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Greenland Forum

Brooks Tuilik
Andrew Elizaga

This is probably old news but I just found out that Brooks is no longer in the business of making Greenland paddling gear. Is this correct? Does anyone know of any dealers who still have any of the Brooks tuiliks for sale? Does anyone have any other recommendations for commercially available tuiliks?


Andrew

Christopher Crowhurs
Reed Chillcheater in the UK and Comfort Paddling uin Canada are both available.

Christopher Crowhurst
+1-952-428-9141

Christopher Crowhurs

Christopher Crowhurst
+1-952-428-9141

Dan Segal

Andrew --


I bought a couple of new tuiliqs from Brooks Paddle Gear a little over a year ago. The web site doesn't seem to be working, but the contact at the time was Mark Jarvinen; mark@brookspaddlegear.ca The phone answers: 778-727-1245 .


If it helps, I have a few older, but serviceable 3mm neoprene tuiliqs that are not being used. If anyone has need. A couple are Brooks; one is from QajaqJapan. They're all size large, with skirts to fit a slightly lengthened Greenland coaming.


-- Dan Segal

Nyla Newville

How much for an older tuilik I would like one I don't kayak much any more I always wanted to get one but the are out of my price range

Jerrold Borenstein
For what its worth its relatively easy to make a neo tuiliq. I made one so anyone could. There were plans on youtube a while back.




Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone


How much for an older tuilik I would like one I don't kayak much any more I always wanted to get one but the are out of my price range

Linda White
Where is your source for decent neoprene.  The quality at Joann fabric is so so 

Jerrold Borenstein
I bought neo several years ago

Jerrold Borenstein
Andrew you are aware of reed tuiliqs correct? I havent seen a brooks in years. There is also a fellow in british columbia making goretex tuiliqs but his orices are rediculous. Unless he really doesnt want to make them anymore. I had one years ago when cheaper but he made it too large and i sold it. Nice garment though.

Heather Adams
I have a reed Tuilik sourced thru Cheri & Turner at kayakways. I like how lightweight it is.
-Heather Adams (Rochester NY)

Moulton Avery

Friends-

Regarding Tuiliks and Drysuits – A comment was made regarding a Tuilik being cheaper than a drysuit.  That’s like comparing a SOF to a motorboat.  The issue with Tuiliks is that if you have to wet exit, they offer no protection from cold shock and little protection from incapacitation.  In that respect they’re much like pogies – good until you have to remove your hands.  I have plenty of respect for traditional paddling, but I think anyone who paddles with only a tuilik for protection against cold water is taking a major and unnecessary risk.

Be safe and have fun.

Moulton

 

 

 

Moulton Avery

Founder and Director

National Center for Cold Water Safety

 

Email: moulton.avery@coldwatersafety.org

Web: www.coldwatersafety.org

FB: https://www.facebook.com/coldwatersafety

 

The National Center for Cold Water Safety is a 501©(3) non-profit organization.

 

Jerrold Borenstein
Yup. What he said 



Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone


Friends-

Regarding Tuiliks and Drysuits – A comment was made regarding a Tuilik being cheaper than a drysuit.  That’s like comparing a SOF to a motorboat.  The issue with Tuiliks is that if you have to wet exit, they offer no protection from cold shock and little protection from incapacitation.  In that respect they’re much like pogies – good until you have to remove your hands.  I have plenty of respect for traditional paddling, but I think anyone who paddles with only a tuilik for protection against cold water is taking a major and unnecessary risk.

Be safe and have fun.

Moulton

 

 

 

Moulton Avery

Founder and Director

National Center for Cold Water Safety

 

Email: moulton.avery@coldwatersafety.org

Web: www.coldwatersafety.org

FB: https://www.facebook.com/coldwatersafety

 

The National Center for Cold Water Safety is a 501©(3) non-profit organization.

 

Dorothea Hoffman

I wear a Comfort Paddling tuilik with a neoprene farmer jane. I wear neoprene booties and a wool sweater summer and winter. I've done wet exits during rescue practice, and have not been cold for the rest of the day. When I do have to wear a wetsuit, I wear my wetsuit underneath to remain warmer at lunch. I think this is a good combination. If I re-enter and roll, water gets in the sleeves, which then gets in the kayak, but that has not been a problem.

Dorothea Hoffman
I wear a comfort paddling tuilik with a neoprene farmer jane.  I wear
neoprene booties and a wool sweater summer and winter.  I've done wet
exits during rescue practice, and have not been cold for the rest of the
day.  When I do have to wear a wetsuit, I wear my wetsuit underneath to
remain warmer at lunch.
Dorothea Hoffman

Oops, I figured out how to "reply" now, thanks.



