General > Kayaking

Dry Cags

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JODY:
A good cag & a long john wetsuit is perfect, especially if you take the odd swim. The wet suit absorbs the bumps better than dry pants. My bruises are way worse since i changed to a dry suit  :(

Also in relation to The talk of ripping dry suits & swimming, i put a bad rip in mine on Jacksons a couple of weeks back & it deffinately made a difference. Had to get 2 people to pull me up onto the bank, it may not affect bouyancy but man does it affect movement, especially when you try to get out of the water  ::)

caz:
I agree with Jody. You are only a beginner a cag and longjohn wetsuit are just what you need. The wetsuit is cheaper and will provide protection from rocks etc Shorts might be less hassle when getting changed but when you take a swim on the annamoe you will know about it. Remember this is a watersport you are doing not a fashion show.

kill:
I agree with the girls. Wetsuit/cag option all the way. It's still what I prefer. Dry gear is very expensive, offers less butt support when swimming and is ruined by one tear which is not true of neoprene.

As for which cag, Sidewinder is Palm's top of the range. I don't know much about the Nookie one except that Nookie have a bad reputation when it comes to cags. There are lots of other makes aswell if you search the different shops.

I wouldn't go spending money on top of the range cags now. Buy a cag designed with special features for rocky grade fours when you're paddling rocky grade fours.  They cost much more. Be aware as well that cags will only really last 2 years and still keep you dry. In 2 years start looking at a better dry cag. For now, I'd look at the cheaper options or even a semi-dry. A semi-dry normally lasts longer (no neck seal to break) and will be a huge step up from club cags. A lot of people spend the first couple of years in one and then move to a better cag if they're not swimming much or paddling harder rivers (where they don't want cold to affect their performance).

No cag will keep you completely dry if your swimming. There's no need to buy the most expensive cag out there. I still buy cheaper dry-cags because I don't believe a cag lasts long enough to buy the most expensive one. If you've extra money to spare, a good spray-deck is essential and you could start looking at buoyancy aids with chest harnesses and learn how to use them.

Siobhan UL:
A good cag and cartwheel pants (long neoprene pants) or a long john wetsuit are as everybody says probably the best option. 

A full dry cag is a good option if you roll more than swim as it lets less water in at the neck but if you are swimming it will let in water anyway so you could easily save yourself the money and go with a semi-dry in that instance.

As regards brands I have always found that nookie latex seals tend to harbour fungi much more easily than any other brand (infact my shorty actually had white fluff on the neck seal after 2 days in a dry bag) which leads to a very uncomfortable and difficult to explain to co-workers cag rash.  Also means you have to disinfect them much more frequently with milton which can damage the waterproofing - overall palm is better quality.  Check out peak-uk also and check online for better prices.  Buying from the states has worked out much cheaper for the past year even with shipping costs.

joey:
I would def go for a good cag, even if you are a beginner. If you are a beginner you are going to have a long cold winter ahead in anything but a dry cag. Other option would be to look at some of palms new semi dry cags that have a neoprene neck seal that is doubled over and then has latex injected into the neoprene which is meant to provide a seal as good as latex one. Not sure if it does cos havent used one but looks pretty good.

Id say go for cartwheel pants or neoprene trousers, you dont need the body bit of a wetsuit if you have decent thermals and can be a bit restrictive when leaning forward, full length trousers will provide the same protection as a long john wetsuit.

And this might be from my time on great outdoors, but for the money of the sidewinder cag you are not going to get any better from any brands, not saying other brands dont make better cags but they will be a lot dearer than the sidewinder, which has also been improved on from the last version.

Think thats the longest post i have ever put up!! but remember what is most important when buying a cag, make sure it matches the rest of your gear!!

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