If you plan to be on the water, prepare to be in the water

FewManitobansneed advice about how to dress for theoutdoors except when they go out on the water early in spring.

You only need a year or two in this provinceto learn May can mean highs in the mid-20sor lows in the single digits, with a possibility of hot sun, heavy rain and even a little sleet materializing within the same week. That's why most Manitobans are aware of the need to dress in layers and prepare for a variety of potential conditions when they go camping, hunting,hiking or cycling early in the season.

How to dress for the elements becomes more complicated when you're on the water, especially if you're paddling. The conventional wisdom about dressing for all possible conditions doesn't seem to apply when people get into canoes or kayaks or on top of paddle boards.

While many paddlers prepare to be on the water early in the season, they don't all plan on being in the water.In May, most southern Manitoba lakes and rivers remain very cold, while waterways in the north are outright frigid.

At risk of sounding like a schoolmarm, if you are not insulating your body to withstand immersion in water as cold as 4 C, you shouldn't be paddling on top of it. Your skill and experience on the water will not protect you from the immobilizing effects of hypothermia if you end up in the drink which is something that does happento even the most experienced and skilled paddlers from time to time.

Without proper insulation, it only takes several minutes of immersion in extremely cold water to immobilize a very fit and capable adult. A personal flotation device will keep you from going under, but it won't prevent you from losing control of your limbs and succumbing to hypothermia.

In recent weeks, five people have died in Manitoba paddling accidents. All five took the wise precaution of wearing life jackets. It is unknown what role hypothermia played in their deathsit is too soon for the RCMP to make such a determinationand it would be improper to infer what role their choice of insulation played in these tragedies.

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Nonetheless, it is worth reminding paddlers of all experience levels that Manitoba watersin May and early June are far more dangerous than they are the rest of the summer and even well into the fall. Simply put, paddlers must prepare for the possibility of immersion before they go anywhere, even on a gentle stream.

This is not a Coast Guard of Canada requirement for paddlers, the way all canoes must be equipped with bailers, PFDs, a length of rope and, at night, a light. But insulation is something paddlers in this province must consider early in the season.

What follows are the three main options at your disposal.

1. Dry suits

As the name suggests, dry suits keep you warm by preventing your body from getting wet. They effectively form a bubble between your skin and the water, and slow conduction of heat from your skin and into the surrounding water.

These suits alone don't insulate you. Depending on the weather conditions, you may choose to wear a thin layerof insulatingclothes inside your dry suit or a couple of heavy layers. Suits made of waterproof-breathable fabric also "breathe" sufficientlyto prevent perspiration from building up inside and drenching you in your own sweat.

As a result, aproperly fitted dry suit offers unparallelled protection from hypothermia. The drawback is the cost, which ranges from $500 for a very basic, off-the-shelf non-breathable model to around $4,000 for a custom-fitted waterproof-breathable suit with special features such as hoods, gasket covers and relief zippers, which allowyou to urinate without removing the suit.

The prohibitive cost means dry suits are usually purchased only by expedition paddlers, instructors and other quasi-professionals. But if you paddle often, the cost can be amortized over the course of several years and the investment may be worth it.

2. Wetsuits

Neoprene wetsuits keep you insulated by trapping athin layer of water between your skin and the suit. It may sound counterintuitive to get wet in order to stay warm, but this process works.

The thickness of the neoprene dictates the degree of insulation. So does the style of neoprene suit.

Full-length suits, like the ones used by divers, keep you warmest, but most paddlers find them too restrictive."Farmer John" suits cover the length of your legs but leave your arms bare, allowing free movement of your upper body.

Surfer-style wetsuits cover your torso, upper arms and thighs, while you can also assemble suits of your own using separate neoprene tops and bottoms. For lake paddling in southern Manitoba, a pair of neoprene-insulated board shorts paired with a neoprene top may not keep you comfortable if you dump your boat, but this combination will improve your odds of surviving.

Neoprene accessories such as booties and skullcaps are also available at outdoor retailers. Assembling your own ensemble based arounda one-piecewetsuitor several pieces will cost you anywhere from $60 to $500, depending on what you purchase.

While that's still a financial hit for many paddlers, it's well worth the investment if you're on the water early in theseason on even a semi-regular basis.

3. Layering other fabrics

If you go outdoors often, you likely own several pieces of insulating clothing made of fabrics that retain their insulative properties when wet. Regular or merino wool, polopropylene and plastic-based fleeces will all keep you warmer when wet than non-insulative fabrics such as cotton or denim.

While wearing this sort of clothingis not the best way toprevent hypothermia if you wind up immersed, it's better than nothing. A tight-fitting layer of insulative long underwear covered by a layer of thicker fabric will provide some benefits in water temperatures of 7 to 12 C.

There is no cost involved in layering up in what you already own. The downside is this is really just a means of avoiding hypothermia if you end up dumping close to shore. A combination of neoprene and conventional fabric is the minimum recommended protection for cold water.