Since I live right on banks of Mississippi River I want
to take up paddling

My first purchases will be clothing since I can also
use the clothing off river

Need advice on the flowing:

1. hat for sun and rain

2. Rain cape?

3. Shorts and pants. Maybe zip off convertible pants
that can be made into shorts as needed

4. Proper sandals and shoes for muddy, wet, conditions.
They don't call it the big muddy for nothing

5. Floatation vest?

So..any advice what specific brand/models of clothing
to get?

Assuming you are thinking ONLY of warm weather summer paddling in a
recreational boat, touring yak, or canoe: buy a good PFD (life jacket)
first, and KEEP IT ON! Even when you shower, eat , and go to bed lol..ok
just kidding, but wear that thing when you paddle. Most any type of clothing
will work for summer, river shorts, bathing suits...IF it's cold
weather....NO COTTON.....cotton kills, it is a no no where possible
hypothermia is concerned. Those shorts\pants zippered combo thingies are a
good choice. Foot wear, in a kayak with a foam center support....no sandals,
they can get snagged on the heel if you need to wet exit quickly, basic
watershoes from Walmart are fine....lots of other choices from a catalog
such as NRS http://www.nrsweb.com/.
Stay tunes for alot more advice........RBP GUYS & GALS?

wrote in message
...
Since I live right on banks of Mississippi River I want
to take up paddling

My first purchases will be clothing since I can also
use the clothing off river

Need advice on the flowing:

1. hat for sun and rain

2. Rain cape?

3. Shorts and pants. Maybe zip off convertible pants
that can be made into shorts as needed

4. Proper sandals and shoes for muddy, wet, conditions.
They don't call it the big muddy for nothing

5. Floatation vest?

So..any advice what specific brand/models of clothing
to get?

Convertible pants are good, as are the convertible shirts (roll-up long
sleeves) that you can buy in the same kind of store that sells the
pants -- purveyors of camping and trekking gear, typically. Be sure
they are of synthetic material.

I like shorts and short-sleeve button-front shirts from Columbia
Sportswear and Ex Officio, usually available in the same stores or in
stores that cater to fly-fishermen. These are of quick-drying
synthetic material and I wear 'em with socks and underwear of a similar
material.

I wear Converse Chuck Taylor's All Stars in my whitewater canoe, but
I'm a decided minority on the river in that respect.

I always carry a paddling jacket in case of rain or other unexpected
chill, and if I'm paddling some stream so tame that I won't be wearing
a helmet, I wear a long-billed fly-fisherman's baseball-style cap --
also of a synthetic material, and with a bill stiffened by something
other than cardboard, so I can dip a capfull of river water to cool my
head, without ruining the cap.

I also always carry a drybag that contains a pair of polypro-like
longjohns, a fleece sweater, and a pair of rain pants. Pull all that
on over my shorts, along with the paddling jacket, and I can stand a
drop from 80 to 50 degrees in air temperature, or warm myself after
capsizing from 65 degree air into 50 degree water.

-Richard, His Kanubic Travesty
--

================================================== ====================
Richard Hopley Winston-Salem, NC, USA
Nothing really matters except Boats, Sex, and Rock'n'Roll
rhopley[at]earthlink[dot]net
OK, OK; computer programming for scientific research also matters
rhopley[at]wfubmc[dot]edu
================================================== ====================


wrote:
Since I live right on banks of Mississippi River I want
to take up paddling

My first purchases will be clothing since I can also
use the clothing off river

Need advice on the flowing:

1. hat for sun and rain

2. Rain cape?

3. Shorts and pants. Maybe zip off convertible pants
that can be made into shorts as needed

4. Proper sandals and shoes for muddy, wet, conditions.
They don't call it the big muddy for nothing

5. Floatation vest?

So..any advice what specific brand/models of clothing
to get?

"Oci-One Kanubi" wrote in
ups.com:

Convertible pants are good, as are the convertible shirts (roll-up long
sleeves) that you can buy in the same kind of store that sells the
pants -- purveyors of camping and trekking gear, typically. Be sure
they are of synthetic material.

