C-Forum

Snowed a little bit today. Foot's broken so the next time I get to paddle it will be pretty cold.

It got me thinking, what do other people wear paddling when it's really cold out (like around freezing).

I know pretty much everyone wears a dry suit, so I'm more interested in feet, hands and head. Share if you want!

Dave

I'll go first.

- long john pants and shirt
- synthetic down pullover (thin climbing style)
- kokatat GMER
- 3mm neoprene gloves
- 7mm neoprene diving boots
- neoprene diving hood

For the coldest days:
Gore-Tex dry suit w/ Gore-Tex socks
Thick socks (sometimes x2)
Normal weight long johns (top & bottom)
Heavy fleece bottoms
Light long john top
Heavy fleece top (x2 when it's really cold and/or a long day)
Cheap water shoes
Neoprene C-1 pogies
Mystery helmet liner
nose clip
ear plugs

I wear some 3mm NRS gloves, but my father and I just picked up a pair of pogies to split for our shaft hands.

Under my drysuit, I wear mid- to heavy-weight fleece pants and hoodie, or an old patagonia R2 shirt.
Wool socks inside my drysuit latex booties, which it still never warm enough, cause my drysuit booties leak a bit.
Canyoneers on my feet, same as the other seasons.

Shep

I go Commando! Let the goose bumps and the awkward stares keep me warm.

NRS Toaster mitts on the hands
Neoprene hood made out of recycled sprayskirt on the head
Wool socks on the feet under the drysuit, 5.10 Water Tennies on the feet over the drysuit
Various fleece layers of various weights under the drysuit. My favorites are an NRS Wavelight top and a heavy weight purple Stohlquist onesy circa 1997- what it lacks in style it makes up for in warmth.

penny stove and noodle soup. space blanket in my pocket too.

Waw, so many layers of fleece! Don't know about your definition of cold though, but I used to dress up too warm.
Now I wear a single pair of fleece pants, coolmax t-shirt and depending on cold or really cold a thinner or thicker fleece. Carrying an extra thermal shirt in a drybag, just in case. But most of the times I do sweat too much, even in this light setup.

Similar to what has already been shared/posted:

long underwear, top and bottoms
light fleece top
Sometimes extra top and bottom if it is really cold
Kokatat dry suit
skull cap
neoprene mitts, warmer than gloves
liner sock, wool sock, dry suit built in socks, neoprene boots

Do you guys oversize the neoprene boots to accommodate extra socks? I know that to get winter boots nice and warm you shouldn't have any tightness. I have 7mm neoprene boots meant for cold water diving, but those are definitely sized to be tight on bare feet.

Thoughts?

Dave

Hey Dave,

For surfing on the Great Lakes in the winter (33 degree water and below freezing air temps) we wear 7mm surf booties. Most guys wear Excel. These are sized to fit snug. The surf booties are super flexible and were uncomfortable for me in the canoe and walking on rocks etc. So for the past 2 years I have been paddling OC1 wearing NRS Attack shoes with 3mm neoprene socks. These fit comfortable, not tight not loose. But this setup wasn't warm enough as we move into winter. So I went for it and ordered a Kokatat drysuit with GoreTex booties. I figured I would be able to fit in the Attack shoe with a wool sock. No way. Super uncomfortable. I can't believe how much space that Gore Tex sock takes up. Just ordered some 5.10 Water Tennies sized up a full size based on Recomendations. I'll find out in a few days if the size is right. My wife can't believe how many pairs of neoprene footwear I own. It's quite embarrassing.

What I have been looking for is a solid cold weather mitten with precurved fingers and taped seams. 7mm backs with 3mm palms would be awesome. The Toaster mitts are OK but sealed seams and a thicker back would be welcome on the most brutal days. Anybody know of anything out there? Maybe I should ask NRS if they would make something like that?

Marcus

A pair of regular hiking socks in my drysuit and 2mm neoprene socks over the drysuit sock in a pair of 5-10 canyoneers. Works good enough for me, and I tend to step a lot in the water.

Yes, I have medium and large booties that work with different socks.