I'd love to buy a PLB. For larger groups and longer trips, the group usually all chips in to buy one. I don't consider it a necessity for shorter trips, because my wife always knows where I'm going and when to expect me back. I plan to get one as soon as I can afford it though, just in case.

I'll see if I can track down someone with a vacuum sealer - may let me squeeze some extra clothing into my drybag.

As hikermor said, wool is fine as long as it's under a drytop - I've never gotten more than a trickle of water inside my drytop, even swimming in class IV. A farmer john wetsuit and a drytop is great for on the river - especially if the wetsuit has padded knees! It stops being warm enough when water temps drop close to 40 degrees. I'll be upgrading to drypants for the Spring boating season so I can start paddling in March instead of April.