Help me dress for a canoe trip tomorrow...

[Ann.without.an.e]

I can't remember ever going canoeing. We are taking a 10 mile canoe trip tomorrow but it won't be super warm. 57 degrees when we start at 10AM. Can I wear leggings? Can I wear athletic shoes or do I need sandals? I'm just really uncertain what to wear? Thanks for thoughts. 

 

[mom2scouts]

I like to wear water shoes instead of athletic shoes or sandals. Your feet are likely to get wet and water shoes offer protection, but are designed to get wet and they don't fall off or get caught on things if you end up in the water. Since it's going to be cool, leggings that will dry quickly if wet would be OK. I also like to wear swimsuit bottoms under my pants instead of cotton underwear and then a lightweight shirt. Basically, I plan to get wet even if I don't plan to get wet. LOL!

[Katy]

Bring a change of clothes in a ziplock bag. If you have wool leggings or long underwear I’d wear those in case you get dumped. Wool is warm even when wet. Remember sun block. 

[regentrude]

Wear layers and quick dry clothes. (I like nylon hiking pants. Leggings may work). Bring a change of dry clothes in a waterproof bag. Dumping happens.
I always wear water sandals; you may need to step in the water launching or stopping for breaks or portaging around obstacles.

Bring a hat and sunscreen.

[wathe]

Quick-dry clothing in layers

A complete change of clothes in WATERPROOF/immersion-proof container (dry-bag, barrel,  plastic food jar like a Costco-sized peanut butter or mayo jar, or ziplocks).  Soaking wet at 57F, miles from anywhere, can quickly become a medical emergency.

Shoes that can get wet and are sufficiently flexible to permit kneeling.  Some people like to pack a second pair of lightweight  shoes so they can have dry feet for portages and breaks.   Consider extra wool socks and a plastic bags (to wear over socks) so you can have dry feet in soaking wet shoes - we use this trick with our scouts when they get inevitable soakers in cold weather.

Hat and sunscreen.  Canoeing is a full-sun activity!

Well-fitting PFD that you wear at all times while in the boat.  Even if you are an excellent swimmer.

 

[wintermom]

10 miles isn't all that long, depending on the conditions. Are you expecting to take all day, or a few hours? You'll probably want to have water to drink and some "power food" snacks (trail mix) that's easy to eat in the canoe.

You may also want something a little soft to sit on, as canoe seats aren't particularly comfy. a yoga mat would work.

Pace yourself with the paddling. Don't go out too hard, and take frequent breaks. Otherwise you will feel the pain the next day (or more). You'll be sore anyway, but you still want to be able to move your arms. 😅

Enjoy your trip!!! 

[skimomma]

I do a lot of canoeing.  Leggings should be fine.  If you have wool or full-synthetic, I'd go for that.  Quick-dry hiking pants would also work.  I wear sandals and that is just fine.  For colder trips, I actually use my tall rain boots and bring my sandals.  A hat with a brim will keep the sun and horse/deer flies at bay.  Maybe add a bug net if you will be in an active area.  Nothing in the world is worse than being trapped on a tiny boat with 20 of your closest deer fly pests.  Keep your life jacket on at all times.  I use biking gloves to prevent blisters on my hands if it has been awhile between  paddles.  10 miles will go by quickly, unless you are in open water going against the wind/current, so I would probably not even bother with a change of clothing.  If you do bring things you need to keep dry, use gallon ziplocks, toss them all in some sort of bag, and TIE that bag to the boat in case you dump.  I like to have something to rest my knees on if there is any chance the planned path will be wavy, windy or has rapids as you will have to get low and paddle on your knees.  My old knees can't handle that without a cushion anymore. 

[wathe]

I also like a kneeling pad.  Any square of foam that you already may have will work.  Pads meant for gardening are great.  I've also been known to use my crocs as knee pads: kneel on the toes of my crocs (after taking them off my feet first!)

I wouldn't underestimate the potential difficulty of a 10-mile trip for a novice canoeist, especially in spring conditions.  10 miles down river on a gentle current with the wind at your back is a piece of cake.  10 miles up-river, or up-wind, or both, or on big water with wind and waves, or on a brisk river with lots of portages is a different beast altogether.  And 10 miles by map =/= 10 miles as paddled.

I don't know where OP is and how cold the water will be.  Here, some of the lakes still have some ice in them, or are at least still ice-cold.  Spring canoeing entails real risk.  A full change of dry clothes is essential for safety.

[prairiewindmomma]

Keep in mind that water temperatures are often very different than air temperatures. I can’t advise you as to your specific regional challenges, but here that would be snowmelt water and dangerously cold as well as water that is moving quickly. People die of hypothermia canoeing here this time of year.  They have a 120F guidance rule—if the air and water temperature combined is 120F, you don’t need immersion/wetsuit gear. If it’s not, you do. In 50-60F water, you are going to lose breath control if you get dumped.

Here’s with a link as to why: https://www.canoeandkayakoregon.org/single-post/2018/02/20/cold-water-immersion-it-s-a-life-or-death-matter

Hopefully it’s much warmer where you are, but as you are mentioning you doing canoe much, I wanted to make sure you had that info.

I completely agree that you need a full set of dry clothing. 
 

 

[mom2scouts]

I'm glad several people mentioned wearing a life jacket. Please wear it and don't just tie it to the canoe. Last fall I watched a dive team pull a young man out of a lake, but he didn't survive. He wasn't far from land, but the water was cold and he couldn't make it there.

A hat and sunscreen are also good advice. I get a sunburn every spring when we take the canoe out!

Have fun!