If they have relief zips and booties
Somebody ought to pounce
relief zippers and booties…
Affirmative…
Wow
Best price on a new GFER I ever heard of
Jeans under a dry suit…
Personally I wouldn’t do that, because the jeans are going to be stiff and may abrade the lining of that very expensive garment. And they have rivets and buttons and all kinds of things that would just bother me in the fairly tight spaces of a kayak.
But the biggest problem to me is that cotton doesn’t have either the wicking or thermal properties that you need under a dry suit if you need to use it in the first place. The materials that I use are, as I said, the same stuff that I use under Goretex shells for stuff like snowshoeing. I am talking stuff like coolmax, fleece, polypro or wool blends.
I have basically one or two piece long underwear under the dry suit. The only pants I put under it are thin synthetic ones for times when the air will be warmer and I know I will want to stop and get out of it for something like an ice cream stop.
one-piece fleece
That’s what I wear directly under the dry suit when it’s really cold. I have worn separate top & bottom fleece, but it crawled and bunched. No such problem with the union-suit. There are a few brands of long-johns that are 100% poly and not scratchy. I have some that fit snug and are very comfy. Those go against my skin as a wicking layer, then the fleece one-piece, then the drysuit. I haven’t had problems with moisture collecting in the suit, even though I tend to work up a sweat. The one-piece has a two-way zipper, so I can take advantage of the pee-zip. Don’t settle for less.
Ditto what Steve said, for 30 years
Celia, they are
54% poly and I think 6% nylon. I’ll look up more info on them when I get home. Very thin material for jeans, no rivets, and I’ve found them very appropriate on approx. 100 poling and paddling runs. They’ve never even been moist after a good poling session. I use them hiking as well.
no, just the “special” jeans
– Last Updated: Jan-22-13 9:21 AM EST –
and nylon t-shirt. Noted some consternation below about jeans. Bear in mind these are not typical heavy cotton jeans, but a light weave that's about 60% synthetic. I'll find out the brand and model when I get home. I sometimes wear synthetic sweatpants under and a synthetic sweatshirt over the t-shirt.
actually, I think they are these.
http://www.amazon.com/Wrangler-Mens-Rugged-Wear-Stretch/dp/B008PDF2QG/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
whoop, out of sequence here...this is meant for OP...and I guess they're 46% poly...though there's nylon in there as well.
thanks
I think I’m going to get the union-suit… and then some other pieces to go over and under…
Now what do you guys where over the dry suit socks? What do you suggest for that?
thanks agian. I plan on ordering everything tomorrow, and I’m sure looking forward to it.
JB
as a canoeist/poler
– Last Updated: Jan-22-13 9:40 AM EST –
I get away with mukluks. In my 'tight' boats, NRS "attack" shoes. Be aware of lack of foot room in a yak and order appropriately.In my squirt boat I would just put a pair of socks over the booties, 'cuz that's all that would fit.
The Union suit is real nice. I was offering options above as someone who gets out 4-5 days a week, often after work.
Personally, after 250 drysuit runs, I've never missed a peezip. Unzip the front zip, drop the shoulders, and I've been good to go ;-).
OK - was thinking cotton
That said, I have never really known what the name is for the synthetic pants that I tend to favor once temps start warming up. I suppose they could be called jeans as well…
You might try these for $30 at STP
– Last Updated: Jan-22-13 9:48 AM EST –
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/kokatat-seeker-neoprene-paddle-shoes-for-men-and-women~p~4906j/?filterString=gloves-hoods-boots-and-shoes~d~101%2F&colorFamily=01
They are Kokatat "Seekers". I got a pair. The soles are not at all robust. But the rest of the shoe is pretty good. Depends on how much walking you have to do to get to the put in. I will put a layer of Aquaseal on the bottoms of mine as a wear layer.
Nice selection of sizes right now too.
Whoops! I meant the undergarments
Will correct. A 2 piece dry suit is not dry in my experiences, just manageably wet in the right uses.
One thought re wool underlayers
I have to shy away from straight wool as a base layer because it makes me itch. But I can take wool as a layer over a super-wicking base one like CoolMax or the proprietary equivalents from sports stores. Just keep in mind that it is not necessarily one layer does all when it comes to drysuits, often a mix of two lighter layers works better.
Socks under and…
regular paddling boots over. I have settled on beating the heck out of NRS’s crew-height basic neo paddling boots until it gets to really cold stuff, then I go to a pair of diving dry boots that have the height of mukluks. And thicker neoprene for warmth. But lots of manufacturers have good basic boots and mukluks.
Many we paddle with favor Smartwool socks for inside the booties (have to protect the inner membrane there especially), or polypro for warmer temps. But any sock that is warm and wicks some will do. Happily there are many sources for good socks since you basically use hiking stuff.
thanks
for all the info. Going to be ordering everything tomorrow, and I’d hate to order something that isn’t right
Leave a half size up at least in booties
When you order any footwear. Or at least try them on before getting them wet with a good sock and the bootie. My feet run small, so no matter how well the suit fits I am doing some folding over.
Even merino wool?
Have you tried 100% merino wool garments, such as Icebreaker?
I’m in the same boat as you… I find regular wool sweaters, etc. to be itchy, almost unbearably so, but merino gives me no problems.
Apparently the fibers are considerably finer than reg’lar wool, which makes a difference. Color me surprised.
PS
Additionally, the ‘no stink’ and ‘breathes really well’ factors tend to make me like merino even more than fleece… and I like fleece.
Far as ‘still being warm when wet’ goes, that seems to be a rough tie between the two.
Hmm…
I can do socks with a high amount of merino wool in them, but then again I have typically been able to handle more in the way of straight wool including scratchy rag socks on my feet than I can take in something like a long sleeve top.
If I am someplace I could try something on I’ll give it a shot - but I’d have to be able to walk around with it for a few minutes to tell.