: That's a darned good idea, Brian. I am heading over to Amisk Lake
: this weekend with Linda to do some paddling. I will use that
: time to see just how tight my outfit is. The dry pants are not
: specifically mated to the dry top. When I found the pants in my
: gear, I was surprised because I couldn't remember when I bought
: them but they are made quite well. I believe I bought them
: impulsively because they were being sold at a clearout price:
: something like $100 off the reg price. The dry top is a Kokatat
: make, no zipper at the nape of the neck but it has a comfortable
: double neck seal. All I need to do is make certain that I trim
: the wrist and neck gaskets properly. I am worried about
: overheating while on the Bay. That northern sun can beat down
: hot even if the air is colder...with no neck vent, I could get a
: little uncomfortable.

: Yep, being cold while immersed in the Atlantic/Arctic waters of the
: Bay is a huge concern for me. For this reason, I simply will not
: take any chances with the weather: I'd rather be pinned to
: shore, return home later than expected and live to tell about
: it. I have done a ton of reading about the Bay area, lots of
: historical books, so I am well aware of what I will be getting
: into. I can tolerate a small amount of leakage if I tip but that
: leakage will be a problem if I am in the water for too long. I
: remember when I ran over that rapid years ago: that water was
: fresh off the glacier...I was in it for 15-minutes barefoot
: (whirlpool tore my deck shoes off) and came out feeling warm
: except for some minor tingling in my feet. My body does have the
: ability to put out huge amounts of heat in cold weather, more so
: than most people, all those years of playing hockey, lacrosse
: and long distance running gave me fantastic circulation. If I do
: have a problem, I will have to depend on this fact while I sort
: out a decent solution.

: No, no...your thinking is a good idea. I was gonna just screw in
: two webbing straps and leave them loose enough to accept my wing
: paddle blades. With your idea, using the clips (which I have
: lots of), the set-up becomes adjustable so that I can use my
: other paddle as well. The idea of using a thin bungie is good
: too because it will make it easier to clip the buckle to
: together. Remember, if I tip, then water conditions are not
: pleasant, so keeping the clip sections close together almost
: seems vital. I have lots of thin bungies so I will try to set it
: up as you have described.

: No stirrup...I have practiced the self-rescue cowboy style and can
: do it just fine. Getting back into a stablized kayak in rough
: water is no problem for me: I am comfortable with that.

: Thanks, Brian. I bought a new memory card for my camera (haven't
: drowned this camera yet) so now I can take 3500 high quality
: pictures. I will be sure to post a good selection of images once
: I get back home.

: Robert N Pruden

Hi Robert,

The drytop probably has a double tunnel so make sure to try it with your skirt, takes a few tries to figure out how it all fits together if you've not done it before, or for that matter if you've not done it this week :)

Bill H.