Last week I did a kayaking trip from Grand Portage to Squaw Bay. I was paddling with Dave and Amy Freeman of Wilderness Classroom (Facebook page), their new intern Dan Modahl and John Amren who used to own Superior Coastal Sports in Grand Marais.

Dave and Amy just started out on the last leg of their 13,000-mile trip across North America via kayak, canoe and dog sled. They’ll complete the trip next April in the Florida keys. They started the trip in 2010 by kayaking the Inside Passage. John sold his store a couple of years ago, which freed him up to finally do the Lake Superior kayak circumnavigation that he had dreamed about.

I was along to take pictures and wish friends good luck on their journey. Plus, I was scouting the islands for possible guided kayak trips in the future. Despite living only 45 minutes away, I had never done a trip in the sauna islands. It’s one of those kicking myself for not getting there sooner things, because they’re pretty amazing.

Stopping at the Spirit Tree near Grand Portage.

Our trip started late on Wednesday in Grand Portage and we camped at Hole in the Wall on Pigeon Point after finding the old mine on Susie Island. Paddling into Hole in the Wall is like finding a secret pirate cove filled with treasure. There’s a small opening between two cliffs that leads of a calm cove with a sandy bottom. The aquamarine color of the water makes it look like the Caribbean but with 38 degree Fahrenheit water temperatures. At the back of the bay an old run down, but cozy cabin, fire pit and outhouse (with a really wet hole — watch for blowback!) dominate the scene. A rickety old dock allows boats to tie up to escape the weather. We set up camp and had the place to ourselves.

Kicking back and enjoying the view from Spar Island.

The next day we kayaked to Cosgrove Bay on Victoria Island. Along the way, we tested for water clarity and maxed out the secchi disk at 30 feet. Later, we added rope to the secchi disk and maxed it out at 45 feet, which was just barely perceptible. On the island, we tested Wilderness Classroom’s new technology/Internet set up and at one point all five of us were connected to high-speed Internet. It’s a little mind blowing to think that you can now have high-speed Internet on an island in an undeveloped area of the shore. Note: To kayak into Canada, you need a CANPASS Remote Area Border Crossing (RABC). You can get this from the youthful and pleasant Canadians (as opposed to the grumpy guards on the U.S. side) that work at the Pigeon Bay border crossing station or via mail. It’s recommended to get one via mail.

The next day we paddled to Thompson Island, with a stop on Spar to hike up cliffs and get a view of Pie Island and Thunder Bay. On the way to Thompson, a storm blew in and gave us a nice tailwind. Thompson Island has an amazing sauna and in summer, it’s a busy destination for boats, but we had it to ourselves. We saunaed.

The next day, we shot a few photos and then parted ways. The rest of the group went south around Pie Island and I west to the southwest point before crossing about five miles into Squaw Bay. About a mile into my crossing the winds picked up to 15 knots from the southeast and made for a fast and easy crossing. In Squaw Bay, I left my car at the boat ramp. It felt pretty sketchy, but it was still there unharmed when I got there.

For this trip we definitely took our time and had plenty of time for exploration. It’s definitely a good kayaking destination.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Kayaking the Canadian Sauna Islands on Lake Superior

Last weekend, Tim Gallaway, a PaddlingLight contributor, left on a 850 to 900 mile long trip from Sault Ste. Marie to Quebec City via kayak. I asked him to share a little information about his trip to PaddlingLight’s readers. The goods are below, but first this is how you can follow Tim’s journey:

• Soo to the Sea Facebook page
• Tim Gallaway’s Twitter
• Kayaking to the Sea Webpage

Kayaking to the Sea

I’ve had to repeat this bit so many times it has more or less become a script.  It’s quite interesting really.  I’ve come to recognize what questions are about to be asked and if the person asking me the questions thinks I am crazy or not (for the record, I am not crazy).  So here is the conversation:

Them: What are you doing for your trip?

Me: I’m going to kayak from Sault Ste. Marie to Quebec City.

Them: Wow!  How long will it take you?  That’s a long way.

Me: It’s about 850-900 miles and I figure it will take me 6-7 weeks.

Them: Can you carry enough food for that whole time with you?

Me: Nope.  But there are a lot of towns between here and there.  I’ll re-supply when I can.

Them: So are you going through Detroit?

Me: No, I’m going the north route along the old Voyageur Route up the French River and down the Ottawa River.

Them: That sounds like a really cool trip.  Are you keeping a blog or something?

Me: Yes but I don’t have the means to update it on the water.  I can tweet though to @KayakToTheSea so people can follow my progress.

(This is the part where some people think I am crazy)

Them: Are you worried about bears?

Me: No.

And that is the cookie cutter conversation that typically occurs when I have to describe my trip in a nut shell.  And that really describes it pretty well.  You can check out my site for a few more details but there just isn’t that much more to say.  I’m doing this trip because I really want to.  It’s been the light at the end of the tunnel for me for the last few years.  It’s gotten to the point where it consumed my every waking thought as other expedition kayakers can relate.

