While I am looking forward to getting on the water in a couple of weeks , I am less than eager at the thought of the cold. How does everyone keep warm? My hands are my biggest concern. Which pogies are the best? I use a paddling glove and a pogie, but it doesn't seem to work all that well. I'm heading down to MEC soon to pick up a new one and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. Anything else to keep your hands warm?

I paddle in the winter and I HATE being cold .The trick to keeping your hands warm is to keep your wrists warm. Wear gauntlet style gloves that cover your forarms and a top with sleeves that do not ride up your arms . Various gloves work . I use thinsulite gloves and my hands are fine to about -10C . Some guys that paddle when it is very cold swear by snow boarding gloves . Note that your hand might start cold but should warm up after 15 min. or so .
Of course wear all synthetic clothes , NO COTTON .Wind pants with several layers underneath is good , your legs will not get too warm .

Pogies are for kayakers! Get over the pain, paddle for 10 mins and you won't be able to feel the cold. The hardest part of the workout is warming your hands up in the shower afterwards, they usually feel like they're melting.

Gloves are no good 'cause you lose the feel of the blade. I might not laugh at gloves in my boat when it's cold enough for me to wear boots and a hood. The most important thing to keep warm is your forearms and shoulders so they don't seize up. If you're working hard enough the cold is your last concern.

That said I do highly recommend most of the MEC paddlewear both for warmth and flexibility. Specifically the surfshirt with fleece lining... others made by MEC are also great.

Wow interesting.

Ian is way off-base with the macho BS. Some people can paddle super-hard in cold weather and still have freezing hands. Everyone's physiology is different. There is nothing wrong with wearing gloves to keep your hands warm (do we laugh at skiers, too?). Put some cloth tape on the shaft of the paddle to prevent your hand from slipping (a gloved hand, especially when wet, can easily slip on the shaft).

Wear mits , not gloves. Get some with grip stuff on palms. No problem with paddle feel or slipping on paddle.

MEC all the way.

Warm.
Durable.
Affordable.
Insanely accommodating return/exchange policy.
And an endless supply, in case you ever need to replace, for whatever reason.

I agree with the above poster. MEC has a black neoprene glove with bright green grippers on the palms that works really well. Yes, you don't have quite as good a feel of the paddle as with bare hands, but you really shouldn't need to wear them much past the beginning of May anyway, so it's no big concern. The important thing is that your hands are warm and you can paddle at all. I know people who paddle bare-handed from the time the boats go in the water in April, but I ain't one of 'em.

Umm....Ian?
You can't "feel" the blade if you can't feel your hands!
And you won't wear gloves in a boat unless you are wearing boots? In a boat?
Try paddling in Manitoba in April while dodging ice flows and tell me gloves are bad.