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cold weather paddling

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Spring is upon us, and canoeing season is about to begin, but since the cooler temps are being stubborn and refuse to retreat, and I'm too impatient to wait 'till June to try out my new canoe, I may have to get used to these temps in the low 40's.

Whats the coldest day you've paddled? Myself, I have paddled when the water was forming ice............
 
-6 F./14 C. is my coldest to date. Winter is my favorite time to paddle and is mostly whitewater kayaking. Most previous years haven't had long enough cold spells to freeze the bigger rivers. Overnight canoe trips in winter are a must on the less technical rivers....there's a lot of solitude on the water in winter!




Cheers,
Barry
All the kayak haters... I have a MR Outrage X for whitewater canoe, but it is definitely warmer in the kayak at the really low temps so...
 
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I don't know the coldest I've ever paddled at but I've broken ice off of my boat more times than I care to remember. Even our spring break trip last year was a cold one. We had frost on our gear two mornings in the Okefenokee NWR and two more mornings while up in Charleston, SC. We leave in a week and a half for this year's trip and I'm hoping it's finally warm. I love the cold but even I'm looking for it to be warmer at this point.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...Be well.

snapper
 
0 F. In a kayak. Dressed for immersion. Dry suit . Of course no freshwater involved. May is a really risky month. So tempting to go out but your fingers lose dexterity within one minute after you dump.

Sweeper I'll leave some gators for you to cuddle. I am permitted for Mon and Tues next in Okefenokee
 
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I used to race sailboats in the midwest collegiate circuit. Have (not so) fond memories of chipping ice out of the boats and flexing the stiff sheets and halyards. But this is about canoeing.
I don't like to paddle when it's below 50. When the air's much colder than that my fingers get non-functional (there's no such thing as a waterproof glove) and right after ice-out my toes get numb-cold, since kneeling puts them on the bottom of the boat.
 
Coldest I've done is freshwater on a late fall day with air temps starting in the 20's and warming to 40couple (F, that is). We had skim ice to break through and the ice along the dormant alders would tinkle as our wake reached the sides. I can still hear the soft sounds behind us.
Nothing like this crazy waterdog upthread, but a fun day nonetheless. Here's how it looked as the temps warmed near the end of our day. BTW, our goal was Wolf Pond, it was completely iced in...

DSC_7060.JPG
 
Gavia Glacier Gloves used to have a glove that is warm and waterproof. I've had mine some ten years. There are also waterproof fishing gloves. Not the angling kind but what people shell fishing at sea use. Pretty common in cold water coastal areas. Think HAmilton Marine has them. Also check out Cabelas for the Ice Bay Glacier Glove
 
Thanks, YC. Glacier Gloves has neoprene, which is waterproof from the outside, but not the inside. I've had neoprene gloves and socks, and my hands and feet get colder in them than with nothing at all.
 
Did you check the Cabelas site? It's hard for me to copy the link in my phone. It says waterproof and mine are waterproof. I use them for winter paddling and helping my neighbor ice fish

the Glacier Glove website IMO is pitiful
 
Yup. They're neoprene, too. How do you keep your hands from perspiring and getting bone-chilling cold?
 
In the picture above I'm wearing 5mm neoprene gloves from NRS. When they are dry they aren't warm at all. Once I'm in the canoe or kayak, I soak the gloves and they keep my hands toasty warm. I always thought that neoprene worked more efficiently when wet.

Barry
 
Yup. They're neoprene, too. How do you keep your hands from perspiring and getting bone-chilling cold?
Any sweaty hands stay warm and sweaty. Impervious to wind and water. I got mine for Atlantic kayaking in the winter. The ocean does not freeze even sub zero. You do need wool gloves to tie the boat onto the car. After you take the Glacier Gloves off its a bit of a shock to be barehanded
 
Paddling for 21 days in the high Canadian arctic, 430 miles north of the arctic circle. Even though it was the end of July it was in the 30s F and the water was only a couple of degrees above freezing. Seawater freezes at 28.4F or -1.9C. Living outside for 3 weeks in those temps kicks the metabolism up enough that I lost 16 lbs.
Pond%2520Inlet%25202-72.jpg

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Pond%2520Inlet%25202-150.jpg

P8090314298_08092010.JPG
 
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Any sweaty hands stay warm and sweaty. Impervious to wind and water. I got mine for Atlantic kayaking in the winter. The ocean does not freeze even sub zero. You do need wool gloves to tie the boat onto the car. After you take the Glacier Gloves off its a bit of a shock to be barehanded

I just have to say, good for you! Every time I've worn neoprene gloves (or socks) my hands (or feet) have become uncomfortably cold. So I'll continue to paddle only when it's 50* or warmer.
 
5°, paddled/polled down river on the Oswegatchie, E Branch, late Nov in the mid 1990s. Polled/paddled up stream - two days before polling, with a metal spike on the end of the pole, down river with the MR Explorer. I spent a fair amount of time on top of the smooth ice. It was not too hard the move over the ice. (Light weight solo trip)
 
I love poling the river in the dead of winter. Can't remember the coldest I've done, but it was cold enough that the water dripping off my pole was freezing as it hit the hull. Standing in all those little frozen beads is challenging.

Gavia - NRS Toaster Mitts. I guarantee that your hands will stay warm. Not much for manual dexterity, but they're pretty easy to get on and off.

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=24473&oldsite=1
 
Thanks for the link, Steve. Do your hands sweat in them?

Yes, they do. But I'm always poling pretty hard when I wear them - so I'm generally working up a sweat all over. Even with the sweat, my hands stay quite warm even at rest (until I take the mitts off). It's pretty thick neo (2.5mm palm / 3.5mm back).
 
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