It’s not for a cause or anything other than to try to inspire people to live out their dream adventures.  I don’t have any official sponsors.  I’ve gotten some help from some great companies like Smartwool and Reed Chillcheater with a few clothing and gear things but other than that it is not a sponsored trip.  I want to prove that you don’t need to be a big time sponsored paddler to do this type of thing.  You just have to have a drive to take the time and do it.

Expedition Map

About Tim

Tim Gallaway is an ACA L4 sea-kayak instructor, guide and Greenland-style paddling buff based out of the eastern end of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  When not teaching the subtle arts of sea kayaking you can expect to find Tim on long solo expeditions, in the surf and rock gardens, building Greenland style skin-on-frame kayaks or running local whitewater in “his other boat.”  In the frozen water season, Tim is a mechanical engineering student. Read his other contributions: Head North to Old Woman: A Lake Superior Kayaking Adventure, THE SKELETON COAST: Paddling Lake Superior’s Desolate Southeast Coast and Ninja Paddling – The Path of the Ninja Paddler. Check out his website Kayaking to the Sea.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Kayaking to the Sea: Sault Ste. Marie to Quebec City

I had an interesting experience yesterday afternoon. I went out paddling on Lake Superior in 1- to 3-foot waves, sub-40 degree Fahrenheit water temps and air temps in the 50s. There’s a really rocky and nasty surf break near town, so I paddled there to ride the outside of the break, then I made my way back to the parking lot landing in dumping waves on the beach here and there just for fun.

A rec boater apparently saw me paddling and thought it looked fun. Just as I was about to go to the car, I noticed her without a lifevest and no wet/drysuit trying to get out through dumping waves. She got whacked by a couple of 2 footers on a dumping beach and pushed back, so I figured she would give up, but she didn’t. Her next try put her on the water.

Then I found myself on the water near a woman who was obviously uncomfortable in the waves in a Perception Acadia rec boat, so I paddled over and broke the ice. I tried to educate her about cold water and realized that she wasn’t going to go back in. She wanted to paddle as far off shore as she could, so I sat there with her talking and stalling to keep her close to shore. She really seemed to need someone to talk to, so I put on my guide mode and let her go.

My home port lighthouse. In the background, you can see the hills that block the view of incoming weather. The picture at the top of the article shows the Grand Marais lighthouse in a storm.

Before I got on the water, I checked the radar and a big storm front was moving in, so I knew it’d make its appearance from over the hill soon — you can’t see the weather moving in on our shore, because a big hill blocks the view of the prevailing weather. It was sunny on the lake and seemed like a perfect day, but without checking the weather, you’d never know that something was on the way. Although strong winds were not predicted with the storm front, sometimes after the storms come over the hill, the combination of the hill and the lake can create strong offshore winds.

After about 20 minutes of talking and drifting in the current, the storm front made its appearance. Luckily, it looked nasty, because after I told her about how bad lightning is for paddlers, she decided that she should get off the water. We had drifted to a better area of the beach to land on verses where she launch, so I demoed landing in the waves twice, once bracing into the waves and bouncing in and once straight in. I encouraged her to put on her vest, but she would have nothing to do with it.

After yelling that she wasn’t going to land that she just wanted a helicopter to come pick her out of the water, she landed about as perfectly as you can. I couple of local grade school kids that I know came over and talked to us. I gave them a quick lesson about my gear and my kayak. Then I did a seal launch and a couple of rolls as a demo for the kids. When I got out, she admitted that she was afraid when she was out there. I told her fear of the lake was healthy and that she should get a lesson. I dropped my company name for kayaking lessons, and the local grade school kids were shaking their heads in agreement about the dangers of Lake Superior.

I see this all them time where I live. The lake never gets warm, tourists from the Twin Cities come up and treat the big lake exactly the same as a warm chain of lakes in the cities, and inexperienced paddlers have died just off our shore doing stuff like that. I always make an effort to educate, but most of the time it just doesn’t mean a thing. They smile and nod and I’m sure they go off thinking that I’m crazy or a jerk or whatever.

It gets tiring. As an instructor and guiding company owner, I feel like I have a burden to provide safety in my home port, but maybe that’s the wrong attitude to have. Maybe I should just let these people do their own thing and figure it out on their own. If they get into trouble, then let the authorities rescue them. It gets even worse because two businesses in town rent kayaks to inexperienced paddlers. One doesn’t even provide wetsuits and told me at one point that he has no plans to rent them, because they’re too expensive, plus his kayaks are so stable that no one ever tips, and his customers don’t ever paddle that far away from shore. At any rate, throughout the year I see lots of rec kayakers or newbies on 40 to 50 degree water completely unprepared. When I was a climber, I actually stopped climbing in popular areas because I was sick of seeing bad top rope setups. My friend Steve and I came across one group that if the kid would have rapped off the cliff before we got there, he would have died. These rec boaters are just one moment away from that.

Any thoughts about what types of burdens that we have as more experienced paddlers when we encounter these types of situations?

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: What’s Our Burden as More Experienced Kayakers?

