Kit for kids

[Grumpy old man]

Hi
I'm looking for dry/semidry cags for children. My 9 year old son wants to join me on river trips but keeping him warm is a problem. All kids cags seem to be very basic, one splash and your wet and cold.
Can anybody help?

Thanks
Grumpy

[Rick Foster]

Not cheep, but a mini drysuit mad to measure but rubberman/damx or a cag from eather of the above.

[Matthew Lomax]

When i was littler i used to were a thermal ,long wet-suit, cheep cag and then put my neo deck on over my cag. That always did the trick for me even on the coldest and windiest days.

Hope this helps.

[av.surfer]

long wet-suit, cheep cag and then put my neo deck on over my cag. That always did the trick for me even on the coldest and windiest days.
[/quote]

This is a good call, its what i use in the winter with a BA aswell
matt

[Matthew Lomax]

Yer a BA is always a good idea as well, and it helps keep worm.

[Grumpy old man]

Thank you for your idea but I always do that but I still get cold. I think I need one to keep me warm more and I will go on rivers more.Thank you for your ideas.
from Zachary Allin
(Grumpy old mans son.)

[davebrads]

Canyon gear do made to measure, and they will make you a dry cag to your own spec. Reed Chillcheater gear is a bit different, but some people swear by it. My competition gear is Reed, but I think a good drycag made from thick nylon keeps the cold wind out more effectively in winter.

[JohnK]

When I was littler I used to were a thermal ,long wet-suit, cheep cag and then put my neo deck on over my cag. That always did the trick for me even on the coldest and windiest days.

Thermal is a bit of a misnomer. It's OK next to your skin but is not warm enough on its own. Try using something like an IR Thick Skin as well or one or two tightish thinnish woollen jumpers under your cag. You need something to fill up the gaps. I am assuming long wet-suit is a longjohn.

[Matthew Lomax]

I always used to were a full length wet-suit, arms and all, but i know that some people don't like these for paddling.

[Canned]

i'm sure reed (chillcheater.com) would make to measure. it's a different kind of cag but still more than quite good.

[Backcomber]

I've had the same problem myself over the past few years. If it helps. IR ladies cags are made very small and don't come in silly girly colours. My eldest is 12 and has been wearing a small ladies full cag for the past few years. The other option that I looked at was having stuff made by reed.

On a similar note. Playboater are just starting to make kids neoprene spraydecks. I have a demo that fits the CR50 and Shooting star. They're great because the waist tube is small in diameter and isn't as high as a regular spraydeck. They should be available in the new year.

Graeme

[Grumpy old man]

Hi
Thanks Guys for your help. Zac is a skinny little chap ( more fat on a sparrow's knee cap) so hench keeping him warm is a problem. It doesn't help that he spends most his time on the river sculling or rolling and gets lots of water in his boat so we can only really have short periods of time on the water this is why river trips become a problem. All the suggestions above as regards layering we have tried and because he's growing so quickly, made to measure is out of the question.
I don't want to stop him doing what he enjoys in the boat, so I'm afraid we'll have to stick to park and play in the winter months and go and break some access agreements in the summer months.

Thanks
Grumpy

[Grumpy old man]

Hi Graeme
Thanks. That info on spray decks could be interesting the neo deck he uses at the moment is far to big in the tube, we try and seal it with a band.
IR I haven't tried but his sisters cags are much too big and they are designed as a small woman's cag But I will take a look. I'm sure lots of people out there have the same problem. Perhaps this is one of the problems with the long term development for children, cold children aren't happy ones.

Thanks Again

Grumpy

[chud]

I heard something about DamX junior sizes having replaceable sections to allow the fit to be changed with growth. Not sure where I heard that though because I couldnt find anything about it in the copy of the catalogue that Ive got.

[chriscw]

Under layers

Things like thermal mountain fleeces can make a huge difference underneath your longjohn wet suit. and indeed on top as well but under a dry of semi dry covering. Similarly tights, socks or long underwear on the legs can help. A head fleece of some kind under the helmet will make a big difference too if he does not already have one and as his head may already be fully grown it is one piece of kit he probably will not outgrow! You could also look at glueing some carry mat or neoprene to the floor of the boat where his feet rest, so that if he is dry his feet get less cold.

Trip Plan Bs

You could also take a group shelter, hiker's towel and change of clothes to use in the event of an accidental capsize if it looks like he might get cold. Depending on available shuttle vehicles you could have a planned part way opt out if he capsizes and is in danger of getting cold or use two shorter circular routes with a common start point so that you can do one then if all is well do the other before having your rolling and swimming session.

