Do You Need Specific Paddling Clothing?

The answer: yes and no.

When it comes to choosing clothes for paddling, you can pretty much get away with paddling in anything that's in your closet: a raincoat and a sweater would do the trick. BUT, that doesn't mean it's going to be comfortable. It might protect you from some elements but there are better pieces on the market to do the job.

Geography – It’s More Important Than You Think

Another thing to consider is the environment you paddle in. If you live in a place where variations in temperature are commonplace, or have very consistent water temperatures, it’s going to dictate what kind of gear you buy. I live in Canada, where our paddling seasons are short, but we can extend them by paddling early in spring or late into fall, but it means I’ve had to invest in a number of different options to do this. So let's look at the best paddling tops available.

Cold Weather Paddling

Dry Tops

Let’s start with the best paddling top for cold conditions – the dry top.

Now what makes a dry top a dry top? Latex gaskets at the neck and wrists provide a waterproof, watertight seal, and they really do keep you dry. These are covered by a neoprene gasket to protect the latex, as they can break down in the sun.

They also have a double tunnel system which your kayak skirt goes over top this first tunnel, the second tunnel comes over top of it, it keeps the water out of your boat. The ultimate goal of a good dry top is A) keep water away from your body, and B), keep water from going into your boat through your jacket.

Personally, I find latex gaskets – especially around the neck – pretty uncomfortable. However, it's a necessary evil when the conditions are cold and when you're dealing with really rough water. If this is the case for you, then a dry top is the way to go.

Splash Tops and Anoraks

If you level down from a dry top, you typically land on a splash top, which is my personal favorite type of paddling top.

I particularly like the Riptide from NRS because it’s like a glorified, paddling-specific raincoat. I take it canoe tripping, sea kayak tripping, day trips or multi-day trips. It’s also my go-to jacket for paddling when the conditions are a little harsh.

It still has latex gaskets at the wrist, so your wrists are waterproof. You avoid the dreaded “pit drip” – where you get some water in your cuff from dripping down your paddle, which then runs down your arm, down your back, down your side– a miserable experience when you're already cold.

For me, comfort isn't an issue with this style of paddling top. While having latex gaskets at the wrist is fine, it’s the neck where the discomfort happens, and this type of jacket doesn't have that. Instead, it has a neoprene gasket which is softer but still keeps out 90-95% of the water. It doesn't keep it all out but it's much more comfortable. The anorak style also features a hood, which is great when nasty weather rolls through.

Finally, it still has the double tunnel like a dry top, which keeps a fair bit of water from coming into your kayak. With all that said, this is more of a “bad weather” top, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for paddling in super rough conditions or when you think you’ll need to do a roll.

Warm Weather Paddling

Shorty Splash Jackets

So the water’s getting warmer and the temperatures are starting to soar – but you still need a jacket when you're in rougher conditions, whitewater paddling or sea kayaking.

That’s where a Shorty splash jacket comes in. As the name suggests, it's got short sleeves, but only has neoprene gaskets on the arms and at the neck, so it's comfortable. It's got the same double tunnel system that the two tops mentioned above have, so it’s great for summer surf sessions, as it still keeps a lot of water our when you roll your kayak.

Very comfortable, keeps you warm, cuts the wind down, keeps the water out of your boat – it’s just a great warmer weather splash top for all types of paddling.

Guide/Casual Shirts

If you're not dealing with rough conditions or worried about water getting into your kayak, then you don't need to go as technical with your tops. That said, you should stay away from cotton clothing on the water – it never dries and because of that, it tends to make you really cold.

Let’s say that you’re planning to paddle flat water on a warm day. Since the elements aren’t against you, you can get away with a bit more of a ‘casual’-style top. This is typically something like the Guide Shirt from NRS, it’s a polyester/nylon blend which features flexible, stretchy fabric where you need it for paddling underneath the arms. The best part about something like this is that it’s made from a quick drying and wicking fabric, which helps regulate your body temperature. It's also just a really comfortable shirt to wear on the water that also looks nice, so you can get away with wearing it after your paddle when you meet up for dinner afterwards.

Now a little bit more technical is the H2Core top. This is a polyester spandex blend, which makes it very stretchy. The version I have is the ‘silkweight’ version, which feels really nice against your skin as well as being quick drying and wicking. It's a great base layer and general-purpose top for under your lifejacket.

I always use the short-sleeved version because then I can wear it on it’s own or under my shorty dry top. There's long sleeve versions of this too, and they’re also great under your splash top or dry top, as they allow for a nice buffer between your dry top and your skin.

So there you have it, the five best paddling tops I use whether I'm sea kayaking, whitewater kayaking, rec kayaking, stand-up paddling or rafting…anything. Anytime I'm on the water I’m using at least one of the options above, and a couple I even wear a lot of the time off the water. Did I miss anything? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

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