In April of this year, we joined the Gear Junkie on a short trip to the Apostle Islands for their new Off the Map video series. We spent the day exploring the mainland sandstone sea caves and filming the trip. I hadn’t seen the video until today. It’s pretty sweet.

Here’s the video:

It makes the sea caves seem pretty fast paced, and I love the footage of me doing a roll. All in all it was a great way to get off the north shore and spend time with friends.

Check out my original Apostle Island trip report.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Kayaking in the Apostle Island Sea Caves

This spring and summer I’ve been invited to speak and teach at a number of events. The first event happens this upcoming weekend in Minneapolis at Midwest Mountaineering. I’m presenting two different slide shows and am sharing a booth with the Wilderness Classroom Organization, a non-profit that you should help support.

If you’re in the Twin Cities this weekend come see me speak at these presentations:

Outdoor Adventure Expo (Twin Cities)

Canoe & Kayak Expedition Photography

• Fri, April 27, 7:30pm
• Hanson Hall, Room 104
• Elevator pitch: Whether on a long distance paddling expedition or a shorter trip to a nearby area such as the BWCA, chances are that you’re going to witness beautiful sunsets and immense landscapes that you’ll want to share.Sharing stunning photos can help instill a sense of wonder and awe for the beauty of wilderness and help convey the joys and trials of the trip to your friends and family. Unfortunately, practicing photography while on an extended expedition is hard; water and electronics don’t mix.Learn how to safely pack and use your cameras while on expeditions and get tips for shooting effective and beautiful photos.

Port Huron to Home Expedition

• Sat, April 28, 2:15pm
• Hanson Hall, Room 108
• Elevator pitch: During the spring and early summer of 2011, Bryan Hansel kayaked from Port Huron, Michigan to Grand Marais, Minnesota. His journey took 45 days, and he covered 800 miles. On the trip, he traversed the two largest Great Lakes, averaged 22 miles a day, paddled in waves taller than a refrigerator, visited Isle Royale and even ordered pizza delivered to his tent.Bryan will present slides and talk about his adventure.

North House Folk School Wooden Boat Show (Grand Marais, MN)

Every year, the North House Folk School, a non-profit you should support, puts on the Wooden Boat Show. If you like wooden boats, you should come, because it’s good fun. Lots of speakers and presenters and lots of wooden boats to look at. I’ve presented at this before and I’m glad to return.

Port Huron to Home Expedition

• Sat, June 23, 2:15pm
• Hanson Hall, Room 108
• Elevator pitch: During the spring and early summer of 2011, Bryan Hansel kayaked from Port Huron, Michigan to Grand Marais, Minnesota. His journey took 45 days, and he covered 800 miles. On the trip, he traversed the two largest Great Lakes, averaged 22 miles a day, paddled in waves taller than a refrigerator, visited Isle Royale and even ordered pizza delivered to his tent.Bryan will present slides and talk about his adventure.

Great Lakes Sea Kayaking Symposium (Grand Marais, MI)

I’ll be journeying to the other Grand Marais in Michigan for the largest sea kayaking event on Lake Superior (GLSKS). It happens July 18-22. I’ll be speaking and teaching. I’ve never gone to a sea kayaking symposium before, so I’m looking forward to it.

Expedition Round Table

• Saturday 12:15pm
• Elevator pitch: Have a Q&A session on extended paddling with these experts of kayak travel. Want to know how you move from that 2 week trip into something larger? Let’s ask these guys! Bryan Hansel Jake Stachovak.

I hope to see you at one of these events. If you can’t make it, try to get to Grand Marais and lets go paddling.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Summer and Instruction Speaking Schedule

How do you choose a drysuit for kayaking on cold water? When do you use it? What brand – always Kokatat? How do you get one to fit right? Do you get used to the feeling of claustrophobia with the tight gasket around the neck? How do you care for it? How long can you expect the gaskets to last? These were all questions posed on Paddlinglight’s Facebook page when I recently asked for article ideas. These are all great questions to get answers for when you’re preparing to buy what might be the most expensive piece of kayaking gear that you buy after your kayak.

What are my options for cold water kayaking?

When the water drops below 70 degrees Fahrenheit, you should start dressing for immersion. Your choices are dry wear or wetsuits. We’ve covered drysuits vs. wetsuits for kayaking before, so we won’t cover it again, but you should wear one or the other in those temperatures, because cold shock,  cold incapacitation and hypothermia are possible. I prefer a drysuit.

When do you use a dry suit for kayaking?

It’s hard to define the exact water temperature and conditions when you need to wear a dry suit for safety, because often times in the overlap between 45 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit a wetsuit may work as well as a dry suit. The key is comfort in addition to safety. When you combine a dry suit with multiple layers that you can adjust based on the conditions, a dry suit, because it breaths, will often be more comfortable than getting soaked in sweat under a wetsuit. If you have the option, using a dry suit when the water temps drop below 50 degrees will make you more comfortable, and often when the water is above 50 and the air temperature is cold a dry suit will feel more comfortable.

