All kitted up and ready to go!
Possibly the most important, and usually cheapest items you need is some good comfy thermals. There are so many different varietys of thermals out there some specifically designed for paddle sports (such as the ir onesizes or the sweet protection gimpy stuff) and although these are probably the best for kayaking they tend to be very expensive to buy, as well as thermals designed for a variety of different outdoor sports which usually have a smaller price tag attached. My advice would be to not spend lots of money on buying one or two thick expensive thermals but to get a larger variety of thin ones so that you can layer up, the benefit of this is you can change how warm you are by adding/taking off a layer as well as having a greater number of thermals to go at so on longer trips and weekends away you dont have to put on the same wet thermals everyday but instead have nice dry thermals to put on (a feeling possibly better than sex on a cold scottish morning).
Lots of people have had good experience with the base layer thermals available at primark and ones that often come up for sale at aldi, the benefits of which they are cheap and readily available so you can buy lots of sets to keep you warm, as well as the fleecy primark onzies available which are great for wearing under dry kit or to put on after you have been on the river. My advice would be to start collecting together different thermals such as thin base layers, micropore fleeces and the typical tiger onzie with or without the head removed, and keep them together so when you set off to go paddling you can choose which to take depending on weather or take the whole bag and just wear what you need but have the option to decide when you arrive and see the river is frozen :/
Not the best shoes for a day on the river!
The next thing that is important is a good solid pair of shoes to wear on the river, which will not only make walking and swimming more comfy but will keep your feet warmer. Again there are some paddle specific boots out there that you can buy (such as the 5.10 canyoneers or the palm gradient shoes) but these are very expensive. My advice would be to do what numerous members of the club do and get your self a pair of sporty trainers or outdoor walking type trainers that have a good grippy sole on them, the benefits of these are that you may already have an old pair of trainers you can use and if not you can often pick up a pair at sports shops for very little money. Wearing trainers means you will have something that is comfy to walk to and from the river in as well as something that wont come off your feet whilst taking that unfortunate dip in the river and have plenty of grip whilst climbing around on rocks at the riverbank. For all you people that are cold blooded i would recommend getting yourself some neoprene socks (only cost around a tenner) to wear inside then, these will keep you feet very warm and will stop the shoes from rubbing. If you want to spend the money to get paddle specific ones, rather than the cheaper option and spending the rest on beer, i would recommend going for the palm gradient as it offers good ankle support and buckles that dont break like on the 5.10.
Gareth rocking his brighter than bright sweet helmet!
Even as sexy as everyone looks in the bright yellow club helmets you might wish to buy you self something with a little more style and a little less "i have to wear this helmet to bed so i dont hurt myself" look to it. When buying a helmet buying the cheapest one is often a very stupid decision, for a helmet to work correctly its needs to fit you well and cover all the important areas of your head. I would recommend three helmets, if you have the money buy yourself a sweet rocker as in my opinion there is no helmet that will look after you as well as this one will, if you want to spend a bit less look at the sweet wanderer still a great helmet but doesn't have much ear protection, and if you are on a tighter budget look at the WRSI rescue pro helmet. All these helmets offer the protection you need as well as offering great coverage of your forehead and the lower back of your head. The decision of which helmet to buy shouldn't be done on price or how it looks but how it fits you (knocking your self out on a river because you are wearing a helmet which wasn't fitted correctly isn't an enjoyable experience) so you need to get your self down to a shop and try a few on till you find something that fits well.
Entry and exit is not always the easiest
After you have got yourself some comfy shoes, warm thermals and a sexy lid you will probably want to start looking at getting your self a dry cag. As with helmets the more you pay for a dry cag the better it will be, but saying this you can pick up some bargin kit with plenty of life left in it by buying second hand off ebay or the for sale section on UKRGB. Wearing a dry cag will not only keep you dry (duh) but will also keep you warmer by keeping the water out and the wind off. You ideally want to be looking for something that has at least latex wrist seals, semidry neck seal and a double waist band to keep the most water out. The best bet is to get your self down a paddle shop and try some different things on to see whats comfy and see what you can afford, or ask around in the club to see what people think of the cag they have as they will have head regular experience of using it and know all its pros and cons. As a general thing look at the palm gear, great gear with a reasonable price tag and British made if you ever have any problems :)
If you have lots of spare money and think that buying a dry cag is a waste and jump straight to a dry suit this can actually have a detrimental effect as if you are still often finding yourself swimming you can easily ruin a dry suit on the riverbed. Owning a dry cag also means that when you head to the alps this summer (which you all should) you have a dry top that will keep the water off without getting too hot wearing a full drysuit in the glorious sunshine.
Graham in a well fitting BA with plenty of space for kit and crazy eyes!
Next thing to look out to buy yourself is a Buoyancy aid. The club ones are more than adequate for anything you will get up to this year but they are not the prettiest, comfiest or most practical thing you could be wearing. My advice when it comes to buoyancy aids is head to a shop and see whats comfortable as you will be he one that is wearing it so if you get something you need to dislocate a shoulder to put on and off its probably not the best one for you! Things to look out for are; Make sure it has a quick release safety harness so that when the time comes you can be the 'dope on a rope', Get something with plenty of pocket space to carry a knife, sling, chocolate ect and make sure these pockets are easy to get to and dont become too bulky and in the way when full and something that offers you plenty of protection around your core without restricting your movement too much. Again Palm have a variety of great BA's on the market at various prices.
Check out Roho's website as they have a large variety of equipment from all of the big name brands and i have never been able to find prices cheaper anywhere else! (if you do want to buy something from them let me know and il get you a very good price)
So there is a quick, but not so short intro, into what gear you should be starting to look at getting for yourself. This by no means is the end of the list as in the future you may look into getting your own boat and paddles ect but just something to get you going :)
If you enjoyed this look out for my book "how to drag something out to a million words that could be said in much less"
Stuart Earnshaw
Aged 22 and a half
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