Went Whitewater Rafting

[Modeps]

First time, we did class 1 and 2 at the end of the summer. It was hot and everyone was happy to get wet. This weekend I'm going class 4 and it's still cold out. They're forcing us to rent wetsuits as well as helmets and lifejackets, but what should we wear underneath the wetsuits?

I was thinkng on picking up Under Armour shirt and pants... anyone have any experience in this field?

UPDATE:
Went up this past weekend. We picked up under armour pants and similar style nike tops (cheaper than under armour). The water was 35 degrees and 5' - 5.5'... Class 3-4 rapids the whole way. It was great... I'd totally go again in a heartbeat. Wetsuits are amazing. I wasnt cold really at all the entire time. My feet were in the water a lot, but they were just a little cold.

PIC1
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[Jzero]

Class 1/2 is a joke. You will have a LOT more fun on class 4.

Underneath the wetsuit, I usually wear my regular bathing suit and a lycra "rash guard" shirt. Underarmor might not be too bad.

 

[StageLeft]

Skin, you wuss!

 

[Modeps]

Originally posted by: Jzero
Class 1/2 is a joke. You will have a LOT more fun on class 4.

Underneath the wetsuit, I usually wear my regular bathing suit and a lycra "rash guard" shirt. Underarmor might not be too bad.

Yeah, that's pretty much what we thought about 1 & 2. We did more rowing than enjoying the 'rocky' water. Do wetsuits keep you warm enough without really needing to have under armour underneath? They told us "no cotton". I just wanna have fun and not be freezing the whole time

 

[Nanotech]

Originally posted by: Jzero
Class 1/2 is a joke. You will have a LOT more fun on class 4.

Underneath the wetsuit, I usually wear my regular bathing suit and a lycra "rash guard" shirt. Underarmor might not be too bad.

So true!

 

[NutBucket]

Have fun! Whitewater rafting is AWESOME!!

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: Modeps

Originally posted by: Jzero
Class 1/2 is a joke. You will have a LOT more fun on class 4.

Underneath the wetsuit, I usually wear my regular bathing suit and a lycra "rash guard" shirt. Underarmor might not be too bad.

Yeah, that's pretty much what we thought about 1 & 2. We did more rowing than enjoying the 'rocky' water. Do wetsuits keep you warm enough without really needing to have under armour underneath? They told us "no cotton". I just wanna have fun and not be freezing the whole time

My first time was class 4 (Ocoee river, Tennessee) so when I went the first time on the Lehigh (PA) which is class 2 on a normal summer day, I was like "Where's my helmet?" and they told me (rightly) that there was no need. It was pretty tame

You should wear SOMETHING under the wet suit, especially a rental (eew). But having an additional layer or two underneath will keep you warmer.

Once the adrenaline gets pumping you won't even notice the cold anyway

 

[GasX]

underarmor won't provide any meaningful insulation, but it will help reduce water flowing through the wetsuit which is a good thing. It was also keep something that has been peed in by half the free world off your skin.

note - there are two types of people in this world. People who pee in rented wetsuits and liars.

Do you know what the water temperature will be and what thickness wetsuit? That will make a difference.

I wore a 7mm farmer john (no sleeves) with a splash jacket in ~60 degree water in Chile and it was fine.

 

[GasX]

Originally posted by: Nanotech

Originally posted by: Jzero
Class 1/2 is a joke. You will have a LOT more fun on class 4.

Underneath the wetsuit, I usually wear my regular bathing suit and a lycra "rash guard" shirt. Underarmor might not be too bad.

So true!

Bah! Class 4 is for pussies!

(<= thinks he is cool for going on an all class 5 trip last year...)

 

[Modeps]

Originally posted by: Mwilding
underarmor won't provide any meaningful insulation, but it will help reduce water flowing through the wetsuit which is a good thing. It was also keep something that has been peed in by half the free world off your skin.

note - there are two types of people in this world. People who pee in rented wetsuits and liars.

Do you know what the water temperature will be and what thickness wetsuit? That will make a difference.

I wore a 7mm farmer john (no sleeves) with a splash jacket in ~60 degree water in Chile and it was fine.

Why would people pee in their wetsuits? that's pretty nasty.

I'm not sure the wetsuit thickness or the water temp, but this place is in upstate NY (Hudson River Gorge) so I'm guessing it's gonna be icetastic!

