Salt Water Dressing Clothing for Comfort

June-July 1996

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

by Chris Ladner

Living next to the sea we all are voyeurs of the passionate romance between salt and water. Salt will forever be attracted to water, as water will forever be enamored by salt. When salt dries on a garment the fabric will become damp because the water in the air will consummate with the salt, giving birth to nagging dampness. Being damp is inevitable on a kayaking trip. Learning how to be warm and damp is what paddlers call comfort. Dryness truthfully exists only for the first few days, or longer if you have good weather and many dry bags (for more costume changes). Salt is stubborn and will find a way into your clothes. Accept it.

Clothing is a vital part of any sea kayaker's equipment because saltwater is a demanding environment for fabrics and clothing design. Being comfortably dressed is worth as much as any fancy new graphite paddle. Being cold and miserable is no help to yourself or the group you are with. Current technology is rapidly replacing natural fibers in fabrics for very practical reasons. Modern garment design will greatly enhance your paddling experience.

 

Layering

The essence of being clothed for paddling is layering. The innermost and outermost layers are the most crucial. Innermost layers must feel comfortable against the skin, even when damp. The in-between layers must have the ability to trap air, providing insulation. Outer layer jackets must be efficient at shedding water, open up to allow venting and close at the wrists.

Creating many different layers of clothing enables you to fine tune your needs. Not only does the external weather change dramatically at times but the internal furnace heats up and cools down like a roller coaster. Usually we live with a compromise in comfort. Having good technical clothes that function in these extremes is key. The debate about whether synthetics fulfill the task better than natural fabrics is over.

 

New fibres & fabrics

For inner layers, cotton, although a natural fabric and comfortable to wear, is one of the worst fabrics for paddling. Many of us still insist on enjoying its feel when clean and dry. But when cotton gets wet, it stays wet for a long time and then the salt really likes to live in it. Cotton works for those initial mirror calm trips. Wool is wonderful when wet as it is warm but it takes forever to dry and can breed large salt colonies necessitating long spells of rinsing and drying. Cotton and wool work around camp but are not great for on the water.

The last decade has seen incredible advancements in new fibers and fabrics. We can finally confidentially profess to have products that perform better than traditional materials. The most commonly used synthetics are: polyester, nylon and polypropylene. Fleece is often synonymous with polyester but in fact refers to the treatment of the fabric. Fleece begins with loops formed on either side of a base scrim. These loops are then pulled and shaved. The degree that a fleece is pulled and shorn makes the difference between a good and a bad fleece. Premium grade fleece has an even loop size on both sides of the fabric giving an even "hand" and wear. Uneven looping and/or shearing fleece products are lower grade and priced accordingly. Often the outer side will be premium grade while the inside, being inferior and prone to pilling, is usually covered with a liner or other fleece. You usually pay more for the premium grade on both sides. Over time you can see pilling occur due to wear in the drier or hard use. Wash fleece inside out and hang to dry. Polyester fleece works for paddling because it is warm when it's wet, it dries quickly, it traps air effectively, it's durable, comfortable against the skin and comes in lots of colours and weights.

 

Fabric Characteristics

	Cotton	Wool	Polyester	Polypropylene	Nylon
Water Retention	High	High	Low	Lowest	Medium
Drying Time	Long	Long	Short	Shortest	Short
Heat Conduction (Wet)	High	Low	Low	Low	Medium
Comfort Level (Dry)	High	Medium	High	Medium	Medium
Shrinkage	High	High	Low	High	Low
Durability	Medium	Medium	High	Medium	High
Colour Choice	High	High	High	Low	High
Paddling Suitability	Low	Low	High	Medium	Medium
Camping Suitability	Medium	High	High	Medium	Medium

Patagonia, in conjunction with Malden Mills, first developed polyester fleece for outdoor use. Since its inception fleece has become the ubiquitous outdoor material. That is because it works. Malden has established a grading system of 100, 200, 300 referring to the lightest to the heaviest fleece respectively. Lycra has been added to provide stretch characteristics. This allows inner garments to be worn closer to the skin without creating excess bulk. The 100 weight is the best for paddling as it can be easily layered and is not too hot under a shell. The 200 weight is perfect for around camp and the 300 weight is best left in the car. Of course, this all depends on space availability, warmth priorities and personal preferences.

Polyester feels wet mainly because of its fluffiness holding the water. Shaking the garment will release most of the water. Nylon fleece is available but tends to actually hold more water in its fibers and transmits the cold more readily. Polypropylene is common in underwear fabrics as it wicks water efficiently. But it does shrink and get scratchy. It is also only available in a limited range of colours and retains odour readily. There are also blends of these synthetics that make the best of each beneficial characteristic.

The key performance characteristics are warmth when it gets wet and quick drying. When your clothing is wet it draws your body heat away from the skin so the body will generate more heat to compensate for it. Heat conduction is a function of the moisture promoting the movement of heat along the fibers away from your body. Heat convection is heat loss due to the movement of air around the body. Properly designed garments with 'venting' capabilities will alleviate overheating, the most common problem paddling. Most venting occurs at the chest and neck. A good garment will allow you to tighten up all the openings if the weather really turns sour. The greatest heat loss occurs from the head more often because it is uncovered and/or wet. Some experts put this heat loss at up to 60% (when wet). So look for a jacket with a hood that allows some movement, and opens easily if conditions are changing rapidly.

 

Outer Layers

The desireable properties of the outer layer vary from totally breathable, to waterproof/breathable, to waterproof. For hard paddling a breathable top is nice except if it starts to rain or the weather picks up. Some breathable have a DWR (Durable Water Repellent coating) on the outside. This will allow water to bead and maintain breathability. Saltwater wreaks havoc with most breathables. This is because the salt crystals dry on the outside and some make their way inside. The salt entices the water into the jacket increasing the dampness inside. Mesh liners in waterproof jackets add some softness but will increase the drying time and risk of dampness. Mesh liners are often preferred because they feel nicer next to the skin rather than the coating on the jacket.

Waterproof breathable fabrics are better around camp than on the water. Current advancements by Gore have produced two new Gore Tex fabrics: Immersion Gore and Survival Gore. Immersion Gore is used in a whitewater paddling jacket made by Kokatat. Survival Gore has a more crispy and harder hand and will be used in survival suits. Immersion Gore feels like a heavy version of the traditional Gore Tex. Standard Gore Tex will get damaged in saltwater if the salt is not regularly rinsed off with fresh water (salt water will do in a pinch). The rinsing dislodges the salt crystals that imbed themselves in the micro pores.

Totally waterproof jackets are the most functional for ocean paddling. A good long zipper in front for venting is an asset. As well, the jacket should fold up and under itself (so it becomes a bomber style when you are paddling). The reason for 'short waisting' the jacket is to prevent water collection in your sprayskirt making its way up the jacket. This also depends on whether you wear your sprayskirt outside or inside your paddling jacket. I wear my sprayskirt on the inside of my jacket. This allows the rain to slide off onto the outside of the skirt rather than into my lap.

The coating on any water proof jacket will usually be made up of either PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or PU (Polyurethane) or a mixture of these. PVC is less expensive, has softer hand and heat-tapes beautifully. PVC has the disadvantage of developing pinhole leaks and delaminating. PU is more expensive, has a crispy hand, heat-tapes and welds nicely and will rarely delaminate. PU coatings are used for lifevest bladders and buoyancy compensators in diving. Therefore the coatings are usually totally leakproof. The most common coating is PVC with the best performance and reasonably priced coatings being a mixture of PU and PVC.

Chris Ladner owns and operates Ecomarine Ocean Kayak Centre in Vancouver