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.
What’s “reasonable” depends on…
… the thickness of your wallet. I ordered mine at Canoecopia, so besides having the chance to try on their “blanks” as a means of testing fit, I had the chance to talk at length with a factory rep. The cost of altering a suit to provide a proportionally better fit was too much for me to swallow. I’m not saying the price was unfair or anything, only that it was way too much for me to justify (I seem to recall that it was an extra few hundred dollars for any non-standard size, and I can wear a rope around my waist to take care of the issue).
consumer feedback welcome
"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."
“There was a time…” well we’re not talking about yesteryear.
Trying to buy his product is not giving him a break?
In what marketplace is consumer feedback not considered positive? Mistakes in basic advertizing print such as chest ‘diameter’ erode consumer confidence in the product.
prices
I believe the MSRP to add length to the arms or legs is about $70. Shortening arms or legs is about half that. More like $100 if you want to change the length of the torso.
45" is typically an XL drysuit
– Last Updated: Mar-06-14 9:15 AM EST –
I think Bombergear lists their XL as 46-48", but Kokatat and NRS consider 45" XL.
In garment manufacturing, and ordering, size quantities are based on a curve. Medium, Large in higher quantities, followed by XL, with Small and XXL as outliers.
The trend is for the curve to shift towards XL and away from Medium. But it seems 45" is still considered XL and would cover the majority of consumers.
Starting out most companies stick with the greatest amount of coverage (Pareto Principle).
I am a fairly fit 6'2", which creates its own challenges in terms of finding garments to accommodate my height without being baggy.
Drysuit sizes
Hey,
While I really appreciate all the good will that I’ve received from so many paddlers, I don’t expect folks to cut us any slack. Either our products work for you and are worth your money, or not. We’re a business, not a nonprofit, and we get that. But we are immensely grateful for discussions like this one, which give us a window into what paddlers want. It’s by far the best means we have to improve what we do.
We are listening carefully to opinions about size grading. By far the biggest issue we hear is that our suits are not big enough in general for some paddlers, or not “stout” enough for some whose height we’ve got covered. If we make any one change to our next production run, it will likely be the addition of larger sizes. (BTW: we haven’t heard a single complaint about quality. The other issues we hear about are features-related: some paddlers would like an overskirt/tunnel and neoprene covers over the gaskets. Both of those will raise costs, but they’re not out of the question for new models.)
The terms “extra-large”, XXL, etc., are only convenient shorthand for any one manufacturer’s sizes, and they’re rarely consistent from one brand to another. (Ever try on two pair of shoes in the “same” size from different makers?)So we won’t be changing what we mean by XL. It’s just not important if a Kokotat XL is bigger than a Mythic Gear XL. Anyone who follows the recommendations of any drysuit manufacturer should get the right size for that maker’s suits, and not necessarily any other’s.
Bob Holtzman, President
Mythic Gear
http://www.mythicdrysuits.com