As a kayaking guide, I’ve heard “I can’t believe I waited so long” and “I’ll never go back” from multiple other guides that made the switch from a wetsuit to a dry suit. Seriously, until you try one, you just don’t know how great they are. So here’s my personal guide to when I wear a drysuit:

• On long distance trips on cold water.
• Day trips when the water temp is below 60ish degrees.
• When the air temp is cold (below 60 degrees).
• If it’s really windy.
• In the surf when the water is below 70 degrees.
• When going rolling.

For day trips on calm water days, I personally may switch to a dry top and dry pants or a dry top and a wetsuit. On cold water, I’d guess that 90% of the time I wear a dry suit. The rest is some combination of dry tops and other gear.

How do you choose a drysuit for kayaking?

When you’re trying to choose a dry suit, I think it comes down to these criteria:

• Fit
• Material it’s made from/durability
• Features
• Warranty
• Color

Fit: It has to fit right. Generally speaking, you’re probably going to select the same size of dry suit as the size shirts that you wear. So, if you wear a large shirt, you’re probably going to wear a large dry suit. If you wear chest hugging t-shirts that are one size too small, that’s probably not going to work out for you. Regardless, if you have the chance to try a drysuit on, then do it. If you don’t, make sure that the store you order from has a good return policy.

There are a few times when the shirt rule won’t work out for you. If you’re really tall or really short, you may need to go with a dry suit that’s a different size than your shirt size. Again, try it on.

When you’re trying a dry suit on, make sure that leave enough room in the suit to accommodate multiple layers, because without warm insulating layers dry suits won’t keep you warm, and with a roomy dry suit you can vary the number of layers based on temps to stay warm. I like to be able to wear a base layer and two mid layers with mine. One of the mid layers is usually fleece in colder temps. If the suit feels tight with your insulation on, it’s really going to feel tight when you’re in your kayak moving your torso from side-to-side.

There are also different cuts from different companies. I like a cut that allows me to easily move my arms around. I also like to have a suit that’s long enough that I don’t feel squished from shoulders to feet.

Material it’s made from/durability: Dry suits take a beating. The butt slides back and forth across your seat as you torso rotate, the fabric runs across deck lines and fittings, the knees are braced against the boat, socks rub around in your neoprene booties, your spray skirt rubs the waist area, your lifevest slides across the fabric, your boat sits on the shoulder and on and on. I’d venture that because you wear your dry suit everytime you paddle, especially on an expedition, that it takes more wear and tear than your kayak or your kayak paddle.

I’m all about saving weight, but because a dry suit helps protect me against the risks of cold water, I’m willing to go for one that has beefy and durable fabric. This is especially true because they’re so expensive and I want to get multiple years (7 to 10) out of one suit before I have to replace it. And because they take a beating, they need to be durable.

With that said, I recommend a durable fabric that’s breathable. I like Gore-tex, because in my experience it breaths better than anything else out there and it lasts longer. All my Gore-tex parkas have outlasted others, and it’s that durability that might mean the difference between buying two more dry suits in my life or three more. I also look for cordura seat and knee patches. The patches should be self-draining. The most fragile part of a dry suit is the latex gaskets, so I like dry suits that protect them. Because the waterproof zippers on dry suits are so expensive, I also like to have a flap over them that protects them.

Features: I covered a few features in the fabric section above. For kayaking, a dry suit must have a spray skirt tunnel. This helps keep water from pouring into the boat during rolls and such. I don’t personally use pockets in a dry suit because I put stuff in my lifevest, but if you’re the kind of person that digs pockets, you may. The other features that you’ll debate when you’re purchasing a suit are Gore-tex socks and relief zippers. Just get them. Here’s why:

• Socks: The number of latex gaskets that you go through during the life of the dry suit and the PITA to replace them will more than equal the price for socks. Socks are more comfortable, they’re warmer, because you can wear wool socks, and your feet don’t end up looking like prunes after a day of paddling in neoprene booties. On long trips, keeping your feet dry is a high priority, because you don’t want to get trench foot or something like that. P.s. latex socks get holes easily.
• Relief zippers: Without them this is the routine that you have to go through when taking a piss: Remove your lifevest, remove your spray skirt, unzip the suit, pull your right arm out of the suit, pull your head out of the suit, pull your left arm out of the suit, pull the suit down, take a piss. Reverse. Try that on the water! For women, use a Lady J or similar device for urinating without having to take of the suit. Just do yourself a favor and get a relief zipper.

Okay, one more:

• Hoods: Ask this question: Are you getting this simply for an expedition where you’ll have lots of rain and cold wind? If yes, get a hood. If no, use a neoprene diver’s hood instead.

Warranty: Because this is probably the most expensive piece of kayaking gear you buy after your boat, buy from a company that stands behind its products. Look for a lifetime guarantee. This is also another reason to buy Gore-tex.

Color: It should be bright so that you are highly visible on the water. That said, I really like the look of Kokatat’s newer suits that have different color legs than the rest of the suit. Personally, I go with yellow or mango because it’s bright and stands out.

