Winter Kayaking

[PildoFSU]

I was wondering if people could give me some ideas of clothing for kayaking between now and the warmer times? I'm fairly new to kayaking but would like to still go in the cold months if possible. Thanks in advance.

[WaltDawg]

I use gortex pants and a water resistant jacket, but it depends how cold it is. Sometimes a ski jacket when it gets below freezing. A lot of people have frog toggs

[red_yakker]

I normally wear some sort of quick-dry pants and a jacket or pullover made of some sort of quick drying material. I've seen people who wear anything from rainsuits to waders, but for me it never really gets cold enough here to go that far.

I say just wear whatever you think will be comfortable to fish in. Remember that for most kayaks, staying dry isn't an option. You can try to go waterproof, but that may make for uncomfortable fishing/paddling. Your best bet is to just wear something that will dry out quickly.

Just my .02

[Talltails]

I fish a lot when it's the coldest. The colder the better. I have used waders and just about every combination of warm weather gear in the past. Now I wear neoprene wading boots. UnderArmor Coldweather long underwear top and bottom as a base layer. Colombia style pants. Waterproof windbreaker or jacket depending on the temperature.
The water is usually warmer than the air on cold mornings, so you get radiant heat at water level. As long as I don't get too wet and wear thin layers that wick moister, I'm very comfortable even in freezing conditions.

[Tidedancer]

I fish a lot when it's the coldest. The colder the better. I have used waders and just about every combination of warm weather gear in the past. Now I wear neoprene wading boots. UnderArmor Coldweather long underwear top and bottom as a base layer. Colombia style pants. Waterproof windbreaker or jacket depending on the temperature.
The water is usually warmer than the air on cold mornings, so you get radiant heat at water level. As long as I don't get too wet and wear thin layers that wick moister, I'm very comfortable even in freezing conditions.

That's some great info. Thanks.

[EddieJoe]

I fish a lot when it's the coldest. The colder the better. I have used waders and just about every combination of warm weather gear in the past. Now I wear neoprene wading boots. UnderArmor Coldweather long underwear top and bottom as a base layer. Colombia style pants. Waterproof windbreaker or jacket depending on the temperature.
The water is usually warmer than the air on cold mornings, so you get radiant heat at water level. As long as I don't get too wet and wear thin layers that wick moister, I'm very comfortable even in freezing conditions.

That's some great info. Thanks.

The above is a good summary. I would add, depending on temperature, a light to medium weight fleece mid-layer over the long-underwear, topped by the shell. You can take either the fleece and/or shell off when it warms. Also, a fleece hat and neoprene gloves are available to me if it gets cold enough. They sell the gloves with flip off fingers so you can tie a knot or cast, and they insulate even when wet.

EJ

[What a mess]

I like to fish a lot I can't imagine why getting wet in cold weather would be ok, you guys in the plastic Navy are some special folks.

[Charles]

In the canoe I can count on staying dry unless it's raining, so I wear a base layer of polypropylene and layer up over that as required. On my feet I wear a pair of Panacea Nikes over heavy wool socks. I like SealSkinz gloves for my hands. I can handle a casting rod without taking them off. If I need it I'll wear my Grunden's rainsuit to block the wind.

In my kayak I can count of repeatedly getting wet from the waist down so I wear waders as an outer layer.