2020 Pesta Sukan Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe Championships

Do not wear cotton except on the warmest of days. Many instructors refer to cotton as “killer cotton” because it provides no heat insulation when wet. Some type of poly/cotton mix is best. Wear a hat! A baseball cap will keep your eyes shaded in the sun, and keep the heat from escaping from your body on the cooler days. Also, it’s a good idea for anyone playing on the water to wear sunglasses to reduce the glare coming off the water. Kayaking with a headache is no fun!

Wearing the right footwear can enhance your kayaking comfort. The ideal is wetsuit booties made of neoprene, which can be bought at any diving shop for about $25. Be sure to buy those with proper soles because you will be walking along stony beaches more than the average diver. If your budget doesn’t stretch to booties, wear old sneakers. They should be old because they WILL GET WET. Some students go to great lengths trying to keep their feet dry. Let’s get real! Kayaking is a water sport and getting your feet wet is just part of the experience. Because some places we kayak are muddy, don’t wear your best new white sneakers or they will soon be your best new gray sneakers.

Students sometimes ask about gloves. If you have neoprene gloves, especially those with the fingertips cut out, these work okay but it’s not really worth buying a pair just for this class. We will build up the distance we paddle each week to allow your hands to develop calluses gradually. What to bring can be as simple as a bottle of water. It’s amazing how thirsty you can get while paddling, and sometimes you don’t even notice. The kayak has storage space so feel free to bring a snack if you wish also. All the other equipment will be provided, but we’ll go over it here so you can get into the habit of checking off all the following items.