What brand – always Kokatat?

Short answer: You can’t go wrong with Kokatat. Long answer: Every company has a slightly different fit, and one brand may fit you better. My first dry suit was a Bomber Gear suit and it held up well. Many of my friends use NRS suits and I have friends that use Palm suits. All seem to hold up well. There are other brands out there, but I don’t have experience with them.

Currently, I use this suit:

• Kokatat Gore-tex Meridian with a relief zipper and socks: It fits me perfectly. It’s durable. It has held up better than I expected; since I got it in 2009 I’ve put it through over 1,200 miles of kayak camping trips, and many more miles of day trips. If I had to guess, I’d guess that it sees at least 100 days on the water a year. I’ve replaced the neck gasket twice and will replace the wrist gaskets soon. I got it in mango. A few threads on the neoprene protectors around the wrist and neck are fraying a bit because the neoprene tape that was covering them came up a little and the seam sealing tape in the heel started to come slightly detached. I fixed it. Those are the only real signs of wear and tear that I see on it, other than it’s really dirty. The only real fault I can find with it is that the zipper’s end aligns almost perfectly with a rib that I have that sort of sticks out, so sometime when I put my lifevest on, it compresses the zipper into that rib. I have to pull the suit down to fix it. Not everyone will have that. If you’re an average kayaker and not an obsessive one that runs his own kayak guiding company like me, then I’d guess that you’d see even less wear and tear. There’s a woman’s version, too! It features a drop seat.

• The NRS Inversion is the drysuit that people often buy when the can’t afford the Kokatat suit. Everyone I know have been happy with them.
• Palm Stikine Dry Suit. I have friends that are sponsored by Palm and use Palm drysuits. They are happy with them. The only issue that I noticed is that the rear closure while easier to get into than a front zipper is much harder to close. When I guided with a person who used a Palm suit, I was often asked to help zip it up.

Do you get used to the feeling of claustrophobia with the tight gasket around the neck?

Do I personally get that feeling? No, but when you first get the suit or first replace a neck gasket, you may get that feeling. Here’s the deal, when you first get the suit, try the neck on. If it’s too tight, stretch it around the bottom of a pan overnight. Then try it on. If it feels good, you’re set to go. If not, you can try stretching it for another night, but you’ll probably need to trim it (Note: do NOT trim wrist gaskets). On a neck gasket, you’ll notice a set of rings that run around the gasket. You trim these one at a time until you get the right fit. Here’s what Kokatat says about trimming:

The neck gasket on your Kokatat dry suit is designed to be trimmed (Kokatat wrist gaskets are not designed this way). The neck gasket should fit tightly without being too constricting. If stretching the gasket over a form does not increase the comfort, trim the gasket one ring at a time until it is comfortable but does not allow water in when you are swimming (see gasket trimming instructions). Consult your dealer or Kokatat customer service if you have any questions, and remember, cut once and test before cutting again!

The key is to trim one at a time. The latex will stretch out as it’s used, so I leave it a little tight. I usually need to trim one ring away to get a good fit.

How do you care for a drysuit?

I’m not going to write a long paragraph for this section, because the instructions that help you care for a drysuit are better off as bullet points:

• Washing: Follow the care labels. Usually, it’s wash in warm water, on delicate cycle, with gentle powdered soap. Rise twice and hang dry. I use Nikwax Tech Wash to wash all things Gore-tex or waterproof and breathable.
• Restore the DWR: The DWR is the treatment on the outside of the fabric that causes water to bead up and bead off. It helps prevent the fabric from saturating. To restore it, get some Nikwax TX Direct, spray it on and then you need to heat it up to activate it. Don’t throw your drysuit into the dryer! Use an iron with a cotton cloth between it and the suit or use a hairdryer to activate the TX Direct.
• Zippers: Keep them clean! Keep them clean! Keep them clean! When they’re clean, treat them with McNett Zip Tech. If a zipper feels sticky, like it won’t close, don’t yard on it. Clean it and lube it.
• Gaskets: After use, clean the gaskets with mild soap and fresh water to get salt, sunscreen, etc… off of them. Sunscreen can eat Latex, so be careful when applying it. I think the reason I go through so many neck gaskets is simply because I’m not careful applying sunscreen. Every three or four weeks, spray them with 303. Let the gasket absorb the 303 for a few minutes before wiping it off.
• Storage: Hang dry, store in a cool, clean area with the zippers open. Keep it out of the sun, away from gas fumes and if you must store it in a dirty area, store it with the zippers closed. To help the gaskets, pull back the neoprene covers, otherwise the gaskets can get creased, which causes wear in that area.

How long can you expect the gaskets to last?

You will replace the gaskets. There’s no doubt about it. How long they last depends on how well you treat them. Use the steps above to care for them, make sure the neck fits correctly. When you put on and take off the dry suit remove jewelry and watches or anything that could snag on them. If you have long finger nails be very careful as you put them through the gasket. Buy a suit with Gore-tex socks, so you don’t have to deal with ankle gaskets. Take care of them. But if and when they do rip be prepared to deal with the problem. I’ve used Tear Aid Repair tape to repair mine on a long distance trip. Aquaseal and bike tear repair material also work.

