Things To Wear For Kayaking in Warm Weather
You should always dress for submersion when kayaking, whether it’s in the hot summer months or the chilly fall and winter months. Here we will explain in detail Things To Wear For Kayaking in Warm Weather. You should constantly prepare for the possibility of ending up in the water.
If you enjoy kayaking, you know that the right gear is essential. And, as the weather warms up, you’ll need to start thinking about things to wear for kayaking in warm weather. In this blog post, we’ll give you some tips on things to wear for kayaking in warm weather.
It’s a beautiful summer day, and you’re planning your first kayak trip. So, what should you put on? You want to be comfortable throughout the day, not too hot, not too cold, and not like a wet sponge.
There are many things to consider when choosing things to wear kayaking in warm weather. The most important thing is to protect your skin from the sun. A long-sleeved shirt and pants made of lightweight, breathable fabric is a good choice. You’ll also want to wear a hat and sunglasses to protect your eyes. And don’t forget to apply sunscreen!
Sun protection is also crucial if you don’t want to become sunburned. Hypothermia is a risk in the spring, fall, and winter due to the chilly water and air. Your kayaking outfit may make or ruin your experience. You want to know how to dress for summer kayaking.
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If you’re kayaking in the summer, you’ll also want to protect yourself from the sun. Applying sunscreen or wearing a long-sleeved rash guard and cap can help. Whatever you wear, be sure it’s comfortable and allows you to move freely.
Luckily, you’ve found the correct spot to learn more about things to wear kayaking in the summer. We’ll go through some of the risks of excessive UV exposure before offering 10 summer kayaking outfit suggestions.
Swimming Costume
Bathing suits are ideal for kayaking in warm weather. They’re ideal for getting soaked. If the weather is pleasant and the water isn’t too cold, that’s all you really need. Perhaps a quick-drying top and shorts to match.
A Day Spent With Water Is Never Waste of Time…!
Terminology Buster
But before we go into all of our suggestions, it’s critical that you understand a few essential phrases and abbreviations that will appear throughout the rest of this post!
PFD
The term PFD refers to a personal flotation device. While many of us were taught to call them ‘life jackets,’ the official kayaking nomenclature is PFD!
UV
UV stands for ‘ultraviolet,’ and we’ll use it to refer to the sort of radiation emitted by the sun in this situation. Sunburn, exhaustion, and other difficulties might occur during kayaking due to UV exposure.
SPF
SPF stands for sun protection factor,’ and it’s a number that most sunscreens have, regardless of whether they’re liquid or spray-on. The UV protection factor of sunscreen indicates how long you should wait before applying another coat.
A sunscreen with an SPF of 50, for example, should be reapplied every 50 minutes or so. However, if you go swimming and all of your sunscreens rub off within your 50-minute intervals, you may need to reapply more regularly.
PPE
Personal protective equipment is referred to as PPE. This is a phrase that is commonly used in the healthcare and first responder communities, but understanding the abbreviation will help you understand the remainder of this essay.
Excessive UV Exposure Is Dangerous
One of the primary reasons we kayak in the summer is to enjoy the warmth of the sun! However, we must also be cautious of the detrimental consequences of excessive UV exposure.
Sunburn
Sunburn is one of the most unpleasant short-term consequences of too much UV exposure. People who have had more “severe” sunburns in the past have a higher chance of getting many forms of skin malignancies, according to studies.
The sun’s UV rays are at their greatest during the spring and summer months, and UV exposure rises as you go farther from the equator. Taking precautions to protect your skin when kayaking can considerably lessen the chances of becoming sunburned during your summer excursions.
Cornea Injury
UV radiation reflected off the water’s surface can have a long-term effect on the health of your eyes. This is why, regardless of the season, having a decent pair of polarised sunglasses is essential when kayaking.
The cornea at the front of the eye might get irritated or burnt from too much UV exposure. Cataracts and pterygium are two long-term vision-impairing disorders that can result from this.
Skin that is dry, cracked, or wrinkled
UV rays can cause your skin to become permanently dry, cracked, or wrinkled over time, but this isn’t something that happens overnight.
The sun’s rays are highest between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., which is the warmest period of the day. Excessive UV exposure during these hours can have the most harmful influence on your skin’s long-term health, including raising your risk of skin cancer.
Things To Wear For Kayaking in Warm Weather
1. A Long-Sleeve Fishing Shirt
We understand that you want to concentrate on getting that summer tan on your shoulders, but it’s necessary to cover up after a while to avoid scorching. This is why we recommend a long-sleeve fishing shirt as the best upper body clothing for summer kayaking.
These fishing shirts are often constructed of polyester or similar non-cotton fabric that provides excellent breathability and dries faster than cotton. On hot days, many include mesh panels on the back to keep you cool.
You can also roll up the sleeves of a fishing shirt like the Columbia Bahama and secure them halfway up your bicep. This allows you to wear it with either long or short sleeves, depending on your desire.
When it’s pleasant and warm outside, we adore things that can serve numerous purposes, and we understand that not everyone will feel comfortable in a long-sleeve shirt.
When the sun’s heat becomes too much for your skin, you’ll be grateful you can roll down your sleeves and reduce your exposure.
