Cold Water Riding Tips from Tucker

Unless you're lucky enough to live somewhere that's warm year-round, your cold-weather options are to suit up or stay home. Vacations to someplace sunny are also nice, but most of us can't pack up and go for more than a week or two. Tucker's been braving the frigid water for years now, and he's got some tips on how to stay warm and safe.

What Gear Do I Need to Ride in Cold Water?

As long as there's open water and you're geared correctly, you can ride. Here's Tucker's wardrobe selection.

Wetsuit

Get a hooded 6/4 or 5/4 wetsuit. The key is to have the hood built in rather than a separate add-on to reduce how much water flushes through at the neck. Tucker usually wears a Mystic or Sooruz wetsuit, but any brand will work.

Mitts

In cold water, you'll want mitts, not gloves. Gloves are a double whammy in cold water. Not only does each finger have to keep itself warm, but you've got a lot more surface area pulling heat away. You'll have longer sessions if you choose mitts, though you can also opt for lobster claw mitts like Tucker uses.

You'll also want to find pre-curved mitts if you need to hold onto anything, like a kite bar or wing handles or boom. Trying to bend neoprene into a grip will cause a lot of hand fatigue, so getting mitts that are already in the shape of a grip will help you stay out longer.

Don't be afraid to size up your mitts. Any pressure on your hand and fingers is going to make it even harder to get adequate bloodflow there. Tucker normally uses size XL gloves, but his mitts are XXL.

If you're a surfer, you might be used to tucking your glove wrists into your wetsuit. For wind sports, Tucker switches this around and puts his gloves over his wetsuit. The wetsuit is sized to fit your wrists, so if you've sized up on your mitts, then they'll fit more comfortably over your wetsuit than the other way around. This helps reduce wrist fatigue and improves circulation, which is a critical factor in staying warm.

Boots

If you are serious about keeping your tootsies toasty, take a look at the Solite Fire boots. Like choosing mitts over gloves, these have a round toe design rather than split toe, they have hard soles so warm water doesn't leak back out, and they are custom moldable with hot water. You pour in hot water, flush it with cool water so you don't burn your feet, then wear them around the house for a fit that lets you feel your board in a way you wouldn't think possible with a hard sole boot. They also include a 1mm heat booster neoprene sock that is comfortable and easy to wash.

Are There Any Other Tips for Staying Warm in the Water?

Growing up, some of you may have been told that if you get too warm before going out in the cold, it'll make you feel colder. Forget that advice and get your core as warm as you can before getting out of your car. Tucker likes to bring some hot water in an insulated mug, then sip that before heading out. It'll help warm you from the inside out and get you hydrated.

In fact, he'll even bring a whole 2 L bottle full of warm water and dump that down his suit right before getting in the water. If you get in the cold water with your suit dry, it's going to fill with 100% frigid water. So prime your suit with nice, warm water. Sure, some will flush out, but not all of it.

Tucker's final tip is more of a safety pointer: do not ride alone in cold water. Always bring a buddy. In fact, Tucker filmed the video for this blog while waiting for Jeff to arrive. Tucker's got lots of experience riding in cold water and is very good at staying up. He could try to justify heading out now, knowing that Jeff is on the way, but he won't. Even though it's unlikely anything will go wrong, the consequences are too high if it does. The wind can die. Gear can break. You can get injured in a fall. You need to keep an eye on each other and be ready to help or call for help if something does happen.

Gear up, be safe, and have fun out there!

Shop Waterwear

MACkite Subscription Links:

YouTube  |   Instagram  |   Spotify Oddcasts

Contact MACkite Below:

800.622.4655  |   Kiteboarder@MACkite.com  |   LIVE Chat Messenger