What to Wear Kayaking: Clothing, Sun and Footwear

What to wear kayaking comes down to one rule: dress for the water, not the weather. You are going to get wet - from splash, from drips, occasionally from swimming. Everything you wear should assume it.

Dress for the water, not the weather.

The Base Rule: Quick-Dry Everything

• Boardies, active-wear, rashies - anything synthetic and quick-drying. Cotton stays wet, heavy and cold; jeans are how paddling stories become rescue stories.

• The lifejacket goes over it all, fitted snug, worn, always. The full story is in Kayaking Gear for Beginners: What You Actually Need.

Sun: The Australian Non-Negotiable

Cover up

On the water, UV hits you from above and reflects up off the surface, and white water reflects the most. A long-sleeve rashie or sun shirt beats sunscreen alone.

Hat and sunnies on a strap

Hat with a leash or a legionnaire flap, and sunglasses on a strap - the sea floor is paved with unleashed sunnies.

Don't miss your feet

Sunscreen on the tops of legs and feet - the classic kayaker's burn.

Footwear

Wear

Something that stays on wet and survives rock and shell: reef shoes, sandals with heel straps, or old runners.

Skip

Thongs float away at the launch, every time. Barefoot is fine on sand launches only - oyster-covered rocks end paddling careers.

Cold Water: When It Becomes a Real Risk

• Cold water carries heat away from your body up to 25 times faster than air of the same temperature. In southern winters and alpine lakes, falling in is a genuine emergency, even for strong swimmers.

• The rule: dress for a swim in the water temperature of the day. If a capsize would leave you dangerously cold, that's a thermal layer (or a wetsuit) decision, or a don't-paddle decision. What a capsize actually involves is in How to Get Back in Your Kayak After You Capsize.

• Pack a dry change of clothes in the car, always - and a warm layer in the dry bag on cool days.

Dress as if you'll end up in the water, and check the conditions before you go using Wind, Weather and Water: How to Know If It's Safe to Paddle.

Link to downloadable resource: Kayak Day Trip Kit

You'll find everything to pack for a day on the water, by category. Download or print the PDF with full details and keep it in your kit. The phone download version is a quick overview reminder list.

Sources: UV reflection from Cancer Council NSW; cold water risk from Royal Life Saving Australia and Marine and Safety Tasmania; clothing guidance aligned with Paddle Australia's Safety Guidelines.