-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: re:Brooks Tuilik <<$304337613438$>>
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2022 08:04:51 -0800
From: Dorothea Hoffman <dm1hoffman@shaw.ca>
To: greenland_forum@qajaqusa.org


I wear a comfort paddling tuilik with a neoprene farmer jane.  I wear neoprene booties and a wool sweater summer and winter.  I've done wet exits during rescue practice, and have not been cold for the rest of the day.  When I do have to wear a wetsuit, I wear my wetsuit underneath to remain warmer at lunch.

Steve Lively

I find my Reed Tuilik Paddle Suit to be very effective for cold weather paddling. It’s not quit a dry suit, but it is mostly dry with a bit of leakage at the hood and wrists and perhaps a bit seeping through the fabric. The leakage and seeping is far too slow to be a problem except in cases of prolonged submersion. For normal use, especially with help around, it works exceptionally well for me.

Jerrold Borenstein
The chillcheater fabric is described as waterproof which is not accurate. Water migrates through the fabric. Ive tested by getting in the water before paddling and within 45 minutes paddling i was chilled. Air temp 38ish water 45ish winds 10ish no real gusts. Under it I wore fleece top over rashguard and thin fleece under chillcheeter pants. Extremely comfortable paddling when dry though. First choice in calmer conditions better than my drysuit. With neo suit underneath perhaps warmer when wet but not comfy paddling. I use my reed tuiliq over regular drysuit in cold temps when conditions warrent.

Moulton Avery

Hi Friends-

The issue isn’t what you wear when paddling “in cold weather”; it’s what you wear when paddling “on cold water”. Similarly, the issue is not whether the tuilik is waterproof or watertight.  The issue is what happens if you wet-exit because your roll fails.  Safety dictates that you should practice self or assisted rescues at the water temps in which you paddle. That’s realistic.  If the water temp is 40F (4.4C), you practice at that temp. Failure to do so is risk enhancement.  This strategy is reflected in the Five Golden Rules of cold water safety explained on our website. I like to think of thermal protection as “survival gear” because I’m relying on it in the event that things go wrong and I wind up swimming in cold water.  My goal is to be able to be immersed, get back into my kayak, and continue paddling as if nothing had happened.  In other words, an accidental immersion is no big deal because I’m properly prepared for it.

Be safe and have fun.

Moulton

 

Moulton Avery

Founder and Director

National Center for Cold Water Safety

 

Email: moulton.avery@coldwatersafety.org

Web: www.coldwatersafety.org

FB: https://www.facebook.com/coldwatersafety

 

The National Center for Cold Water Safety is a 501©(3) non-profit organization.

 

Heather Adams
Couldn't agree more. I've always got my dry suit on when conditions dictate. I was taught that you dress for the swim, not the paddle. I never rely on the tuilik to do the drysuit's job. I like the Reed tuilik because it is light and flexible, allowing me excellent range of motion without extra bulk, an important consideration when I've got the dry suit underneath.
-Heather

Ben Fuller

When the water is no longer swimmable here in Maine, the drysuit goes on under the tulik, BUT and its a big one between the seal on the drysuit and the seal on the tuilik thand circulation goes down. I could force the tuilik sleeves to get wider but then it wwouldn't work for non drysuit days. Any one solved this?

Dan Segal

Ben --


Yes, I've had this problem as well, especially as I've frostbitten my fingers a few times over the years. There is a lot under the tuiliq. So, I've done a couple of things: 1/ I had the forearms of my winter tuiliq recut for more volume, though the wrists are the same. 2/ I've trimmed the wrist gaskets of my drysuit just a little so that I can pull them up just slightly higher on my arms and not under the tuiliq gaskets; 3/ I've cut off the cuffs that Kokotat insists on putting over the wrist gaskets; and 4/ I pull up the sleeves of my bunny suit that I wear under my dry suit so that they end near the elbows. (I'm thinking of cutting the sleeves of the bunny suit at the elbows...but haven't so far.) With the changes, there's nothing under wrists of the tuiliq. Much better.


The problem I'm having is sweat. We're padding in among the bergy bits this winter, and are iced out of a few normal launching points. The water at the surface is near or below freezing, though it's about 38-40 degrees just a foot below the surface. I'm paddling in a custom skin-out Brooks tuiliq with a drysuit under. Surgical gloves under Brooks mittens on my hands. I wear a 200-weight fleece 1-piece bunny suit under the drysuit. My sessions always start with some rolling practice to get used to the water temperature. This getup is just fine, warm and comfortable once my face and thumbs get accustomed. But once I get paddling, I perspire. By the time I've paddled for even a short time, the bunny suit starts to wet out. And by the time I'm off the water, the inside of the drysuit is quite wet. (The outside is dry.) It's fine when I'm moving. It wouldn't be OK if I had to be out of the kayak for any period of time, in the water or out.