What’s the ideal drysuit gasket repair kit for long distance kayaking?

The ideal drysuit gasket repair kit for a long distance trip would be Tear Aid, a piece of latex, an unopened bottle of Aquaseal. With some luck, that should get you through the trip or to a place where you can replace the gasket.

How do you put on a drysuit?

I do it a little different than is recommended on Kokatat’s website, so I thought this might come in handy for someone. I get into the legs and then pull up the suit as high as it will go. Then I put on the left sleeve, do my head and follow it with the right sleeve. For the neck gasket, I grab each side with a hand, stretch it and pull it over my head. The reason that I do my right arm after my head is that it allows me to easily reach into the back and front of the suit to rearrange clothing as needed, because sometimes it bunches up when you put on the suit and bunched up clothing is really uncomfortable under a lifevest. It’s much easier to unbunch clothing when your right arm is free.

Do you have more questions?

And there you have it. Hopefully, these answers will help someone out there purchase the right dry suit. If you have other questions, please, ask below. I’ll add them to the article as needed.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: How to Choose a Dry Suit for Kayaking

When it’s cold out and the water temperature starts dropping, dressing for immersion might mean the difference between surviving a swim and succumbing to cold shock, cold incapacitation and eventually hypothermia. At a base level, paddlers should dress to survive a swim of any length and still function in the canoe or kayak afterward. This means dressing in a wetsuit or drysuit when the water gets cold. The ultimate question: what’s the difference between a wetsuit vs. drysuit for kayaking.

Defining Cold Water Paddling

According to the American Canoe Association, a cold water situation occurs anytime the water temperature drops below 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius) or when the combined air and water temperature is less than 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius). In temperatures such as these paddlers need to dress for the water temperature, because an accidental swim could quickly kill.

There are two rules that apply to these temperatures when unprotected. The first is the 5-50-50 rule and the second is the 1-10-1 rule. In the first rule, a paddler has about five minutes to swim 50 yards in 50 degree water, and he has 50/50 chance of surviving. The second rule states that an unprotected swimmer will suffer cold shock for about one minute, then have about 10 minutes until he can no longer function until finally succumbing to hypothermia an hour later assuming he doesn’t drown before then.

Lifesaving Society Facts

According to the Cold Water Boot Camp, in 2004, of the 130 people who died during boating in Canada, a nation that has cold water almost year round:

94 percent died in cold water.

• 60% drowned in water under 50 degree Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius)
• 34% drowned in water between 50 to 68 degree Fahrenheit (10 to 20 degrees Celsius)

86 percent didn’t wear a lifevest.

• Only 12% were properly wearing a lifejacket
• 2% were improperly wearing a lifejacket

Most were within swimming distance from the shore or safety.

• 43% were less than 7 feet from safety*
• 66% were less than 50 feet from safety*

*shore, boat, dock, etc.

74 percent ended up in the water when thrown over or when the boat capsized.

• 26% fell or were thrown overboard
• 48% were in a boat that capsized or was swamped

Of those identified more swimmers died than non-swimmers.

• Non-swimmer = 29%
• Weak = 15%
• Average = 12%
• Strong = 10%
• Not identified = 34%

It’s clear that swimming ability and proximity to the shore  doesn’t guarantee survival, but dressing for immersion and wearing a lifevest can increase the odds of survival. Always wear a lifevest.

Layering for Cold Water

Like in other outdoor sports, paddling utilizes clothing layering to regulate body temperatures. Layering is thinking of clothing as a system that works to transport moisture away from the skin (neoprene works differently), to keep warmth near the body and to protect from the elements. Layers are added or subtracted as needed to account for varied temperatures. There are three different types of layers.

Base layer: A synthetic or wool layer that moves sweat away from the skin and keeps the body dry. Think long underwear. When using a wetsuit, this layer is skipped, because a wetsuit works best when directly against the skin.

Mid layer: A warm garment that doesn’t retain water, such as fleece. Vary the thickness or number of garments based on conditions.

Outer layer: A layer designed to keep wind and water away from the other layers. Think a paddling jacket. A drysuit is an outer layer.

Dress For Immersion

Dressing for immersion is the practice of wearing clothing designed to handle the water temperature over the air temperature. The water temperature is more risky, because it saps warmth away from the body quicker than air, so the paddler manages the greater risk by dressing for it. For example, if the water is 50 degrees Fahrenheit and the air is 80, a paddler would wear a drysuit and enough insulation to handle a long swim in the cold water.

Wetsuit Description

A wetsuit uses neoprene to trap and hold a thin layer of water near the body. The body heats up this layer, which keeps the paddler warm. The thicker the neoprene the warmer and less flexible it is. Full-body wetsuits are rated by two numbers, which looks like 4/3 or 3/2. The first number represents how thick the wetsuit’s torso is, and the second shows the thickness of the neoprene on the extremities.

