What do you wear in your kayak

Well I am getting closer to picking up my OK15.  I can't wait to hit the water with everyone, I fish every weekend and at least once during the week out of my float tube or pontoon.  I am pretty much a 100% fly fisher but use to fish conventional for years.  I plan to do a lot of ocean fishing and was wondering what is the choice of clothing.  Do you wear wet suits, waders, dry suits, tuxedo's?  Let mw know what you guys do.

Thanks and I look forward to meeting some of you at the Lodi crab clinic this Wednesday.

Everyone is different. But when I hit the ocean, I usually wear long sleeve rash guard, then my farmer John, then another layer of synthetic shirt, finally a splash jacket. Oh, and a dive booties

Once I went with a Kokatat Tropos Super Nova dry suit I'll never go back.

Base layer: shorts and a rash guard shirt
Second layer:  Farmer Johns with a kokat paddling jacket or a cheap fleece depeding on the weather.
Feet:  Triple layer Thorlo socks, booty inserts, and dive boots.

I would love to find a pair of those muckaluks some had posted earlier this year.

hey kevin, heres a link, cameron

http://shop.clavey.com/chota-mukluk-p207.aspx

On your kayak you should wear whatever you would want to be wearing in the water.  Dress for immersion.

For the ocean these would be choices:

1. Gortex dry suit
2. Tropos paddle suit
3 Full 4/3 wet suit
4. Dry top with 3mm farmer john

North of Sonoma, I would go with 1 or 2
South of San Mateo 1-4 works.

If you can afford it, go for 1 or 2. If your on a budget get #4. I own a tropos paddle suit and love it but if you go for a swim, it leaks a little around the neck. As far as brands there are a lot of good products but Kokatat is a California company and makes an excellent  product so check it out.

G-string and a bottle of scotch. .......No but seriously, farmer-john, NRS hydroskin shirt, bright orange kokatat dry-top, neoprene dive booties and sometimes kokatat drypants without the booties. The big chota boots look warm and comfy but i'm not sure i would want to have to swim any distance in them.Dry-suits are comfy and convenient but they get leeks. often in the feet when changing on rocky terrain or from pebbles that get between your sandals and the drysuit. The seams can leak also. Supposedly leaks can be sealed but I have used 2 tubes of the sealant and slowed the leaks but not stopped them. My drysuit is not a kokatat. If you go drysuit then i reccomend kokatat. IMO, Their shit is the best hands down. My other problem with drysuits is you can't piss in them. Well actually you can,... and i have,.. but i didn't feel good about it. Lastly, when the shit hits the fan and you get mashed into the rocks or slashed by a shark and you are miles from the take-out and you drysuit starts to leak and you gotta swim for it, you are gonna wish you were wearing neoprene.Furthermore, I like to dive from my yak. So after fishing, i pull of my dry-top, pull on a shorty over my farmer-john,strap on my fins,hood,mask and gloves and i am ready to dive.If i am in a drysuit, I have to go back to the beach and strip down and start over.

Thanks everyone, I figured it would be a farmer john outfit.  As a former diver and surfer, wet suits are second nature so I will go look for one this weekend.  Where are the best prices in the Sacramento area, I will need to try some on since it has been a long time since I last wore a wet suit.

Sorry kayakjack no scotch but will have plenty of rum and Midleton!!!  And maybe a g-string after we finish off the bottle, but my wife usually stops me from running around in my banana hammock!

My other problem with drysuits is you can't piss in them. Well actually you can,... and i have,.. but i didn't feel good about it.


Kokatat suits have relief zippers. Make sure you check that they are closed before you hit the water. Kokatat has come out with a few suits in the $600 range that are great. Once I put on a dry or paddling suite I won't go back to wetsuit. The best money I have spent aside from a hobie!

Thanks everyone, I figured it would be a farmer john outfit.  As a former diver and surfer, wet suits are second nature so I will go look for one this weekend.  Where are the best prices in the Sacramento area, I will need to try some on since it has been a long time since I last wore a wet suit.

You should sign up on www.austinkayak.com and wait until they send you 15% - 20% coupon off one item. It's also free shipping with orders over $50. They send out coupon almost every month.

Thanks Bones. I'll sign up for Austin. Their prices are the best from what I have seen. Plus they have the best price I can find on the kayak I want, even with the shipping which is incredibly cheap.

Everyone is different. But when I hit the ocean, I usually wear long sleeve rash guard, then my farmer John, then another layer of synthetic shirt, finally a splash jacket. Oh, and a dive booties

+1

Check your PM.