What to wear?

[FL Boy]

I'm going to try and get out on the bay this sunday and I was wondering what I should wear. Today was 80 degrees, Is cold weather gear still needed on the water?

[YakCapn]

I think it's going to be high 50s this Saturday and even colder Sunday in the morning hours particularly....you'll want your cold weather gear. Combined water and air temp won't be much above 100 and might be under on Sunday morning. I've learned from the more experienced kayakers on here to dress for the water, not the air temp.

[On the fly]

The breathable dry suits are nice but can get warm when air temp is up but use the water temp as a guide. There are several charts for combining air and water temps to determine attire.

[FL Boy]

Thanks, I was hoping that it would be warm enough to not need a whole lot.


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[Salty Dog]

Dress for water temps. Dry suits do get warm when the air temps get warm. At least you don't have to do a lot of layering underneath his time of year.

[Cowpokey]

Use the rule of 120. Add the water temperature to the air temperature, if it's above 120f; immersion gear not required. If it's below 120f immersion gear recommended. Afternoon of opening day it was 80f air temp and 60f surface water temp; I was in shorts and a teeshirt...lack of sun screen led to mild sun burn.

[FL Boy]

I appreciate the advice guys, I so ready for summer. I'm going to try and get out Sunday morning, I'll have to see if I have the right clothing for it laying around.

[J.A. Veil]

Speaking of the right clothing for the conditions, I just returned from kayak fishing in Tampa Bay (4 days) and Sarasota (1 day). That part of Florida is experiencing warmer than normal temps -- much like summer time. I wore long pants and shirt, a facial buff and a hat with a collar flap, and had my feet covered. Most of my body was well protected, but by the end of Day 2, the backs of my hands were burned red with a rash starting. Normally at home I don't do anything extra to protect my hands. But coming off of our long cold winter, my hands had not yet begun to tan. When exposed to the strong Florida sun, they took a beating. On day 3, I frequently applied 50 SPF sunscreen to my hands. Before fishing the last two days, I went out and purchased an expensive pair of Simms fishing gloves to block the sun. They helped a lot, but near the tips of my fingers I got additional burning.

The take home lesson from this entire thread is to assess the likely weather conditions and use appropriate protective clothing that matches the conditions.