Cold Weather gear for small, chilly female

W

wetandcold

New Member
I'm sailing a laser in the northeast hopefully through the winter. I'm a petite, always chilly, female. I've read a lot of the posts on here about wetsuit vs drysuit already and it seems like a lot of people suggest a steamer wetsuit or the zhik superwarm skiff. I'm leaning towards a breathable drysuit because I'm cold even when its 70 degrees which seems like a problem few on this forum have.

Any other small, chilly females out there? What do you wear in the Fall, Winter, and Spring?

Could I get away with layering under a spray top and drypants such as these instead of a full drysuit?
 
Small inland lake in New England. We don't get much snow but it does get rather cold. Parts of the lake freeze over.
 
I'm not a small chilly female but I think you have to plan for an inevitable capsize / deathroll and going for a swim in your sailing outfit.

This says wetsuit to me .... we all use them for frostbiting down here and yes we have had to break the ice in a bad winter.

A farmer John bottom style with a separate top lets you adjust for warmer vs colder conditions.
 
We used to play hockey outside when it was 12 below F so i don't meet your criterion, but i went with a dry suit because a woman sailing Lake Michigan in the winter was using a dry suit. I've only worn mine kayaking but it is breathable and you can layer ...for the water temperature.
 
I too sail in the northeast and a wetsuit doesn't cut it. You need a drysuit. Why would you want to be wet (in a wetsuit if you fall in) vs. dry. It's a nobrainer. Anyway the drysuits they make nowadays are easy in and out and comfy when worn with fleece and polypro underneath.
Get the drysuit.
 
Good advice from CoachK.

As she implied, you can layer underneath, depending on the outside temperature.
 
i sail for my highschool in the fall and spring....i enjoy having a good salopette and spray top with wicking layers below. When drysuits are required I have a Gill pro drysuit and I wear the same wicking layers below that.
 
Drysuit is comfortable, just get a nice breathable one, I've got the gill front zip and I love it, has neoprene hands and neck, they insulate nicely, it kinda feels like wearing a turtleneck, the rubber necks I don't like, I'd rather wear a wetsuit than a drysuit with rubber seals (at least for sailing) Back zip drysuits are a pain because you need someone to help you especially if the zipper gets jammed

What I wear to sail on Long Island Sound is hikers and spray top when its not that cold light-upper medium wind, wet suit when it starts to get cold, and drysuit the rest of the time

Sometimes I wear the drysuit instead of the wetsuit because by itself sometimes you can stay cooler in the drysuit when its a little too cold to wear just hikers, you can get cold in a drysuit but, when you layer for the conditions you'll be very comfortable even if you end up capsizing, I've been cold 2x in a drysuit, my old one that had rubber seals and failed in 25kts, had a yardsale in 8ft seas and got soaked on the inside, and one time I did an accidental scuba dive and got my everything soaked, the wind started to make me cold even while hiking hard because my head was wet,

I also recomend a decent hat and neckwarmer, ideally something that doesn't absorb moisture and blocks the wind, your head will be exposed and you can lose a great deal of heat very quickly when wet

my first purchase was a drysuit because its comfortable and versatile for laser frostbiting, It was the perfect choice for me
 
Having been in the water while frostbiting in Boston Harbor, the drysuit was very comfortable — before, during, and after being in the water.
Our Laser and Interclub fleets both recommend and wear drysuits.
 
Gloves ... someone tell me about the best gloves for a small chilly female. I'm in Texas and even though I can get by with a warm layer underneath a wind/waterproof layer that isn't a dry suit, the frozen hands call it quits long before anything else. Anyone have a recommendation on good winter gloves?
 
I swore dry suits were too expensive and tried getting away with a wet-suit kayaking in October. It didn't last long and I gladly shelled out the cash. Now, I'm very in love with it. Mine's a cheaper model. It's a Solquist with a neoprene neck gasket. I find that's a bit more comfy than the latex gasket and it had a lifetime warranty. It keeps out the water pretty well. Many suits with the neoprene gaskets are considered semi dry suits. Mine's supposed to be a full dry suit. Anyway, they are fantastic and flexible since you can layer underneath. Oh, STAY AWAY FROM COTTON. It's a recipe for hypothermia. You want wool or water wicking type thermals underneath your dry suit. Even the driest dry suit can let in a little water, not to mention perspiration, of course I forgot this was supposed to be geared towards females... they don't perspire, right?
I haven't tried dry pants ... I have a dry top but haven't swam in it... and when I've used it my bottom half was sealed in a kayak. I've also heard of some odd farmer john style dry suits that connect in with a top. Anyway, the right gear will make you more comfortable and may save your life some time.
 
if you are looking for an another alternative to the drysuit I would look at the Zhik superwarm serier honestly it is better than most suring and SUP wetsuits.....also it is a bit pricey ...but you have alot more mobility than wearing drysuit.
 
I've been wearing a wet suit here in LIS, the same one I wore sailing 505s in SF Bay, where it's almost always cold and miserable, even in summer. But I finally bit the bullet and purchased a Gul Shadow breathable drysuit from Pinnell & Bax, in the U.K. At first I thought it would be bulky and cumbersome, but it actually fits quite nicely - not as snug as a wet suit, of course, but easy to move around in, with room for layering (mine came with free thermal one-piece underlayer). The neck seal is quite snug, and takes getting used to, but you'd really have to face-plant hard in big breeze to get water past the neck and wrist gaskets. For gloves, Atlas thick style, with rubberized gloves over those when it's stupid cold. And LaserXD is spot on about head covering: enough heat flies off your head to be visible from space by satellites. I alternate between fleece and a North beanie with ear covers. But I might consider going to a neoprene head cover at some point, except you can't hear a damn thing, like "Starboard!" and whatnot. Best of luck.

PS: Don't shy away from ordering gear from the U.K. Even with shipping, prices are very competitive (you don't pay VAT) and I find the selections to be much better than in the U.S. I've bought all sorts of things from PinBax over the years, even a 505 Rapide road trailer, Magic Marine trap harness, Gill hiking suit, etc.
 
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