Be a Winter River Ninja!

By Jillian Owens

 
“I have something to show you.”

I don’t know what your life experiences have been, but 9 times out of 10 nothing good happens following the utterance of that phrase.

When my friend Hartley, the owner of the local outdoor store Get Your Gear On (LINK: http://www.getyourgearon.com) me this, I groaned.

“No, seriously,” he insisted. “I just read your article about how you hate being cold and I want to show you something that’ll get even you out on the water this winter. This is a game-changer and you need to see it.”

“I don’t think you understood me. I’m a fair weather paddler at best. There’s no way I’m getting in any body of water other than a warm bath until Spring. But nice try.”

Eventually I relented and met with with Hartley at his shop to see what all the fuss was about. I brought a warm base layer as instructed. Then I was handed what looked like some sort of superhero space suit with all sorts of zippers on it.

River Ninja

That thing I have slung over my arm is called a Dry Suit. As it’s name implies, it’s function is to keep you dry and warm, even when submerged in the chilliest of water.

I had my doubts.

Getting into a dry suit is a little tricky. The interior is rubber, and the arm and neck holes are watertight…meaning you kind of feel like you’re giving birth to yourself when you finally get your head through. There’s also a series of zippers that must be secured to keep you fully-sealed

Keeps freshness in…can’t keep Jillian out!

 

Once in, I felt like an astronaut. It was pretty freakin’ cool. For my first test of this strange thing, Hartley told me to get in the river.

“You’re kidding right? I’ll die of hypothermia.”

“Trust the suit, Jillian.”

And so I did….and I quickly learned that I had developed the superpower of being able to swim in freezing water while still keeping comfortable. It was quite surreal. After this initial experiment we paddled a couple of miles, even through some small rapids. I couldn’t believe that even my cold-phobic self was just fine.

Oh hai!

 

When our trip was over, and I rebirthed myself out of the suit, I found I was not surprisingly totally dry! Pretty awesome, right? Even more awesome are the implications of this amazeballs wondersuit. I can kayak in the winter now! I no longer have to live in fear of the frigid water and air around me! AND I get to look like a total bada$$ around any of the more pedestrian folk who happen to be hanging out near the river. Win/Win!

Are interested in giving cold water kayaking a try? Well, you’re in luck! Get Your Gear On (LINK: http://www.getyourgearon.com) Dry Suits for $35 per day ($17 every day after that). They offer guided trips and whitewater lessons for $35-$80. GYGO is also having a pretty swell sale this weekend for Black Friday/Small Business Saturday where all merchandise is between 10%-60% off.

So, if you would also like to feel like a river ninja, give ‘em a call at (803) 799-0999,or contact them through their website ((LINK: http://www.getyourgearon.com )

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Jillian Owens is a writer, designer, and eco-fashion revolutionary. A Columbia SC transplant, she graduated from the University of South Carolina with a BFA in Theatre and English. When she’s not gallivanting about, she’s busy refashioning ugly thrift store duds into fashionable frocks at ReFashionista.net or helping the underserved through her work in Community Impact at United Way of the Midlands. She also reviews local theater productions for Jasper Magazine and Onstage Columbia, and is an occasional contributor for The Free Times. Any comments, questions, or crude remarks can be directed to [email protected].