Cold Weather Kayak Survival

 Many people only kayak or canoe in the warmer months but they are really missing some interesting times on the water. Snow and ice add a whole new dimension to being on the water. But you must be prepared.

In my home state, Pennsylvania, it is required that all kayakers wear a personal flotation device between mid-October and mid-April. This is because of the very real danger of hypothermia if you would roll your kayak and immerse in cold water. With a PFD, it is much more likely that you could find your way to the shore, if on a river, or back into your kayak if on a lake far from shore. But what then?

Before we explore that, let's talk about "Cold Shock". Last winter, Cold Shock was often a topic of discussion when people would post pictures of themselves kayaking in winter. Many people would accuse them of flirting with death because no one survives cold shock if they plunge into icy water. But this simply isn't true. Certainly, an unfit, unhealthy person that is not dressed appropriately would be in grave danger if they rolled into cold water. Cold Shock is real; but it can be mitigated. First point I often make is that no one should kayak in cold water without first doing a couple "polar plunges". Purposely jumping in to icy water in a training environment is one key to survival. You need to experience the cold and what it does to both your motor skills and your thinking. As a Soldier for 36 years, we did this often in training and so I am fully aware of what happens to me in cold water and would not likely suffer from cold shock. But I would still get cold and would be likely to slip into hypothermia just like anyone else. The second thing is to dress appropriately. If you have the money and inclination, buy a good quality dry suit and wear it under your outer garments. This will delay the chilling cold and allow you to take measures to recover. But if you don't have the money, you can still up your odds by wearing clothes that will help to keep you warm longer. I wear thin wool under garments (wool retains some insulation ability even when wet) with a synthetic layer over that. My top layer is a water proof rain suit that is sealed with tape at the ankles and wrists. The waist band of the coat and pants are snug. Water will get in, but not as much and what water does get in will warm up and form a thermal layer like a wet suit.

So, what do you do after you roll? Get out of the water as soon as possible, obviously. I highly recommend that you put together a survival bag and keep it available in the cockpit of the kayak, NOT inside a sealed compartment. You won't have the energy to save your paddle and kayak and other items you have in the boat; you have to concentrate on saving you. So make sure you can grab this bag and get to shore.

What to have in the bag. My basic survival bag is shown below. I use a 20 liter dry bag. In it I have a thick hooded sweatshirt, wind and water resistant sweatpants, a long sleeve shirt, heavy wool socks, wool gloves, a neck gater, a water and wind proof shelter (aluminized tarp), a fire-making kit in a waterproof container, chemical hand-warmers, energy bars, and a large towel.

These items go into the bag in the reverse order of what you need most. So the food, fire kit, tarp, and chemical hand-warmers go in first. Then the neck gater and gloves. Then the socks, sweatshirt, pants, shirt go in. On the top is the towel. 

When you get out of the water you need to open the bag but leave the contents inside. Take off any and all wet clothes. Dry off with the towel, change into dry clothes. Use the shelter tarp to block the wind. If you need to start a fire to warm up do so with the shelter set up behind you as a reflector (one side of the shelter tarp is silver and it will reflect the heat back to you. (The picture below is from a commercial site on the Internet)

If you are remote, and can't walk out, use the fire to dry your primary clothes and shoes. Keep yourself warm but not overly warm; you don't want to sweat and get your fresh clothes damp. If you can communicate by radio or phone, call for help. If you can't, rely on the trip plan you put together and left with someone to get any recovery plan started when it is time to do so.

What's a Trip Plan? Before going on the water you need to complete a detailed trip plan. This plan will include your route (include a map printed from Goggle Maps if that is your only option), your expected timeline. Where you are going onto the water and where you are coming off the water. Include a description of your vehicle (Make, Model, Color, registration plate number). Pre-plan emergency signals; whistle, lights, smoke, gunshots, etc. Describe your watercraft; it might float downstream or across the lake. Give this plan to someone at home and put one on your vehicle.

With proper training, planning, and appropriate precautions, winter kayaking can be fun, safe, and adventurous. Just do it right and don't become a statistic.

Think you can't roll your kayak? Yeah, I didn't either; until I did. I was duck hunting on a river in Eastern PA in December. It was 17 degrees and the water had ice on the edges. We had only gone about a mile downstream when the front of my kayak got caught on a rock as I tried to navigate around a boulder too close to shore. The kayak turned sideways in the current and rolled under me dumping me into the ice cold water. I was able to stand up quickly and my rainsuit kept out most of the water. But my hat and gloves were soaked as were the ends of my shirt sleeves and my socks. I pulled everything to shore, grabbed my drybag, and used the contents as I described above. I pulled off the wet clothes, toweled off, and put dry clothes on. I used my mostly dry shirt I had been wearing to dry the inside of my boots before I put my feet with dry socks into them. It took all of 15-20 minutes to recover, drain the water from my kayak, get all my gear stowed again, and get back to hunting. Preparation, my prior training, and being calm prevented a disaster.