2. Hiking Pants with Zip-Off Legs
The more popular pant choice for novice kayakers is often boardshorts. While you may absolutely wear the same shorts for kayaking as you would for sitting on the beach sipping Mai-Tais, there are some compelling reasons to select another alternative.
3. Water Shoes/Adventure Sandals (or Booties)
Many inexperienced kayakers make the mistake of paddling barefoot or in normal sandals. While you can definitely accomplish this with sandals (or even kayak boots! ), there are a few good reasons to invest in a pair of adventure sandals.
To begin with, these shoes usually feature a high heel that protects your foot from the plastic on your boat.
As you spend more time in your kayak, you’ll notice that putting your bare feet on the plastic for several hours isn’t the most pleasant option.
Adventure sandals are also constantly attached to your feet in case you capsize and need to evacuate the ocean on a rough coastline. In bare feet, this scenario may be quite uncomfortable, and doing it in ordinary sandals typically results in lost objects.
While Chaco and Teva are two of the most well-known adventure sandal companies, there are plenty more to pick from. Luna Sandals and Xero Shoes are two of our favorites.
Finally, a nice pair of kayaking boots may be useful all year.
4. A PFD
PFDs save lives, and it’s simply that easy. However, many novices dislike wearing them in the summer since they trap more heat around the body and make paddling difficult.
There is never a good moment to kayak without a suitable PFD if we’re being absolutely honest with you. The great majority of kayaking accidents that result in serious injuries might have been avoided if the kayaker had worn a properly fitting (and certified) PFD.
5. A Neck Gaiter or Buff
You might believe that a neck gaiter or Buff is more suited for paddling in chilly weather at first appearance. However, we’re big about limiting sun exposure around here, so a neck gaiter may also help keep you cool while kayaking in the summer.
Most kayak guides prefer to paddle in a conventional ball cap rather than a bucket hat since they don’t want their peripheral vision being obstructed.
The difficulty with this strategy is that a ball cap won’t cover your ears or the back of your neck from the sun.
The best remedy to this problem is a neck gaiter or Buff. Wear it around your neck until you wish to draw it up and over the top of your ball cap to cover your neck and ears from the sun.
6. Paddle Gloves
While kayaking in the summer, your hands are undoubtedly the body areas that receive the most UV exposure.
Summer kayaking may result in cracked skin or unpleasant blisters on your hands when you combine that exposure with the fact that they are constantly getting wet and then drying.
This is why, for summer kayaking, we recommend investing in a good pair of lightweight paddle gloves. These gloves are light enough to not overheat your hands yet thick enough to give additional sun protection.
Almost all of them contain gripping fabric or padding on the palms to help you hold on to your paddle when it becomes wet. On extended summer kayaking adventures, this cushioning can also help decrease hand fatigue.
7. Polarized Floating Sunglasses
When kayaking at any time of year, sunglasses are a requirement, and if you’re going to invest in a beautiful pair, make sure they’re polarised.
Even if you wear a cap to avoid the sun’s rays from directly striking your eyes, they’ll often bounce off the water’s surface, impairing your vision if you don’t have a good pair of polarised sunglasses.
Vertical “openings” in the lenses of polarised sunglasses enable light to pass through. This effectively implies that only vertically approaching light may get through the lenses, which is why polarisation helps to prevent glare.
Polarized sunglasses have lenses that exclude any light that reflects off objects and travels horizontally. The result is less glare and fewer damaging UV rays reaching your eyes’ cornea.
8. A Wide-Brimmed Hat
A fun summer kayaking experience requires keeping the sun off your face and neck. A wide-brimmed hat is the easiest approach to decrease UV exposure to your face and neck when paddling, even if you like to apply sunscreen before each paddle.
Most summer paddling spots don’t have much in the way of shade to stop and relax in. So wearing a wide-brimmed hat is the ideal method to create and carry your own shade wherever you go.
When looking for one of these hats, seek one with a partial mesh pattern around the top of the hat. On the hottest days, this will assist ventilate your head and protect you from overheating.
If you do decide to wear a wide-brimmed hat, make sure it includes a drawstring so you can tighten it up as necessary. Otherwise, when the wind picks up, this style of hat will blow away.
9. Sunscreen
Although it should go without saying, we must state it anyway. Even if you follow the rest of our summer kayaking safety instructions, you should still apply sunscreen to your nose, ears, hands, and feet before each paddle.
10. Bug Spray
Bug spray is one of those products that you should only “wear” if you’ll be paddling in very bug-infested areas. However, if you must use insect spray before your summer paddles, choose a natural, non-DEET option!
Kayak Storage in Warm Weather
Now that you know how to dress for kayaking this summer, and also what things to wear for kayaking in warm weather, first make sure you’re storing your kayak properly to remain in fantastic shape all summer. Our magnificent, hand-carved cedar log storage racks will keep your kayak stowed safely and at the ready so you can spend more time paddling and less time caring for and moving your kayak. For kayaks, canoes, and other small boats, we provide a selection of wall-mounted and free-standing racks.
Thank You for sparing your precious time to read this article, I hope you like our guide about things to wear for kayaking in warm weather. please share this blog with your fishing mates if you really find this helpful, and let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Have Enjoyable Paddling! 🚣🏻🎣