I have a new favourite thing — neoprene polychloroprene. This fine material is what stood between me and utter misery on a recent vacation and for that I am grateful.

In case you’re not familiar with the wonders of neoprene, clothing made from this material has the unique ability to make you feel dry and warm even when you are soaking wet and should be freezing cold.

The wetsuits that the surfer dudes don to challenge the waves off the beaches around Tofino, on the west side of Vancouver Island, are made of neoprene. The water is limb-numbing cold and beginning surfers spend more time in the water than atop their surf boards. And while I wasn’t surfing — I was just an observer — daughter Kate was.

After six days in Tofino, Kate and I and our travelling buddies from Vancouver headed to the Broken Islands in Barkley Sound to go sea kayaking in the Pacific Rim National Park. This is where my love of neoprene begins.

According to E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co’s Web site, neoprene polychloroprene has been around for 75 years. It is a “versatile” synthetic rubber that was originally developed as an oil-resistant substitute for natural rubber. Thanks to its “unique combination of properties,” thousands of uses have evolved for the material. That includes clothing for kayaking.

Before we left Vancouver, Kate and I had a day to run errands and Kate insisted I get properly outfitted for kayaking in what would probably be less than sunny conditions. “They don’t call it rain forest for nothing,” she said.

I have to admit, I am one of those people who get cold easily — and being cold can detract from my usual easy-going personality. Still, I resisted. I wasn’t sure why I should spend that money for an outfit I would wear for only three days. But Kate prevailed: I would remember the time kayaking with pleasure if I were properly attired, she said — as could those with me.

Being properly attired is always a winning argument for me. Besides, Kate was totally right. (Am I the only middle-aged parent experiencing this sense of role reversal, in which my adult child is trying to talk sense into a truculent parent?)

Kate and I ended up at that Canadian landmark, Mountain Equipment Co-op, and I bought neoprene socks and gloves, as well as long underwear — tops and bottom — that hadn’t sacrificed fashion for function.

So, after boarding the Frances Barkley at Port Alberni, the five of us headed for Sechart Lodge, where we picked up our kayak, life jackets and “skirts,” donned our multiple layers of clothing and headed out. It was great.

Over the three days, we had the usual mix of sunshine, fog, mist and pouring rain and I was always wet. But I never felt it. And I was never cold. I could admire the rocks and trees and starfish and spot eagles and seals in comfort. I had a great adventure — and I would recommend Sechart Lodge and sea kayaking in the Broken Islands to anyone who asks.

I certainly got value for my investment. And that is what I see as the lesson in my vacation experience. It is all about taking the proper steps to establish a level of comfort — whether it is your relationships with your clients or sea kayaking.

If your clients are comfortable with you and properly “attired” with knowledge, they can weather any rough weather. But you first have to make the investment in winning their trust and making them comfortable.

-TESSA WILMOTT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF