March 6, 2005

Minimum cold water gear

What is minimum required gear? I have shortie wet suit and various pieces of dry tops.

An excellent question, and one I seem to be asked often.

I actually have to ask myself the same question about my own gear from time to time. So here are a few things to consider:

1) Am I willing to swim in the gear I plan to wear? This isn't a
rhetorical question - the answer has to be backed up by action. So if I ever, ever, ever question what I'm wearing, I'll swim in it - in the conditions I plan to paddle in. No amount of speculation can substitute for that.

One thing I hear over and over again in the cold water introductions I do is how different the experience of being in cold water is than they ever imagined - even when bagged head to toe in a dry suit! The second thing I hear often is the drastic difference they notice in something as small as a 5 degree temperature change (e.g. 45 degree water is MUCH different than 50 degree water). For example, if you've swam your gear at 50 degrees, it isn't a safe assumption to think you will be ok in 45 degree water - the difference is just too vast.

2) People are different. I'm a big fat guy so cold water doesn't affect me as quickly as a skinny person. This all goes back to item #1 - swim your gear so you know. What works for one can kill another.

3) What risks do I put the group in by going out with them? I'm a big
believer in the adage that we are all adults and should make our own decisions, and that works for solo paddling. But in a group environment if I get into trouble because I under dressed, chances are someone in the group is going to try and help. So by my decision to paddle without proper protection now puts one or more other people in a higher risk category than if I chose to stay home.

So how do I know if I'm not increasing the group's risk? Yep, you got it - swim your gear!

4) In the event the worst happens to me, I've left some major social
baggage with the survivors of the group. While it is easy to say from a distance that 'he knew what he was getting in to', in practice very few people would not feel some guilt.

As a courtesy to a trip leader, never put the burden on them to decide for you. No one likes being a bad guy and say no. This is a tough one because every trip leader will have different acceptable levels of perceived risk that they are willing to accept. If you are unsure of what a trip leader is willing to accept, it is certainly ok to ask, but you should know yourself that what you are asking is safe (swim your gear!). Some trip leaders will require dry suits after the water gets below some arbitrary temperature. Being able to say "How about I come out a few minutes early, wet exit in my gear and swim 100 feet?" goes a long way to showing that you not only know your gear's capabilities and your own body's tolerance for cold, but also that you won't be a significant risk to the group.

For more cold water info, see this link:

Cold Water Safety

Woody