Tomorrow I'm heading out to the salt lake with my buddy so that he can try out his new kite surfboard. He is quite skilled on the water and really won't spend much time not cruising. Both of us have a 6mm wetsuit with boots hood and gloves, I wear a NPX high hook life vest. Last spring he was out there when the lake was still half frozen over, but it was also 12-15 degrees C outside. Tomorrow is suppose to be 4degrees C. I have confidence that he will be okay, but if the lake didn't have a high salinity it would have a thin layer of ice on it. My plan is to play around on the beach with the atb and try to get in some nice park n ride runs. But thinking of him out there I'm almost tempted to throw on the wetsuit and life vest and give it one last go of the year, but not sure that because I really can't ride if it would be wise. Would anyone else here give it a go or does that just sound crazy. If I had a dry suit I would be all over it but this makes me leery.:puzzled:

Edit:: Just checked out my gear. My wetsuit is a NPX Assassin 5/4/3, I have a ocean rodeo 3mm hood, ocean rodeo 3mm gloves, and ocean rodeo 5mm boots

When your hands are so cold you feel like you are gonna vomit then it's probably too cold. I've done that twice. Good luck man!

You can make it work with what you have but you'd be toasty warm in a drysuit, with no pain or drama. Hands and feet are the only liabilities. I've water skied in 33f air and 40f water with snow ski gloves on and was completely comfortable even floating in the water. Wetsuits have that "initial fill" where I find myself screaming and hollering in cold water. My rule was always if the air and water temps don't add up to 100f then its definitely drysuit conditions. I'd even wear it up over 120 total.

DRYSUIT ... with a fleece underneath. get some cold water booties and gloves and you're set to go.

the equipment items you listed will work fine. i have a Neil Pryde wetsuit as well, and it has the same features as NPX and its toasty warm. the only reason I would go to the borrowed (thx BR) drysuit is when the surface temp is freezing cold.

It's starting to get too cold for me ... 12°C and falling when out of the sun. I'm still in T-shirt and shorts though :D

when i go in the water in january, it should be around 40-50.. i live in florida. so i wont be that cold, still flipping cold :D

dry suit conditions for sure.........................most folks around here use the 110 degree method..............if the water and air totaled are 110 or greater they will go out................under that they stay in...................I can tell you I dont use that rule...................If the winds good, Im going out.............If they are offshore, I buggy.........

Man I didn't realize that there was a whole world of guys who ride right into the sub zero temps. Unfortunately it won't be happening for me today. The winds forecast dropped out all together. Too bad too, if anything I was gonna put it all on and jump in to test it out. If I found it too uncomfortable then I'd jump out but if it was okay then I was gonna go for a ride, but stay close to shore in case it turned ugly. I'm gonna try to invest in a dry suit for next fall. Probably the NPX Lucifer if I can get my hands on one. The only question I have is if I'd have to wear my 3mm hood with it when the temps get too cold, or if a beanie and the integrated hood would have me covered.

Quote:

Originally posted by shaggs2riches Man I didn't realize that there was a whole world of guys who ride right into the sub zero temps. Unfortunately it won't be happening for me today. The winds forecast dropped out all together. Too bad too, if anything I was gonna put it all on and jump in to test it out. If I found it too uncomfortable then I'd jump out but if it was okay then I was gonna go for a ride, but stay close to shore in case it turned ugly. I'm gonna try to invest in a dry suit for next fall. Probably the NPX Lucifer if I can get my hands on one. The only question I have is if I'd have to wear my 3mm hood with it when the temps get too cold, or if a beanie and the integrated hood would have me covered.

if you never get your head wet, a beanie will do. the removable hoodie is a smart idea. plus 1 for the p-hole. it was a pain to get in and out of a drysuit at WC for 30secs of release. hehehe.

Yeah I definitely get my head wet at this point in time. The P-hole was my favorite part:bigok: Think that the full hood will still be worn

Now I'm convinced that it will be worth the buy: :o

ive had no complains from the 3 sold to riders in Alaska.

save your pennies

I'm planning on having one for next fall now!!!

Drysuits work great in the spring too.
On the water here as the ice is breaking up...

http://vimeo.com/4523431

6 kiters went on the water here last week in air/water temps just above freezing with misty drizzle on an overcast day. All in drysuits and hood, boots and gloves. They said it was the best +1c day ever.

I've seen a vid of a guy kitesurfing in the cold with a GoPro on his head ... great daggers of ice freezing on his lines and trim strap :o yeah I'll pass thanks!

i dont see why someone will kite surf in the cold... by moving so fast especially around a large body of water... your going to be dealing with dense air as well as fast speed... meaning even colder than the actual temp

Out in my backyard it can drop to around -40c or colder in the winter, I work in it no problem. Last winter I was snowkiting in -35c when you factor in the wind it was way colder than that. For me anyway it is about logging in more sessions than I normally would. I got in only 6 sessions at the lake this summer and only just started getting up and riding when I'm confident in my riding I will be longing to head out as long into the season as possible. Gotta take advantage of the wind when I can. For me that's what it's all about anyway.

oh ya, mother nature plays a crappy game.. i notice its really windy in the flipping cold

One day when I'm filthy rich and my kids have all grown and moved out of the house (won't leave them alone as teenagers..can we say house parties ) I'm going to just travel from place to place kiting (wife doesn't know this yet I have 18 years to ease her into it) then I will get in enough sessions, till then I'm left freezing

:duh: i never been one for cold.. born in jamaica, raised in brooklyn and migrated to florida because i dont like snow or anything that comes with it. since you work out in like 25 degree weather (your -32c is my 25 degree f) you must have no problem going in the beach water with the weather ...lets say 50 degrees outside..i hateeee cold water.