So... how do you guys manage to stay warm when its real cold?

water and air temperature in the low 30's fahrenheit here ..

I have a 5 mil excel wetsuit, 7 mil boots, and 5 mill 5 finger gloves and get cold FAST in this temperature.

Thinking I'd rather spend some $$$ on good winter gear than on a trip this year, but would like to hear some tips/tricks as well

Here's what I do to stay warm when kiting western Canadian winter ocean conditions ( ~ 5 - 10 deg C air and water temperatures ). Keep the sessions shorter, maybe 1/2 hour or 45 mins, come in for a warm up, either a hot drink, or I bring along a couple jugs of hot water stored in a cooler or a cooler full of hot water to warm the hands & feet.

If I've been in the water a lot and have water inside my wetsuit, I'll pour some of the hot water into my suit at the wrists or neck - watch out if your hot water is still really hot, it may scald you. If I'm still pretty dry in my suit, then the water does for hand/foot-warming until the day's over, and then I'll use for a warm rinse before getting out of the wetsuit.

Get a better wetsuit (one with a frontzip might be better) or a drysuit.

Something like this under a wetsuit can also help

http://www.mysticboarding.com/products/ ... p?pid=1470
http://www.ion-essentials.com/public/co ... ts_men_25/

perhaps can you get some useful info here

http://kite2012.com/how-to-stay-warm-in ... mperature/

Get a drysuit. You will be happy you spent the $$.

Put your fleece on at the house before you leave. If it's really cold, put the drysuit on half-way at home before you leave. A wetsuit will keep you warm in the water, but a drysuit keeps you warm between and after sessions when you are standing around or rigging.

Kiting is a winter sport down here. We continue to ride throughout the winter and while we don't usually get conditions below freezing, we do ride every cold front in the lake with the air and water temp in the low 40s, sometimes in the upper 30s. Typically, the best breeze is between dawn and 11:00am so the air seems especially cold early in the morning before your coffee is flowing through your veins.

Once you go dry you will never go back.

Terminal vest,get a good one,6,5,4 wet suit with built in hood chest zip,7mm boots,i prefer 2 mil gloves,also quicksilver heated vest are good.gill compressor vest,buyoncy and impact and keeps you warm,TONY

I live in a subartic climate and have always preferred a dry suit. My dry suit is not goretex and I still get cold because I am clammy. If you buy a dry suit get the kokotat goretex with a relief zipper. This suit will last the rest of your life. I recently got a r4 Patagonia wetsuit that is lined with merino wool. It's the warmest suit I have ever had. Nothing even comes close. There booties are just as amazing too!

Hyperflex AmpIII 6/5/4mm, Xcel Drylock 5mm gloves and boots, all fleece-lined. Too bloody hot, the lot of it. 5˚C has me sweating if I'm not out on the water and am wet... IN the water is a little cool, but once I'm up and moving again, the effort warms me up. No problem with windchill so far... but I've yet to test my winter setup in honest-to-goodness 0˚ days...

when is cold like -8°c, 30 knots, i use ion 6/5 hooded 5mm boots and 5mm gloves
for me only problem are the hands
usually i massage hands and feet with a cream with "capsicina"

+1 on the Kokatat drysuit. I sent mine in after three years to get the gaskets replaced at the factory, a very reasonable service they offer at about $90. Kokatat noticed some delamination so they sent me a brand new drysuit at no charge, I didn't even have to pay the $90.