Drysuit Q. Is it common after a big immersion day (roll practice, surfing) to be extra damp around your insulation layers’ cuffs and collars? My drysuit has new gaskets but I’m noticing slight water creep.
It is probably condensed sweat under the nonbreathable rubber gaskets. I always got that. Also sweaty under the neoprene skirt tunnel around the waist, Now I usually wear a wetsuit and don’t think twice about dampness.
I think they should be called “Somewhat Dry Suits”. In my experience it’s always a difficult balance between keeping water out and letting water (vapour) escape.
You can mitigate this a little by taking frequent breaks, opening your zipper, and actively venting (like a bellows) the air/moisture in the suit. Other than that, expect that you’ll be AlwaysWet.
Breathable suit fabric works well unless there is a nonbreathable layer keeping moisture from venting OUT. The gaskets, the sprayskirt tunnel, and the PFD are all obstacles for venting. When I wore the drysuit with and without the PFD on, my torsi was damp and dry, respectively.
Fair enough, thanks for the tips y’all. Glad to know it’s more “comes with the territory” than malfunction.
@AlwaysWet said:
Fair enough, thanks for the tips y’all. Glad to know it’s more “comes with the territory” than malfunction.
Malfunction is when you start feeling cold water around your belly button or back. Happened to me once when I malfunctioned by not properly zipping my drysuit. Sure got my attention. 
It’s not at all uncommon to get minor leaks in these areas. The two most common causes are tendons in your neck and wrists causing gaps and clothing creeping under the seals. It’s nothing to worry about as long as it’s minor, which seems to be your case.
The comment about neoprene spray skirt tunnels being sweat lodges also resonates. Wonder if it’s worth trying one of those hybrid nylon/neo “breathable” tunnels to mitigate… although half of it’s under a PFD anyway
Wardrobe malfunction, ha ha ha.
@AlwaysWet said:
The comment about neoprene spray skirt tunnels being sweat lodges also resonates. Wonder if it’s worth trying one of those hybrid nylon/neo “breathable” tunnels to mitigate… although half of it’s under a PFD anyway
Probably not. As soon as you have multiple layers, breatheability goes way down. Perhaps more important is that Nylon topped skirts don’t seal well around your torso, so you’re likely to get more water in your boat, depending on conditions and what you’re doing (rolling, sculling, etc.).
Easy to test. Wear light clothing and the suit, fill a a bathtub with the coldest water and swim in it (roll around to get all parts submerged. You will feel a leak clearly, just take your time.
I get dampness often, but it’s all sweat. It may not feel you are sweating much or even hot, but chances are that you are.
I like to paddle hard and fast, so I sweat a bit. My feet (trigger warning!!) sweat so much my socks are dripping after 20 miles. I was so worried about this that I did a leak test, but no, it was just me.