Clothing for paddlers
An expert opinon on a wide range of clothing for kayak fishing
The gear you need for kayak angling.
With an excess amount of overtime, horrendous conditions, a lack of fish locally and a new house to make home, I was approaching the end of my tether – so a little retail therapy was in order.
Having already decided that this year I needed to update my base layering and replace my PFD, I discovered that all of my outerwear had been replaced with newer designs by Palm, for whom I’m an ambassador...so my bank account was going to take a hammering if I was going to stick to my original plan.
Here’s the lowdown on what paddle clothing I looked at to cover all bases, with kayak fishing, sea kayaking and kayak surfing all covered, though some of this equipment will be handy for swimming, diving and shore fishing too.
Obviously, a kitbag such as detailed comes in at a hefty price, and most people are not in a position to justify this expenditure. Nevertheless, I hope that my choices will give you some options for different times of year, and what might best match your paddling and fishing requirements.
OUTERWEAR
Winter requires the protection of a full drysuit. With the likelihood of strong wind and heavy rain, I wouldn’t dream of going without a hood again. My faithful Aleutian, bone dry after three year’s heavy use, has been replaced by Palm’s latest offering, the Bora (£650).
Featuring XP 4-layer breathable fabric, with 4-layer 320D reinforced panels, glideskin neck, latex wrist seals, rollaway hood and velcro waistband, it’s tough, comfortable and gives the ultimate protection.
It looks good and is cut for the more athletic, which eliminates bagging and the need to wear braces to stop it dropping around the knees when walking on land.
I don’t enjoy the restrictions of a full drysuit, no matter how comfortable it is cut, so spring, autumn and milder winter days see me slipping into something more comfortable - a two-piece solution. Okay, I’m ignoring the concept of dressing for immersion, but it’s a balanced risk assessment based on training and experience.
My Ion Bib and Oceana Cag have been updated, so I’d go for the Atom (£269.95) and Bora (£269.95) respectively, with the addition of Atom Pants (£189.95) and Fuze Cag (£209.95) for warmer days.
It’s perhaps excessive to have two very similar options, but I’m not one for going at things half-heartedly. Both sets of legwear feature XP 3-layer material with 320D reinforced panels. They’re breathable and cut for comfort and flexibility.
The jackets are also 3-layer, with latex wrist seals, the Bora having a fleece neck and rollaway hood, with the Fuze featuring a glideskin neck for comfort.
Much of last summer saw me in my bib, with the odd occasion, when I fancied a swim too, seeing me in my steamer wetsuit, but that isn’t really a summer paddling suit. Wanting something more suitable, and intending to do a bit of snorkelling and maybe shallow diving on some of my marks, I ordered some 2mm thermofibre-lined flatlock-stitched Neoprene Blaze Pants and shorts (£59.95 & £39.95); these being additional considerations to having some light and easy wear that can leave my top half uncovered to get a decent tan.
Very comfortable for paddling or swimming, they also dry relatively quickly after a low temperature rinse cycle in my washing machine.
I mentioned layering. Now, there’s something out called Neoflex, which is partway between wetsuit and clothing.