Cold Water/Weather Clothing

Hypothermia and getting tossed in to the drink are things I don't like to thing about. But we all have to be prepared and play it safe.
What are your favorite warm/non cotton kind of clothing you like to wear in the winter? Any experiences to share?

Here are some great reminders https://thekayaklaunch.com/topics/kayak-clothing/

I wear a 5mm farmer John wetsuit and 7mm surf booties. When cold, I wear a windbreaker type jacket on top. When colder, I layer a fleece sweater. When too cold for that, I don't go out, haha.

Hypothermia and getting tossed in to the drink are things I don't like to thing about. But we all have to be prepared and play it safe.
What are your favorite warm/non cotton kind of clothing you like to wear in the winter? Any experiences to share?

Here are some great reminders https://thekayaklaunch.com/topics/kayak-clothing/

Thanks for the link Daperrin.  Since I usually wear drysuit when kayaking,  I wear normal warm clothing and sometimes a beanie in Winter time.

Used to wear electric heated gear while motorcycling.. so nice. If i were to be sitting in the cold for say something like sturgeon fishing, I might consider similar 

It seems most people who wear a wetsuit end up with the top unzipped and pull down. That pretty much makes the wetsuit ineffective so I've never worn a wetsuit. Figured I'll get too hot and do the same.

It seems most people who wear a wetsuit end up with the top unzipped and pull down. That pretty much makes the wetsuit ineffective so I've never worn a wetsuit. Figured I'll get too hot and do the same.

It's gotta be pretty warm before I overheat in the wetsuit - and I tend to run hot.  Essentially, if I am getting too warm in the wetsuit, it's probably fine without it at all.  But, I could see a situation where the water is cold and the air is really warm, like maybe cold mountain lake or something. I mostly fish in SF Bay and the coast near SF, where it stays pretty cool. If in the delta with 70 degree water and 90 degree air temps, I just go without the wetsuit.

daperrin wrote:

<snipped> It seems most people who wear a wetsuit end up with the top unzipped and pull down

On the North Coast (Sonoma-Mendocino-Humboldt) it’s not been such a thing. On the hot, calm days, some splashes to the upper body can aid cool down. And BTW, you don’t want to end up in the salt with a wetsuit pulled down when water is in the 50’s.

Hypothermia and getting tossed in to the drink are things I don't like to thing about. But we all have to be prepared and play it safe.
What are your favorite warm/non cotton kind of clothing you like to wear in the winter? Any experiences to share?

Here are some great reminders https://thekayaklaunch.com/topics/kayak-clothing/

In the winter, I wear two layers of clothing under my drysuit.  In the summer I wear one layer of clothing under my drysuit.  That's it 

   If i'm hot I dip my feet and fill the boots or splash the legs on the wetsuit.  Was reading that the soles of your feet and palms are the most efficient way to shed heat.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19640130/
     I wear a wool layer under the splash jacket and that helps me regulate the temp pretty well hot and cold.  Lots of numbers thrown out about the % of wool's retention of heat when wet, but I found it to work for where and when I go out.

I have a wetsuit and a drysuit. Both useful. The wetsuit isn’t enough to keep me warm so I have a neoprene jacket to keep me warmer (which I can take off or put on while OTW). With the drysuit, whatever you put underneath, you have to live with, and I’ve overheated before.

Whatever solution you pick, make sure you’re comfortable with the tradeoff between safety and comfort