Generally, paddling wetsuits come without arms, such as the NRS Ultra John. The advantage is that the neoprene doesn’t restrict arm movement. The disadvantage is that they’re not as warm and cold fresh water can easily penetrate the arm holes. A full wetsuit, such as XCEL’s Infinity Full Wetsuit, keeps more water out and stays warmer at the expense of more restricted arm movements. Read about Keith Wikle’s experience using a full wetsuit for paddling.

Drysuit Description

A drysuit combines a waterproof fabric with neck, wrist and sometime ankle gaskets to keep the water completely away from the body. The gaskets seal tightly against body and keep the water from coming in. Most gaskets are latex, so paddlers allergic to latex need to stay away, and latex gaskets can fail catastrophically in the field — I had it happen on two expeditions.

A drysuit acts as a outer layer. It isn’t warm by itself. To make it warm, wear a base and mid layer. Drysuits tend to cost much more than a wetsuit. A quality drysuit, such as Kokatat’s Meridian drysuit, runs from $600 to $1100 while a wetsuit runs $100 to $400. After getting used to the gaskets, most paddlers find drysuits more comfortable.

Dressing for 70 Degree Water

Above 70 degree water doesn’t require a wetsuit or a drysuit unless the air is under 50 degrees. Wear a rash guard and have a paddling jacket or drytop ready if it gets chilly.

Dressing for 50 Degree to 70 Degree Water

At this range, a Farmer John or Jane wetsuit, one without arms, will be the most comfortable. Near the lower temperatures, especially when combined with colder air temps use a full body wetsuit or a drysuit. Over the wetsuit wear a paddling jacket or drytop. Have several mid layers available in a drybag to put on when it starts to get cold. In warm air temperatures, a drysuit will feel hot, and because it requires layers to keep the paddler warm when in the water, it tends to get very hot. In lower air temperatures, the drysuit feels like heaven. Consider carrying extra clothing in preparation for weather changes.

Dressing for 45 Degree to 55 Degree Water

Things get a bit more complicated at this level. A full 4/3 wetsuit or a drysuit will both suffice. Combine a paddling jacket or drytop with mid layers to make the wetsuit warm enough. With a drysuit, add base and mid layers to keep warm. Once in the water, the coldness will easily penetrate to the bone when lighter mid layers are worn. Also, at this temp, the hands, feet and head need protection. Many of the same items used for winter kayaking work at this temp.

Below 45 Degree Water

Wear a drysuit with a base layer and multiple mid layers, plus protect the hands, feet and head with items listed in the above linked winter kayaking article. Additionally, take time to read this winter kayaking article. Even if it isn’t winter, water temperatures below 45 feels brutal. Cold shock is a distinct possibility. Protect against it by wearing a diving hood. On a personal level, I’ve taught and guided for years on 45 degree water (Lake Superior). I’ve seen lots of panic after a person hits the water. I’ve seen cold shock. I’ve seen people quickly shut down. I’ve even had to pull a person out of a boat after he panicked and forgot how to get out by pulling a sprayskirt. Even with a drysuit and multiple layers, the cold water saps energy quickly. It kills quickly. Dress warm and paddle with friends who know how to quickly react to a capsize.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Wetsuit vs. Drysuit for Kayaking

When kayaking on the Great Lakes, U.S. Coastal Waters or territorial seas, the U.S. Coast Guard requires kayakers (or other paddlers) to carry signalling devices. An other article, Signaling Devices to Carry When Kayaking or Canoeing, covers the most common signalling devices that you should carry, but if you want to get by legally, you must carry these. Don’t be caught without them.

Don’t want to read the article and just want to know what you have to buy to be legal? Scroll down to the summary below. It has bullet points.

Visual Distress Signals

The U.S. Coast Guard requires kayakers to carry three visual distress signals for night. For many boaters, it also requires three day signals. Some signaling devices qualify for nighttime and daytime use.

Day Signals

As of 2012, manually propelled boats, such as kayaks and canoes, are not required to carry visual daytime distress signals.

Night Signals

When operating from sunset to sunrise, kayaks and canoes must carry a minimum of three visual distress signals. Night signals include red flares, either handheld or aerial. Some options include Orion’s Locate Handheld Signal Pack, Skyblazers and Orion’s Red Signal Flare Alerter. Carrying several aerial options and one or two handheld options will help you during both the alert and locate phases of a rescue.

Although Coast-Guard-approved strobes qualify as a distress signal in inland waterways, they do not meet the Visual Distress Signal requirements. That means that they don’t count as one of your three required devices. They’re still a good idea and help rescuers located you.

The easiest way kayakers can qualify for the Visual Distress Signal requirements is to carry three red flares that are approved for day/night use. Orion’s Skyblazers are one of the least expensive that you can buy.

Sound Producing Devices

All kayakers are required to carry a whistle. ACR’s WW-3 Res-Q Whistle is loud and works even when wet.

Navigation Lights

When operating at night, kayakers are required to have a white flashlight or lantern that can be shown in time to avoid a collision. A headlamp is a good idea, because it allows you to keep your hands on your paddle and still be able to show the light. Princeton Tec’s EOS Headlamp is bright and waterproof.