I like shorts and short-sleeve button-front shirts from Columbia
Sportswear and Ex Officio, usually available in the same stores or in
stores that cater to fly-fishermen. These are of quick-drying
synthetic material and I wear 'em with socks and underwear of a similar
material.

Several mail order places carry synthetic shirts like this. I actually
prefer the long sleeves for UV protection. They're often labeled as
"trekking shirts". Sierra Trading Post is a good source for these. LL
Bean, NRS, Cabelas, or one of many other outdoor gear mailing order internet
sites have them as well.

I wear Converse Chuck Taylor's All Stars in my whitewater canoe, but
I'm a decided minority on the river in that respect.

I always carry a paddling jacket in case of rain or other unexpected
chill, and if I'm paddling some stream so tame that I won't be wearing
a helmet, I wear a long-billed fly-fisherman's baseball-style cap --
also of a synthetic material, and with a bill stiffened by something
other than cardboard, so I can dip a capfull of river water to cool my
head, without ruining the cap.

A few years ago I picked up a baseball style cap at Florida Bay Outfitters
that was made of a synthetic material and had a neoprene bill. It's nice
having a cap that'll float if you want to cool off by doing a couple of
rolls.

"Grip" wrote:

Assuming you are thinking ONLY of warm weather summer paddling in a
recreational boat, touring yak, or canoe: buy a good PFD (life jacket)
first, and KEEP IT ON!

Oh yeah...will do on the PFD!!


So you do NOT advocate sandals such as Chacos?

"Oci-One Kanubi" wrote:

I like shorts and short-sleeve button-front shirts from Columbia

You don't like full brim hats? Instead you like ball
style?

I guess what I need is very specific advise on what
shorts and hat to buy

"Oci-One Kanubi" wrote:

I also always carry a drybag that contains a pair of polypro-like
longjohns, a fleece sweater, and a pair of rain pants. Pull all that
on over my shorts, along with the paddling jacket, and I can stand a
drop from 80 to 50 degrees in air temperature, or warm myself after
capsizing from 65 degree air into 50 degree water.

Good idea!

advice on what brand dry bag and what size to buy as a
first one?

John Fereira wrote:


Several mail order places carry synthetic shirts like this. I actually
prefer the long sleeves for UV protection.

yeah I want long sleeve as I'm fair complected

Or convertible sleeve where you can zip or roll sleeves
up

wrote:
: "Oci-One Kanubi" wrote:

:I like shorts and short-sleeve button-front shirts from Columbia

: You don't like full brim hats? Instead you like ball
: style?

Personally, I have a couple of the OR gortex hats with a full brim... got
them from Campmor. You know your own skin so if you burn easily make sure
your well covered.

Also I'd recommend a set of neoprene boots... I can't imagine the Mississippi
being all that clean... (probably cleaner than the Chicago though).

: I guess what I need is very specific advise on what
: shorts and hat to buy

I think if you use common sense and you'll be fine. Get a good PFD and test
it in a pool so you know what to expect... stay far away from barges and dams!

--
John Nelson
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chicago Area Paddling/Fishing Page
http://www.chicagopaddling.org http://www.chicagofishing.org
(A Non-Commercial Web Site: No Sponsors, No Paid Ads and Nothing to Sell)

I do not advocate sandals in boats that incorporate a center
support.....this would run the length of the front cockpit to the tip, where
the paddler has one leg on each side of the support. These often have a
cutout where your hells could actually touch to facilitate more foot room. A
sandal's heel can become snagged in the cutout and prevent a needed exit.
Mostly in WW boats, but I'm sure other craft have this feature as well. IF
the boat has a totally open cockpit, no problem, sandals are fine.


wrote in message
...
"Grip" wrote:

Assuming you are thinking ONLY of warm weather summer paddling in a
recreational boat, touring yak, or canoe: buy a good PFD (life jacket)
first, and KEEP IT ON!

Oh yeah...will do on the PFD!!


So you do NOT advocate sandals such as Chacos?