Cold water and drysuits

[Twistedfish]

If you haven't read it, there is a good thread on tidalfish about wearing a life jacket and fishing cold water. The thread has a good video posted about cold water rescue. What I thought was most interesting is the post about the Soul Drysuit. I have never seen this suit but it looks interesting. Has anyone ever tried one? I have looked at both NRS and the Kokatat and tried both on but just have never bought one because of the cost. After fishing the flats in the spring on some rough days I'm back to thinking about a suit. THe Soul Drysuit is interesting, though not much cheaper.

http://oceanrodeo.com/products/soul

[Memory Maker]

can you really fish in a yak in a Coast guard certified survival suit ........... they remind me of the little kids dressed to go sledding in the 50's ......... can't move much and sweat to death ......... they are made for survival in cold water and not kayak fishing. They have gloves built in ...... usually 3 finger ......... also how will you unturtle if you can't get your legs underwater could even be more dangerous.

[Hemingway]

I purchased the Kokatat T3 SuperNova Angler Paddling Suit with Relief Zipper this fall for a little over $500. I just did not feel comfortable (from a safety standpoint) in waders, and having surfed for years did not think that a wet suit was the way to go for me. The suit has been great, very comfortable to fish and paddle in, you actually forget you are wearing it. Just layer up more or a little less depending on the day. Also, really great on a cool rainy day in early fall when the water temp. Was still fairly warm. Yes, it was a fair big purchase, but considering what I have spent on rods, fish finders, etc. already, it was the smartest and best money I have spent. We are talking life and death potentially here.

[gafisherman]

Hey all, I'm new to the forum, but just saw an interesting video by KayakKevin about cold weather outwear.

Enjoy if you haven't seen the video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtgYP3Xrhdo&list=UL

[Memory Maker]

i hear you and i'm not sure there's a guaranteed answer to rqmts for comfort and survival in cold water. i think there is a real element of danger with yakking in cold water, period. coast guard is sending men and women out as part of their job. with that in mind, i don't think they can be the responsible party and send them out 1/2 az. and that leads to a certain end result, the compromise in comfort.

as a practical matter, i had a neoprene-style dyrysuit for WS. after i learned to position seals properly etc, i could do my thing for several hours; essentially dry. everything was fine until one day i was doing what we called a water-start about 3/4 mi offshore and the across-the-shoulders dry zipper failed and popped wide open. the suit scooped up several gallons of water. besides the cold shock, it was very difficult to schlog back to shore on my sinker board with the extra weight now stuck in the suit. after that, i switched back to thick wetsuit technology. but even that is not intended for prolonged time in water below 50*. at those temps, you won't see many written guarantees.

..... even the Coast Guard doesn't send sailors out wearing the survival suits. They are only deployed when there is eminent danger to the people on board because you can't work in them.

There's an element of danger in any kind of yaking. If you follow the guidelines you reduce them. Rule 1 is never go alone. Rule 2 is always wear your life jacket and have a knife handy. If my drysuit rips I can hopefully cut the legs off or at least open them up. Also, usually the water pressure holding the suit/waders against your body will only let alittle water in at a time so you have time to future out how to cut. Also, you can usually get back on board somewhere in a short period of time. These aren't designed for long time emersion like a survival suit. They are designed to give you time to get back in and get home.

[Memory Maker]

hey guy ......... if you are wearing wetsuit for coldwater yakin then you will get that initial cold water shock because a wetsuit allows a small amount of water to warm from your body heat to keep you warm. It's not meant for Yakin many people that have tried using 1 in the cold say it is cold when not in the water too. The drysuit is designed to keep you dry and the stuff you wear under it is designed to keep you warm therefore you don't have that initial shock except for your face and maybe hands if you turtle so you can get back in quickly before any hypothermia sets in. It's also a good reason to have a Hobie because you don't have to hold a paddle with freezing hands while trying to reach shore. Pedaling will move more muscles and give more blood circulation without trying to hold anything ......... and engine assist will also help.

[Memory Maker]

..... that's why no one asks the Coast Guard ........ lol

[dhawk]

Paddling in cold water is dangerous but a lot of good things in life are all you can do is be prepared. A dry suit is best but expensive you can get by with less you just have to know your limitations and the limitations of your equipment. I perfer to paddle alone sometimes but I wont do it a night or in the cold these are my limits this being said I am in the market for a dry suit just have to find one to fit my big ass