advise and thanks for sharing your expertise. I'm a kayak fisherman, what would you change, if anything, for me?

[@Canterburykayaking]

If you paddle a wide kayak with a low stroke style, I'd suggest a low paddle feather angle. Try around 20 degrees.

[@motionmanager]

Thank you for the great clip! If I choose a jacket and long pants would that keep me dry? Or do I have to use a one piece drysuit? I like the Palm Chinhook Jacket from what I have seen - could I use this one with pants to keep me dry also when swimming (ocasionally)? Which pants would you recomend? Thank you Chris

[@Canterburykayaking]

Hi Chirs, the only way to be fully dry when swimming would be to use a one-piece suit like the Palm Atom Suit. Even then, you can get a small amount of water in the wrist and neck seals. The Palm Chinook has no latex neck seal, so if you took a swim you'd end up totally soaked through a collar, it looks great otherwise.

[@daviddevine1757]

Is there any vids on the palm zenith trousers? Thanks

[@Jonasmollerjensen]

Is it not an option to use a long john wetsuit and then layer up on that...?

[@Canterburykayaking]

Yes this is an option if you know you're going to get wet (swim). Some of my clients go with this as an option for their first week or so of kayaking if they happen to already have a wetsuit but cannot affort a proper kayaking drytop yet. I don't know of a single kayker who would actively choose to wear a wetsuit kayaking regularly. There are major disadvantages. They restrict your lower back from sitting upright in your kayak, from rotating your torso properly, and if it has sleeves it makes paddling more fatiguing. You also have to get a wetsuit wet for it to insulate properly. When we are kayaking we should spend most of our time out of the water. Hence we have many companies designing kayaking specific dry jackets, pants, and suits which provide no insulation (so you can layer underneath to match the conditions) but will protect you from the cold water by keeping you dry should you fall in.

[@Jonasmollerjensen]

The hole point with merino wool is that it heat even when it’s wet. Or did I get something wrong..?

[@Canterburykayaking]

Hi Jonasmollerjensen. Merino wool base layers will provide warmth when dry or even slightly damp (a little sweat). However once this layer gets wet (absorbs beyond 35% of the fabrics weight in water weight) then it no longer has the ability to insulate and will have a cooling effect. The major advantage with merino wool is odor control and softness next to skin. Polyester or polypropylene is far better. A neoprene wet-suit is the only thing that will provide warmth when totally saturated (swimming), and this is why having a good drytop is so important for kayaking on cold water.

[@Jonasmollerjensen]

Canterbury Kayaking Hi, I’m new to kayaking and really appreciate your answer. I’m kayaking in Sweden and Denmark and was think to use a wetsuit Long-John and then a Drytop on top. Is that the wrong way to go..?

[@Canterburykayaking]

@@Jonasmollerjensen That sounds like a really good set up! Once you progress your experience to a certain point, you'll one day want to swap the wetsuit leggings for dry pants (similar to your drytop) but I think wetsuit leggings are great when starting out as they are easier to swim in than drypants.