super low cost drysuit

New Stolquist for $250
The other year I picked up a new base model breathable Stolquist suit on closeout for $250 at my local paddle shop in Portland. It didn’t have a relief zipper and only ankle gaskets, but full cuffs and a beefy zipper. That was a rare find, but I’d be curious about this new company. Exposed latex would probably see limited sun exposure and I bet the casual flat water paddler wouldn’t easily tear it. I guess the long term performance of the fabric and seams would be my main concern.

Hmmm
So I sent off a second emial via their website and still no response. I think I did piss em off. Or they sold so many drysiuts they don’t need to sell any more???


I’m replying
Windwalker – Have not received your email. Very sorry nonetheless. Please try me at my personal email: bob@yournameherecom.com. (note two "com"s.) I will answer your questions and also try to figure out why I didn’t receive your email through the website. Definitely not ignoring you intentionally.

I also have an old Stolquist
Way back in 1999 I bought a base model Stolquist exactly like you describe for a clearance price of $225. That was almost 15 years ago so this is a good deal for the less demanding paddler. BTW that old blue drysuit lasted me about 4 years of pretty rough use all over the Olympic Peninsula whitewater canoeing the Sol Duc, Elwha, Queets, Hoh, Bogachiel, Dosewallips, the Satsops, Canyon and an unforgettable experience going down the Wynoochee Gorge at 2000cfs where I almost flushed through “landslide Cascade”. I did portage and it was not easy!

Contact form not working; email instead
Thanks to Windwalker for alerting me to the fact that the contact form on our website isn’t working. We’re looking into the problem and will report back when it’s functioning. Until then, feel free to email us at info@mythicdrysuits.com.

Anyone else who submitted questions or comments through that form: very sorry that we haven’t responded. Unfortunately, I think your submissions are lost forever in the ether, so please email us directly and we WILL get back to you.

Another update: contact form IS working
So all the input from the contact form actually has been getting to me, feeding into a spreadsheet in Google Docs that I knew nothing about. Big duh!

Now that I know they’re there, I will begin replying to all those queries (there are quite a few). Again, sorry for the delay. If you sent a query through the contact form, you’ll hear from us soon.

shipping
E-mail says suits are going through customs, and shipping is planned to start 18 February. Got my credit card statement, and they have charged me for it already.

Hands On Perspective.
I met with Bob Holtzman last night, and he showed me one of his Mythic Gear drysuits. I have to make a disclaimer that I have never had a drysuit, and have limited knowledge with the things. However, I was pleased to find that the materials seemed decent quality, the seams looked good, and the zippers looked outstanding.



I would call the fabric light-duty, but definitely not cheap. It would not work for commercial fishing, but I think it will be fine for kayaking and canoeing. I would have reservations about spending a lot of time on land with it, or in environments where there is a lot of contact with abrasive or sharp objects, especially in the area of one’s wrists. In that sense, I think Mythic Gear will last longer in a sea-kayaking environment than whitewater or narrow creeks.



Bob told me that the sizing runs large. The medium he had with him looked a good bit larger. I normally run around XXL (sometimes smaller) and I am going to try Bob’s XL next week, as he thinks there’s a chance it’ll work. Having not seen it, I’m neutral on the odds, but I wil update on how it fits (with an unfortunately frank assessment of my own physique).



If it fits I’ll buy one and can give longer-term insight.

Drysuit needs Layering Underneath
You’ll want some room to layer some garments

underneath the dry suit fabric skin.

It most certainly won’t keep you warm just by itself.



Water conducts heat away from the body

at a rate about 25 times faster than air.

You might to take a look at “undergarments”

similar to these - http://ossystems.com/undergarments/

latest word
from Mythic is that after delays from weather and US Customs, the dry suits should arrive in Boston today, then be in Maine in a couple days.



I am looking forward to getting mine before Canoecopia so I can report on it at the club rendezvous.

Tomorrow!
I just spoke with my freight forwarder, and I’m assured that Mythic will receive its first shipment of drysuits tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb.25). We will ship by Webnesday latest.

Bob Holtzman, President

Mythic Gear

www.mythicdrysuits.com

Fingers Crossed
that I will be testing this weekend





Mike

Shipped
Ups tracking shows



Rockland, ME, United States 02/25/2014 3:35 P.M. The shipment has been dropped off and is now at a UPS Retail Location.



Soon!

Yep
I’m looking forward to reviews.

Tomorrow
According to UPS tracking, my suit will be in hand tomorrow.



I’ll let you know my first impressions. On the water testing will have to wait till the weekend.



Mike

It came today
I returned from some errands, and UPS had left the package at my front door. I noticed my only complaint as I drove up the driveway. The front of the box was not closed all the way. A single strip of packing tape was pulled along the opening between the flaps, and it had not stuck well to the box. One end of the box was crushed (UPS ?) so that the vertical corners had split, and I opened the flaps without disturbing what tape was there.



The inner bag was intact, and there was no damage to the suit, but the suit could have fallen out.



I tried it on, and will need to trim the gaskets before any extended wear, although I did not turn too blue. The hardest part for me in putting it on and taking it off was passing my shoulders through the zipper. That is MY problem as I am not as flexible as I was in my youth, and I have broad shoulders. The blue-gray color is much to my liking, and I think a good choice. I rubbed some paraffin on the outer surface of the zipper right off, and on reflection will rub some on the inner surface. I tried it over my street clothes, long johns (it was 3° F when I got up this morning), cargo pants, long sleeve T-shirt, wool socks, and pullover hoody with the hood down my back. It looks like the fit is okay. My wife, watching me thought I was torturing myself, but she does not paddle, so her opinion is not important in this matter.



A repair kit came in the bag, and after I get some bigger booties (Canoecopia next week ?) I should be ready for the first run of the year when the ice goes out.

Packing tape
Harry: thanks for the pre-review. Packaging problem noted. All boxes will be more securely taped in the future to prevent that problem from happening again.

Bob Holtzman, President

Mythic Gear

www.MythicDrysuits.com

chest diameter???
Hoped to place an order but the meager maximum chest size put a halt to that.



45" really?



chest diameter?



chest size limitations are probably the rate limiting step for more orders.

Americans are Fat

– Last Updated: Mar-03-14 11:27 AM EST –

There was a time when not nearly as many people were too big fit an "extra large" as is the case today. In any case, lets cut the maker some slack. He's just starting out and is spending money a lot faster than it is coming in, and probably aiming to cover sizes that will fit the majority of potential buyers. Let's hope he's successful enough in doing this that catering to the upper end of the size spectrum becomes cost-effective.

I seem to remember that my Kokatat drysuit is an extra-large, but whether large or extra-large, I needed that just so the legs and arms would be long enough (they could have made a tall suit in more slender dimensions, but that would have cost a lot more). It's so huge on me that at first I usually wore my PFD on the inside, and I still had room to spare.

kokatat sizing
Actually kokatat will change the length of arms and legs on a suit for a very reasonable fee.