So now I'm wearing a thin (2mm), very stretchy, skin-out neoprene full wetsuit as a base layer. It mostly works well as a vapor barrier to keep the perspiration out of the insulating bunny suit. This is a Camaro wetsuit that's made for water skiers, I think. There is some water vapor getting out of the vapor barrier through the back zipper that's not watertight. But other than that, this works remarkably well. It also has the added benefit of letting me wear a thinner insulation layer under my drysuit, and so is somewhat more comfortable. The inside of the wetsuit gets soaked inside, though I barely notice that; the insulation layer and the inside of the drysuit stay mostly dry; damp up my back along the zipper.


Have other people had similar issues? Has anyone else tried vapor barriers?


-- Dan Segal




Donald Perley

In winter I generally have a neoprene tuliq over a goretex dry suit. I can feel a bit damp by the end. I take the tuliq off first thing so the goretex suit can breath better, and it feels dry inside by the time I've got the kayak on the rack etc. With other outdoor gear I have not had good luck with the durability of breathable fabrics other than Gore.

Phil Huck
Good afternoon, 
   I like to wear my Brooks tuiliq with glacier gloves and a 7mm farmer John underneath.  I cinch my neoprene boots down snug to minimize water logging. 
    The whole system fits together great. I do not experience chafing in the armpits or other joints. I preheat the farmer John with a bucket of hot water poured down the neck. It's always a little hotter than I expect, never enough to burn.  I let the excess water leave through my thick wool socks and then put on my neoprene boots. The 7mm suit is a winter SCUBA suit and preheating is a nice way to keep the core warm if you'll be practicing skills. This is the same trick I use when diving in cold water or anticipating cold thermoclines. 
      I've taken many icy swims in both my drysuit and my wetsuit with tuiliq. Both are tolerable, neither are great. Cold water swimming in the wetsuit without preheating usually results in some very undignified shrieking. That lasts for a couple minutes and then I'm okay. Preheating and having a thermos of hot chocolate ready is highly recommended. 
      I use my drysuit and tuiliq getups interchangeably. For a spring paddling weekend with friends when I know I'm getting wet, I usually bring both and alternate. Putting on yesterdays cold, wet & stiff wetsuit is not great.
   *I live in N. Minnesota and am on 25 years paddling year round.

Cheers,
Phil




al gray
I have a Reed Chillcheater tuilik made of Aquatherm fleece and I am very happy with it . However it is boat specific and I want another one . Does anyone have any plans for a DIY Tuilliq and recommendation for material.
With my Read I usually in winter wear a shorty wetsuit which is just fine 

Lesley McC

Try https://www.comfortpaddling.net I just got one a few weeks ago and it is totally waterproof. Fantastic custom fit to you and your kayak. Cheaper than a dry suit and those are not custom fit.

Jerrold Borenstein
When i called about it last week the price was $650. Was that what he charges now?



Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone


Try https://www.comfortpaddling.net I just got one a few weeks ago and it is totally waterproof. Fantastic custom fit to you and your kayak. Cheaper than a dry suit and those are not custom fit.

Lesley McC

$650 for no tunnel (brooks does not have a tunnel). I got the tunnel which ensures you are dry even if your kayak has water in it and you are rolling. $719 with tunnel. I like that it’s made of Gortex so not too hot in the summer. I just put a 100 thermal fleece under it and good for the winter.

Jerrold Borenstein
I paid $300 a few years ago. Thats a big jump. Its a vert nice garmont though. Reed does the job for me at this point. In cold weather i rely on a drysuit anyway. 

Steve Lively

Reed also makes a full tuilik paddle suit. Just like the tuilik but there’s a second layer below that continues down to for s full suit, including socks. I think mine was 6-700 a year ago, and well worth it. Very comfortable and with appropriate layers, quite warm when necessary.

Jerrold Borenstein
I hsve the paddlesuit with integrated tuilik also. Not totally waterproof so not for emersion but its very comfortable and mostly dry.



Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone


Reed also makes a full tuilik paddle suit. Just like the tuilik but there’s a second layer below that continues down to for s full suit, including socks. I think mine was 6-700 a year ago, and well worth it. Very comfortable and with appropriate layers, quite warm when necessary.

Andrew Elizaga

Thanks for the info, everyone! Good to know that there are options available!

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