Clothing for Paddling in Cold Water: What We Wear to Stay Warm

Paddling in cold water conditions presents all sorts of safety (and comfort) challenges. We are often asked “What do you wear to stay warm?” – especially when paddling in chilly conditions. While there is some variation in what we wear, depending on the type of paddling/teaching we are doing, we will cover the basics, today – those tried and true layers we turn to on regular basis. We’ve listed below the layers we each wear under and over our drysuits when paddling in cooler or colder conditions. We’ve also listed what we wear with our wetsuits. Keep in mind, our base line temperatures are very different. Ted is fairly warm blooded, and Kelly is ALWAYS cold.

We don’t receive any sort of commission from recommending gear or clothing. We just want our students to be safe and have fun out there! If you have questions about a specific piece of gear, we’d be happy to answer them for you. Continue reading