Exposure protection while diving vs. overheating while paddling question:
(Cold water, warm air)
About your suits for kayak diving in colder water - not sure I fully followed:
So you wear what you wear when you dive in colder water. And does nothing come off for paddling?
I wonder how trouble some it would be to try to paddle in e.g. a 7mm suit... and of course if the water is cold but the weather is warm, something has to come off... So can you help me out here a little more - so I understand what you are saying:
A beavertail ... Is that a (long arm)jacket with a flap that acts as a crotch strap when fastened?
And a long john neoprene pants underneath?
I can paddle in a long john (free arms, free arm pits...) (with whatever regular clothing on top...)... paddling in a thick neoprene jacket or one piece suit has me worried and obviously taking off an putting on a jacket on the kayak would be a lot less trouble than a one piece suit... but then, some suits (like my 5 mm) peel off to the waist quite easy - but that zipper in the back won't always cooperate - and I need a warmer suit...)
My situation: Have suitable kayak (OK prowler trident 15) sort of know what to do with it ( I paddle and kayak camp with it and another yak...) Learned diving a bit over a year ago.... and got bit by some sort of a bug there. Want to practice the combination (kayak diving) a bit locally when it's warmer (Midwest...). Do not have proper colder water exposure protection yet (have a cobbled together 5mm suit and a vest hoodie thing I use underneath when it's too cold w/o, another hood, gloves and boots of course... but it only gets me so far... (like not more than 20 min at 45F to 50F and then it's no more fun and I need to fin a lot to stay warm enough burning up air fast...)
Have to watch the budget. A drysuit would be a bit of a stretch at this point (budget and I am not sure I like the idea when overheating on a kayak, opening it and taking the top down to the waist and finding a way to get soaking wet on the way to the dive ...) So, if I look at thick (semi dry if good deal) wetsuits I feel that paddling a yak in it is impossible for me when the air is warm.
Tons more questions, but they can all wait and I will read more anyway... but getting the exposure protection in place prior to spring that I in colder water and yet can use when paddling in warmer temps too (presumably by taking the top part off) and care to afford ... that... would be nice... The more I look at it the more I seem to wonder... It seems like everybody and their brother says (none kayak diving so) "go with a drysuit" and the odd one out says a good 8/7mm hooded semi dry wetsuit will work (in conjunction with my natural insulation) - but I don't see that I could paddle in that unless the air is quite cold too and I can deal with the chafing under the arms... - And everyone seems to "poo poo" a thick farmer john and jacket combo. "You look and feel like Michelin man and they leak like a sieve, are cold and stiff and the extra weight you will need to carry with 14mm of neoprene around your torso will cause you to instantaneously combust" ... something like that... Anyway I can deal with the weight, have the lift and redundant lift for in case. But still want to invest in a decent approach for staying warm UW and being able to paddle in it... And I sort of can't afford to get it wrong before I get it right...
--- Farmer John + Jacket?
--- or a good one piece suit (hooded maybe) with front zip that actually is manageable w/o help and can be pealed down to waist by myself (some semi dry ones (like the older price reduced model that caught my eye) you read horror stories about)? suggestions?
--- or what else could I look at?
Appreciate your thoughts... / shared experience.../ pointers...