 

[Armitage]

Hey jzero, what company did you go with on the Lehigh? I used to guide on that river when I was in high school ... company called Pocono Whitewater IIRC. Don't know if they're still around.
The Lehigh is pretty lame in the summer, but can get to class 3-4 in a good spring runoff. Especially the upper stretch. Good memories, hard to believe they paid me to have that much fun

Anyway, rental wetsuits are nasty. In general, unless it's really frigid, you don't need anything under them, but a lycra or polypro shirt will help prevent chafing. And yea, no cotton.

 

[GasX]

Let me clarify how a wetsuit works, so you don't do something dumb like wear a cotton t-shirt under it (there is a reason they said not to).

A wetsuit keeps you warm by the insulative powers of the neoprene it is made of. It is designed to allow water to get in, but your goal should be to keep this to a minimum as the flushing effect will rapidy reduce the suits effectiveness. A wetsuit fits when it is snug without being too restrictive. This is less of an issue for SCUBA divers as the neoprene compresses at depth and loosens up (meaning it SHOULD be slightly restrictive at the surface). If you wear thick or non-form fitting clothing, you will promote flushing and reduce the suits effectiveness. Underarmor is good because it is form fitting and will REDUCE the flush not increase it. It doesn't provide insulation, but it does have a benefit.

 

[GasX]

Originally posted by: ModepsWhy would people pee in their wetsuits? that's pretty nasty.

Because:
Jumping into the water makes you want to pee....
You can...
It feels REALLY good in cold water...

If you don't like the idea of pee in your wetsuit, buy your own...

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: ergeorge
Hey jzero, what company did you go with on the Lehigh? I used to guide on that river when I was in high school ... company called Pocono Whitewater IIRC. Don't know if they're still around.

The Lehigh is pretty lame in the summer, but can get to class 3-4 in a good spring runoff. Especially the upper stretch. Good memories, hard to believe they paid me to have that much fun

Yep that's the one! I went up with some friends for their summer "Battles and Paddles" special or whatever you call it where you raft one day and play paintball at Skirmish the next.

I've been meaning to go up on a dam opening and kayak, since kayaking is my main gig these days, but I work all summer and spend my weekends surfing, so I haven't made time.

 

[Modeps]

Originally posted by: Mwilding

Originally posted by: ModepsWhy would people pee in their wetsuits? that's pretty nasty.

Because:
Jumping into the water makes you want to pee....
You can...
It feels REALLY good in cold water...

If you don't like the idea of pee in your wetsuit, buy your own...

I guess they call them "watersports" for a reason eh? I presume they'll sanitize the suits that we're going to rent... and I'll be sure to take a shower after

 

[GasX]

they all get rinsed off and get the occasional "sink the stick" treatment.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

If you have to wear anything under the wetsuit, wear wool. It's one of the few fibers that will retain insulation properties when wet.

What river are you hitting? I started on the Lehigh (BORING!!) and moved on to the Hudson, Moose, Kennebec, Dead, Penobscott, Cheat, New and Gauley.

 

[GasX]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
If you have to wear anything under the wetsuit, wear wool. It's one of the few fibers that will retain insulation properties when wet.

What river are you hitting? I started on the Lehigh (BORING!!) and moved on to the Hudson, Moose, Kennebec, Dead, Penobscott, Cheat, New and Gauley.

DO NOT WEAR WOOL UNDER A WETSUIT!!! read my above post. It will promote flushing which will cool you down.

Yes, wool keeps you warm when it gets wet, but that is on land. In the water, under a wetsuit, it's bad.

 

[azazyel]

Originally posted by: Mwilding

Originally posted by: ModepsWhy would people pee in their wetsuits? that's pretty nasty.

Because:
Jumping into the water makes you want to pee....
You can...
It feels REALLY good in cold water...

If you don't like the idea of pee in your wetsuit, buy your own...

So, true. Try surfing in Washington and you will be thankfull for any warmth that you can get.

 

[Modeps]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
If you have to wear anything under the wetsuit, wear wool. It's one of the few fibers that will retain insulation properties when wet.

What river are you hitting? I started on the Lehigh (BORING!!) and moved on to the Hudson, Moose, Kennebec, Dead, Penobscott, Cheat, New and Gauley.

Dont have any wool, I'm gonna have to go shopping before saturday me thinks... We're going to Hudson in North River, NY.