If your kayak is longer than 23 feet and you’re using a sail, you must also display red and green lights in one of three configurations. For more details, contact the U.S. Coast Guard.

Quick Summary

If you want to be covered for any situation, day or night, that you find yourself in buy everything on this list. If you do, you’re covered under the U.S. Coast Guard rules.

• Orion’s Skyblazers or Orion’s Red Signal Flare Alerter
• ACR’s WW-3 Res-Q Whistle
• Princeton Tec’s EOS Headlamp

More Resources

• For more information see A Boater’s Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boaters.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: U.S. Coast Guard Required Signalling Devices for Kayakers

People are attracted to sea-kayaking for many different reasons. Relaxation, adventure or the occasional adrenaline rush are all valid reasons. Over the years I’ve found my reasons morphing and growing. Of late, I’ve been moving away from kayaking for kayaking sake, to using kayaking as a means to an end.

When I found the organization Adventurers and Scientist for Conservation I realized that I wanted to get involve with a program where my desire for outdoor adventure was couple with a bigger cause. Then just as I was sending in my application to A&S, I was approached by Ken Campbell, a fellow guide-instructor with a project that grabbed my attention immediately.

After a few hours and multiple cups of coffee, The Ikkatsu Project was born. In a nutshell the scope of our project is to paddle down the unpopulated portion of the Washington coast, stopping at secluded beaches to survey for Japanese tsunami debris.

We choose the word Ikkatsu for our project as in Japanese it means ‘together as one’. And although the earthquake and tsunamis stroke Japan its effect will ultimately be felt here as well.

At the conclusion of the trip we’ll turn over our data to our advisory board, which consists of experts from NOAA, Coastal Watershed Institute, Surfrider Foundation, and 5 Gyres Project. A full list of our scientist and their credentials can be found here.

Jason Goldstein rounds out our team of kayakers, another guide-instructor with years of experience. Between the three of us we plan to document the project both with written articles and a feature documentary.

The Washington coast is a rugged and stunning landscape. With the potential arrive of tons of debris in addition to the already large amount of flotsam which washes into the tidal zone and its potential harm it’s critical that a plan for dealing with this crisis is formulated. And the first step in this plan is collecting the data of what’s there today.

I’d like to invite you to follow us, and share your thoughts over at The Ikkatsu Project.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: The Ikkatsu Project: Documenting the Tsunami Debris

Yesterday, I went over to the Apostle Islands with Stephen Regenold and TC Worley of Gear Junkie. They were filming a travel piece and needed some kayakers to help out, so I recruited my friend John Amren, and we all trekked over to the islands. For those that don’t know, the Apostle Islands are often called the premier sea kayaking destination on Lake Superior. The National Park Service, which manages the islands, calls them the “Jewels of Lake Superior.” They are about two hours east of Duluth, Minnesota, four hours from the Twin Cities and about 30 minutes north of Ashland, Wisconsin. A peninsula juts out into Lake Superior and the 21 islands that make up the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore radiate off of the top of the peninsula. If you think Lake Superior looks like a wolf, which is how it’s often described, the peninsula is the wolf’s mouth and the islands its teeth.

The islands themselves are wooded mounds of sand and sandstone. In areas where the sandstone is exposed to the explosive power of THE great lake, the wave action has created caves and arches and sandstone pillars. The rock is generally rounded smooth. Many sand beaches dot the shorelines, and for historic buffs, many old lighthouse crown the islands. Some are still in use. There’s a long history of habitation in the islands that dates back to Native Americans, then the European invaders, commercial fishing, logging and eventually park status. If you’re into islands and don’t want to drive just north of Lake Superior to the 50o islands of Lake Nipigon, then the Apostles are your destination.

On this trip, we converged on John’s house in Duluth before heading to the Apostle, and because Gear Junkie was filming a piece we went to Bayfield and the park headquarters to film before heading to Meyer’s Beach on the west side of the peninsula. Meyer’s Beach in Squaw Bay provides almost instant access to the mainland sea caves, which was our kayaking destination. After suiting up, attaching lots of GoPro HD HERO cameras (which are totally sweet), we were ready for kayaking. While we launched and then paddled through the tight caves passages and into large amphitheaters, TC filmed us. The caves go on for a mile or so and end in a nice beach. We stopped, shot some more film, and then TC and Stephen went to a top of a cliff and had me paddle under and do some rolls while they video taped me.

We got off the water just as the sun set a bright saturated orange over a mirror calm lake. Once packed, we drove to get a beer and pizza at the Thirty Pagan in Superior, WI. I got to my campsite on the north shore at about midnight thirty and then woke up for the sunrise at 5am. And ended up with a shot that I’ve wanted to get for years.

It’s really fun meeting people involved in the outdoor industry, and it’s even more fun going kayaking with them. Great trip.

This article originally appeared on PaddlingLight.com. Leave a comment and an opinion by clicking through here: Apostle Island Sea Kayaking Trip Report