Dress Code

Hi there,

I was just wondering what the "standard" apparel layers are for fishing our local bay waters. On weds I went out for a few hours after work in Sausalito and layered myself in tee shirt and shorts as first layer, neoprene wetsuit top (long sleeves and short legs/zipper through 1 leg - 2.5 mil.) for warmth. Light rain jacket for splash (not paddling design), and neoprene life jacket for safety. This was ok in general, but I keep running into the problem of the PFD riding up and becoming cumbersome when I try to access the hatch between my legs. I am wondering how you guys layer up to reduce bulk yet still keep safe just in case. I am wondering if I should get either a splash top or paddling jacket as they seem to keep some air in for buoyancy while keeping bulk down as the air inside can move from more to less constricted areas. Any suggestions on how to layer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike
 

All layers will get wet, cold and heavy.  I'd say layering is for terrestrial pursuits where you are not in danger of becoming immersed in water.  A paddling jacket is a convenient way of keeping some water and wind off of your torso, but it's not a life-saving article.  Wearing a sound drysuit or a wetsuit of the proper thickness is the key to safety when you're venturing out onto the salt or any water that is less than 60 degrees or so. 

Always dress for immersion - that's the idea.

Good luck and have fun.   

There's a reason kayak apparel manufacturers make so much money off of us .
Warm & comfortable is key.
paddling PFD's don't ride up as much as other standard boating designs. For a basic paddling trip I wear wear a base layer of mysterioso (pants & shirt) and micro-neoprene socks. Over that I use either a farmer John suit or wetsuit pants and a paddle sweater, and a pair of neoprene boots. I top off with an NRS splash jacket, and gloves & a hat if it is chilly out. In really chilly conditions I have added a fleece vest for fishing, or a wetsuit shirt for surfing stuff.

Getting proper apparel that is comfortable is a huge part of enjoying yourself out on the water.

you'll pick up a lot of info if you use the search feature - seems like this topic has been discussed many times. If anyone can find the best link to this subject, please PM it to me and I can sticky it. Thanks!

Shorts if you are Freddie. 

Thanks for the replies. It seems, based on the above responses as well as my own experience, that a non paddling PFD may actually create more rather than less of a dangerous situation. When I got my wetsuit, I practiced a lot of fall off and self rescue in the kayak and found that the full wetsuit provided plenty of floatation for me, but when adding my PFD, the additional bulk made it much more difficult to re-enter because the clasps and other edges would hang up on various hardware items such as the plastic eyes where the seat clips on. Not promoting leaving the PFD at home, but I think I will invest in a good paddling PFD and paddling jacket as well. I think as Black Ab mentioned the key apparel item is the wetsuit.