Plan to Play at the end

Also a little self control over when you do your deliberate getting wet if you are out for a trip, perhaps encourage the lad to try and stay dry until the end. I usually like to finish a trip with a deliberate swim at all times of year to keep my resistance up but of course sometimes my lack of desire to cart soggy kit home to dry overcomes my good intentions. A roll is a good substitute as even with my cheaper inferior kit rolling is a fairly dry process, swimming on the other hand most certainly is not. EDIT I normally do not allow younger paddlers to swim deliberately in the winter unless of course I know they are used to it. End of EDIT

[RichardCree]

Hello, i had the same problems with both my kids, the solution i found came from crewsaver they do an all in one suit, this has taped seems and neoprene cuffs, so it wasnt a dry suit, under this Jordan used to wear his wetsuit (long john from Lomo) then a fleece. He has out grown it now and wears a small dry suit from Lomo and his sister wears the crewsaver suit.

This combination worked for 3 years as he was growing, and anyone on here who knows him will testify that he was always getting wet.

Further options may be available, go to you local sailing shop (juniour sailing has a greater following than kayaking thus more specialised gear for smaller people) they will have stuff or will be able to order stuff for you.

http://www.wetsuitoutlet.co.uk/product_ ... ucts_id=33

the very suit and reduced to £35.0

[Backcomber]

CCW. Without a doubt you are a cock.

I'm all for the saying, do as I say and not as I do but you are taking the mick. Try reading your own posts before taking people out on trips.

[chriscw]

CCW. Without a doubt you are a cock.

I'm all for the saying, do as I say and not as I do but you are taking the mick. Try reading your own posts before taking people out on trips.

I'm not sure what you are getting at, Have PMed you.

[Steve Davies]

GOM, my 13 year old daughter was getting fed up being left at home because she only had a spray top for summer use.

So I found this cag on Ebay and bought her one. Can confirm that they are very dry, and to get the small cag over her head we had the neck seal on a rugby ball for two weeks.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0174680002

The guy seems to sell a lot of them, might be worth keeping an eye out. Unfortunatly he doesn't seem to have any at the moment.

There apparently made in New Zealand.

[james_trigg]

I would suggest that you look at the Nookie / Delta Pro cag for kids.

It features a twin waist a neoprene next and twin latex neoprene wrists.

http://www.upandunder.co.uk/eshop/catal ... ion_ID=170

Hope it helps!

James

[Neil_B]

Both of my lads (7 and 12)both wear Palm youth vector cags and seems to stay dry and warm.

[Grumpy old man]

Hi
Thanks for all your advice there is obviously more kit for kids out there than I thought. I particularly like the Crewsaver one piece.

Thanks again

Grumpy

[TheKrikkitWars]

Something quite offensive

I'm all for the saying, do as I say and not as I do but you are taking the mick. Try reading your own posts before taking people out on trips.

That was apparently uncalled for, if it isn't an issue that can't be aired on the forum, I would suggest you edit it... Trust me, I have plenty of experience of making a fool of myself on here!

[morsey]

wants to join me on river trips

use two shorter circular routes with a common start point

The only river I have heard of that fulfils that requirement was published in Canoeist mag many years ago and was near the Sahara! :-)

[chriscw]

wants to join me on river trips

use two shorter circular routes with a common start point

The only river I have heard of that fulfils that requirement was published in Canoeist mag many years ago and was near the Sahara! :-)

Well there are a few possibilities although not necessarily very exciting. On flat water perhaps two out and back trips or, I understand there is another circuit just below St Patrick's Stream, I've not done it myself so one could do one then if it had not been enough do the other. Perhaps a short downriver which happened to have a canal for the return journey and repeat if you want to. That was the kind of thing I had in mind anyway.

[Grumpy old man]

use two shorter circular routes with a common start point

(quote=morsey wrote)
The only river I have heard of that fulfils that requirement was published in Canoeist mag many years ago and was near the Sahara! :-)[/quote]

Yes I was a little confused with that. The only river I know that goes in a figure of 8 is the Belp in the Bowland area and we have done that one till we are sick of it. I didn't realise so many people knew about it.

Thanks to everybody for their comments.

Grumpy

[davebrads]

I don't think that Canyon Gear stuff is much different in price to comparable off the shelf stuff. If you could get good off the shelf kids stuff, he is going to grow out of it equally quickly as if it were made to measure. You could always measure him up and add a couple of inches to each dimension, to allow growing room.

[Eliza Dolittle]

I had a Canyon Gear cag made for my daughter when she was 9. The quality was great and the best bit, from her point of view was being able to specfy a pink and purple colour combination.