EDIT: looks like underarmour is probably the best bet then to try and stay warm...

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Originally posted by: Modeps

We're going to Hudson in North River, NY.

You're going to have a blast. The Hudson is one of the best whitewater rivers around, it's pretty much all class III and class IV for the entire length of the trip. Nothing so intense that you're going to fear for your life, but you'll never be bored. Try to take the smallest possible raft they'll allow. It's a completely different experience in a 6 or 8 person raft than it is in a 10 or 12 man boat.

 

[GasX]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Modeps

We're going to Hudson in North River, NY.

You're going to have a blast. The Hudson is one of the best whitewater rivers around, it's pretty much all class III and class IV for the entire length of the trip. Nothing so intense that you're going to fear for your life, but you'll never be bored. Try to take the smallest possible raft they'll allow. It's a completely different experience in a 6 or 8 person raft than it is in a 10 or 12 man boat.

No doubt! When I did my rafting trip we were in 6 man (+ guide) boats on class 5. It was unbeleivably intense! What is really crazy is that we had guides in tiny kayaks following us. One was on the Canadian Olympic team. They were CRAZY!

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Originally posted by: Mwilding

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt

Originally posted by: Modeps

We're going to Hudson in North River, NY.

You're going to have a blast. The Hudson is one of the best whitewater rivers around, it's pretty much all class III and class IV for the entire length of the trip. Nothing so intense that you're going to fear for your life, but you'll never be bored. Try to take the smallest possible raft they'll allow. It's a completely different experience in a 6 or 8 person raft than it is in a 10 or 12 man boat.

No doubt! When I did my rafting trip we were in 6 man (+ guide) boats on class 5. It was unbeleivably intense! What is really crazy is that we had guides in tiny kayaks following us. One was on the Canadian Olympic team. They were CRAZY!

My friends and I did the Hudson about 5 years ago during a heavy snowmelt run-off phase and the river was running HUGE. The outfitters were using 12 man rafts, but there were an uneven number of boaters and they couldn't fill the last 12. We talked our guide into going in an 8 for the last boat since all 6 of us had class V experience. It was amazing, the absolute best rafting trip we ever went on. One of the outriders in a kayak was world class, he ran the river almost every day in season. We got into a really bad stretch about 12 miles in and the guy made a big mistake. He got caught in the wrong line and was sucked into a hole that was no more than 6 or 7 feet in diameter. Really powerful hydraulics kept him trapped for a while, he bounced rock to rock and the river chewed up his kayak. Eventually he went under and came back up without the kayak and the hole spit him out. He got picked up by another raft a couple of hundred yards downstream, cut and bleeding all over his face and neck. Turned out to not be serious, all surface abrasions from the rocks, the helmet saved his life, he would have been toast without it. His kayak was a total loss though, it came out of the hole in about 100 pieces.

 

[Modeps]

Originally posted by: Mwilding

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
If you have to wear anything under the wetsuit, wear wool. It's one of the few fibers that will retain insulation properties when wet.

What river are you hitting? I started on the Lehigh (BORING!!) and moved on to the Hudson, Moose, Kennebec, Dead, Penobscott, Cheat, New and Gauley.

DO NOT WEAR WOOL UNDER A WETSUIT!!! read my above post. It will promote flushing which will cool you down.

Yes, wool keeps you warm when it gets wet, but that is on land. In the water, under a wetsuit, it's bad.

Alright, how bout this question... Are we really going to get that wet that the flushing effect of the wetsuit is going to be a problem?

 

[GasX]

Originally posted by: Modeps

Originally posted by: Mwilding

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
If you have to wear anything under the wetsuit, wear wool. It's one of the few fibers that will retain insulation properties when wet.

What river are you hitting? I started on the Lehigh (BORING!!) and moved on to the Hudson, Moose, Kennebec, Dead, Penobscott, Cheat, New and Gauley.

DO NOT WEAR WOOL UNDER A WETSUIT!!! read my above post. It will promote flushing which will cool you down.

Yes, wool keeps you warm when it gets wet, but that is on land. In the water, under a wetsuit, it's bad.

Alright, how bout this question... Are we really going to get that wet that the flushing effect of the wetsuit is going to be a problem?

2 possibilities.

1. No
2. Yes

It depends on whether or not you go overboard or flip your boat - which they might MAKE you do at the begining of the trip as a drill.