The twilight of summer is upon us.... What kit do you wear for the winter months to stay warm (southern states)?

I reckon it depends on how much you hate the cold

Never tried but noticed this on the web the other day: I am noob & have no valuable opinion other than to point out its there:)

kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=2370612&p=701837

www.gul.com/drysuits/gul-astro-drysuit_sk0007-a4chck-s.html



I know prob overkill but some forums saying more comfortable than thick winter wettie/

3/4 wettie, gloves, booties, hoody.

Gets to single digits here. Wind chill to a lot lower as theres a snow covered mountain 20km away.

If you really feel the cold chuck a cheap rainjacket over the top of your wetty. Stops the wind cutting through and chilling you down. Learnt it from sailboarders at Sandy. Works well but only used it when seriously cold.

Wear a fleecy rashly (made by West) under my wetty

A kite, Harness, Board, Wettie and a cup of concrete before each session.

3 by 2 steamer wetty is fine for a perth winter.

No need to stay warm, your nuts will be tiny when you loop your 7m in 40 knots anyway.

....

?rel=0

...

That looks f'ing miserable.

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that is EXACTLY what Meatloaf was referring to when he said he'd do anything for love ,...but wouldn't do *that*.

Select to expand quote

Plummet said..

3/4 wettie, gloves, booties, hoody.

Gets to single digits here. Wind chill to a lot lower as theres a snow covered mountain 20km away.

Silly question, Plummet, but what kind of hoody? Neoprene or an old fabric hoody (no doubt an All Black hoody)? Serious question? I'm in victoria which often feels as cold as "the land of the long white cloud".

What about boots and gloves etc? Do they make a big difference?

Well covering any extremities is useful, even in warmer WA. Why? Gives you a longer session and as you know when it's possible to kite in winter you want to be out as much as possible.

To be honest I'm done with being cold, last winter I vowed would be last 630am sessions where I would freeze my ass off in an approaching front (because as you know in winter you gotta go when you can go given the fronts approach), and will be rugged up this winter.

Call me a wimp but I want to maximise water time!

Having surfed Phillip Island in winter once I don't know how you guys over there could not have all this covered up with as much as possible . Even the locals were complaining how cold it was, I couldn't complain because I was unable to utter any words...my brain had frozen !!!

In Melbourne in winter, a 3/2 sealed seam suit with a polypropylene (fleece) shirt underneath is fine for most days.

I have a RipCurl Flash Bomb 4/3 for the really cold days or for weekends away because it dries in 20 minutes. Old school super warm suits are a pain because they take a week to dry out.

Booties are essential to keep your feet warm (derrr), but more importantly to stop water rushing up the leg of your wettie. Make sure you tuck the legs of your wettie into the boots.

It's best to have a couple of pairs of boots so you can dry them out properly between sessions. If you don't dry them you get toxic smelly boots. Washing them in water with a big splash of vinegar will kill the stink.

Any neoprene hat will do to keep your head warm. A visor is good to keep rain and sleet out of your eyes. For really cold conditions a wetsuit with an integrated hood is excellent.

Gloves are not necessary at all provided your body is warm. If your body gets cold it pulls blood in from the extremities so you get cold fingers.

Riding a directional is good because you don't get as wet from the spray.

Before you go out for the day fill a couple of big bottles or a 5 litre water container with hot water and wrap it in your towel. When you finish the session wash yourself down with hot water and dry yourself with a warm towel. Bliss!!!!

Two liters of water before

Eppo you're a WIMP

Select to expand quote

NickT said..

Eppo you're a WIMP

Guilty as charged. . But warm.

To early to be thinking of winter for some us

a 2/3 jacket over my spring suit will always suffice for a QLD westerly in the winter...