Warm Gear | Cold Water

What to Wear in the Off-Season in NYC

Graduates of our four-lesson series can join us to paddle on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting. See the real-time air and water temperature at our location.

What to Wear on Your Body

For autumn, wear a 3-4mm wetsuit. We borrow them. Some wetsuits are sleeveless, so cover your arms with a warm long sleeve shirt. On top, protect from wind and water with your own drytop or borrow our splash jackets. Underwear should be quick drying, not cotton, and bring extras for after.

From December to May, a drysuit is required. Kokatat is the favorite for kayakers and SUPSkin for SUPers. You must insulate from cold air under the drysuit. These tops and pants are THE BEST base layers. Wear our inherently buoyant lifejackets, not inflatable belts.

What to Wear on Your Hands

Kayakers LOVE pogies on top of their kayaking gloves. SUPers should have 1.5mm neoprene gloves. All gloves must have pre-curved fingers, not straight fingers.

What to Wear on Your Feet

Wear 7mm booties with a side zip. 3-5mm booties are too thin for winter. Rinse and air-dry booties or they stink. Wear wool socks to prevent smells. Bring extra socks for after.

What to Wear on Your Head

For cold days, wear a fleece headband or hat with earflaps. The brighter the better.

Other Necessities

Use a 10-20L dry bag to store your energy bars or blocs, gloves, and hat. Tether your waterproof phone case to your lifejacket. On your boat deck, keep an insulated bottle or two…Tea, Earl Grey, Hot?

3 Golden Rules: Dress for Submersion. Bring Extra Layers. Zero Cotton (here’s why).

In the fall, use our wetsuits and paddle jackets. Clockwise from top left: NRS Ninja PFD; MTI Trident PFD; NRS Jane & John 3.0 Ultra wetsuits; NRS Endurance splash jackets.	In the winter and spring, wear a dry suit. Clockwise from top left: Kokatat Swift Entry dry suit; Kokatat Meridian dry suit; Stohlquist Shift dry suit; Crewsaver Atacama dry suit; SUPskin Dynamic dry suit.
Under the dry suit, wear a union suit or base layers. Clockwise from top left: IR Thick Skin union suit; Smartwool 250 shirt; Patagonia Capilene Air shirt; Decathlon Simplewarm bottoms; Smartwool 250 bottoms.	Kayakers wear pogies and SUPers wear gloves. Clockwise from top left: Brace Master ski gloves; NRS HydroSkin Forecast 2.0 gloves; Glacier Gloves; Shaalek heated gloves; Stohlquist Toaster pogies; Kokatat kayak mitt.
Wear wool socks and neoprene boots.  Clockwise from top left: Smartwool Hiking socks; Kokatat dry socks; NeoSport 5mm low top boots; Henderson Aqua Lock boots; Neosport 7mm high tops; NRS Remix water shoes.	Bring the essentials every time. Clockwise from upper left: Thermos 24oz Stainless King bottle; Clif Blok chews; Sea Dog 4-3/4” carabiner; AquaVault floating phone case; Rheos floating sunglasses; Sea to Summit Lightweight 13L dry bag.

PS: We sell nothing, make no commissions, and get no free stuff. Enjoy your off-season paddle, all!