I'm Paulo I made this video to show you what I like
to consider when selecting sea kayak clothing.
When you are sea kayaking, you will have some magical moments. You will find yourself enjoying
some beautiful places, and you don't want to be distracted by a sprayskirt that is squeezing
your torso, or a gasket that is irritating your neck. You want to forget you are wearing
protective kayak gear. You want freedom of movement. When you find a little paradise
you may want to just take your top off and lay down in the sun for a while. Some people
have asked me why I don't make a one piece suit with my tuilik and dry pants. To me it
would take value away. On a nice day you want to be able to take the top off and make the
most of a special moment. You want the option of paddling with just the dry pants, and avoid
getting too hot and sweaty. You want to at least have the opportunity to enjoy a nice
day. You want to be safe but you also want to enjoy yourself and be comfortable.
On the other hand you have to be ready if the wind picks up. That's when you want to
roll the tuilik to your kayaking bib pants so you stay dry. Just put the tuilik tunnel
over the pants tunnel and roll them up. When the waves are crashing over your boat, and
the spray is in your face, there is nothing that will protect you from getting cold and
wet like the waterproof hood of the tuilik. You don't want your head to get wet, especially
on a multy day trip. Once your hair is wet, it can be impossible to stay warm. With the
waterproof hood, you can stay warm and keep smiling in the worst of conditions. The tuilik
is a dry top with the sprayskirt attached, and that keeps your kayak a lot dryer. It
also means you don't have to tighten that skirt against your torso to keep the water
out. You can stay comfortable.
If you like to be comfortable you also want your clothing to be breathable. You don't
want to feel clammy and get wet from your own sweat. You want kayak gear that will allow
you to work hard and still stay dry and comfortable.
When you are ready to practice your bracing, and learn to roll, you will really appreciate
the extra mobility that the tuilik gives you. Most skirts that are commercially available
will restrict your movement at least a little bit. A lot of people think that's ok, and
they just get used to having less flexibility. But the most reliable brace, and the most
effective rolls require all your flexibility. And that is something you just will not get
with a regular spray skirt. Your bracing and rolling will always less successful. With
the proper body motion that the tuilik allows, you can learn to roll consistently, even in
rough water, or in a loaded kayak. The waterproof hood means you get to keep your head warm,
and avoid the icecream head ache, even in freezing water. The tunnels that are rolled
up keep you dry, even if you have water in your kayak while you roll.
No matter how good you are at rolling and bracing, we all end up out of our boat sometimes.
The tuilik and pants, when rolled up, provide you with another level of safety. It will
prevent your pants from filling up with water, and make it easy to re enter you kayak if
you end up doing a wet exit. It will be no different then doing an exit and re entry
with a skirt.
I designed my kayak clothing with all these reasons in mind. If you want to find out more
about my gear just click on the link to my website above.