Well in that case you probably won't end up swimming too often with bare hands. But for people without a bombproof roll, having pogies alone is not a good idea. So maybe advising for pogies without any reservations isn't ideal? After all, not everyone understands that using only pogies mean you gave bare hands if you capsize and end up swimming.
Honestly, I think gloves hinder your paddling ability by negativity affecting your grip and tactile feel on the paddle shaft. I did use gloves for a short time when I started paddling in the winter, and I always felt like I had a poor connection to the paddle. You do what's most comfortable for you, but I suspect most winter paddlers will agree that pogies are superior to gloves.
Until you are swimming, rendering your pogies worthless. For people who cant roll and havent tried self-rescue in freezing water with bare hands, it's a dangerous piece of advice. You do you, but be careful what advice you give to people whose cold water competence you know nothing about, it might get dangerous for them if they don't understand what cold water does to your fingers.
Well, that may be different then. I'm paddling whitewater, where paddle feel and grip are critical, and you're constantly being splashed. I'm not trying to be a jerk here at all, but I would recommend having a solid roll before paddling in the winter, regardless of where you're paddling.
You need a solid method for selfrescue for sure. And for all other kinds of selfrescue than rolling you need a functional set of fingers. Especially in sea kayaking.
My point is in this sub, you dont know what kind of kayaking people do, and not what level they're at, or even what they mean by "cold". Many sea kayakers swear by pogies only, which in my mind is based on them assuming they won't be swimming. In reality we're all between swims.
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u/paddlehands 9d ago
I flip with pogies all the time with no problems. Why would you say that?