Dry suit

Kaya
Thanks for the recommendation. This will be fun to research.

Immersion research is BEYOND great
Like many have said, you get what you pay for. With Immersion Research you get great value and lifetime warranty against defects. I had the old back entry suit and it served me very well for years until I got tired of reaching the back zipper. The new Arch Rival suit with front entry zipper is a game changer. It’s as tough as nails. I upgraded mine with fabrics socks and it’s perfect. Highly recommend immersion Research and they also have fantastic customer service. Very personal and responsive.

Dry suit suggestions - general
Get something with a proven lifetime warranty - usually means the materiel and zippers. If you use the suit hard you’ll likely end up taking advantage of it.



Front versus rear - I have never owned a rear entry suit per se, but do have one suit with a drop seat. I had exactly the issue cited by guideboatguy, getting a purchase to start the unzip myself, and had to be unzipped out of the thing more than once. And that was well before I hit Social Security age. Got my primary suit with a lowered p-zip.



As others have said, booties. They become a maintenance point and themselves. They are scrunched into shoes/booties and folds aren’t great for laminate materials. But even leaking a bit, with wool socks underneath you stay warmer than with no booties.



Extra tunnel to mate with skirt - I have with and without. Really can’t cite any diff between the two in terms of that. Suit without a tunnel is easier to get in and out of.



You may have a body chemistry that eats latex gaskets no matter what kind of care you take. I have that issue on my neck gasket despite forgoing creams etc when paddling. It is not a reflection on the suit, just might mean that you’ll want to get a backup suit to have around with a less dry neoprene neck. You can either send a suit in somewhere for a new gasket or, for most of them, get a repair kit to do it at home. But it is worth finding out what your repair options are.



A pocket or two can be handy, for the small stuff that is waterproof and you forgot to stash anywhere before being fully suited up and ready to launch. Not a reason to skip a suit, but if two equal suits are different in this respect you’ll like the pocket.

General
Good input. Thought the tunnel was a no brainer but you make lots of sense. Do I really need one, not going over falls or WW. Also I like the easier part. Think I’m going with front entry. Had one knee replaced, soon the other and had both shoulders rebuilt where the DR said he can’t do any more, next time will be replacements. Don’t have the flexibility/ strength I use to have and always in pain. At this point, would like to keep things simple but want reliable gear. I’m a pocket dude also :-)Thanks for your suggestions.

BEYOND
I like IR, saw the video for the Arch Rival. Good input, thank you.

Rent one to see what you prefer
Some shops in the Puget Sound area will rent you a Kokatat Gore-tex drysuit at reasonable cost. It will probably have a front zip. Try it on, go for a paddle, and see how you like the zipper placement.



I first owned a Stohlquist Gore-tex suit, back when they made them. The suit was pretty good but the long-term customer support went away after they stopped using Gore-tex. The suit was leaking in several areas along the sealed seams and the waist’s gathered area had abrasion inside, revealing the Gore membrane under the former lining. I was willing to pay for repairs but Stohlquist just told me to take it elsewhere for servicing.



Instead, I bought a new Kokatat GMER suit with relief zip (lowered front one for women, a special order), Gore-tex booties, and skirt tunnel. My first suit lacked these features, and I was OK with it but, WOW, having the relief zip is definitely better. The booties help keep feet warmer and drier, and the tunnel reduces water intrusion when capsized. For not that much more money, it’s worth getting these options, especially since you will be in cold water year-'round.

Rent.
Good advice. Didn’t know they rented dry suits. Agree with ya on the booties and relief zipper. I have received a lot of great comments. Thank you.

You’ll need larger boots also
When you use a drysuit with fabric foot covers, you need to upsize your paddling shoe by a size.



Just a heads-up.

Rear zipper
While I personally prefer a front zipper, there are some that prefer the rear zipper. Here is a you tube that I just saw that showed how one guy gets in/out.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGj2m5nn_mI

Wow $1100 for a dry suit .
I think I was into kayaking for several years before I even spent that much money on a boat.

Icon
Celia,

Here is the women’s Icon. Personally I LOVE the colors in this suit and the paneling on the leg. Really looks great.





http://kokatat.com/products/dry-suits/gore-texr-icon-dry-suit-women.html



There is a men’s one in the new denim colors too.



Suz

Where you paddle, personal tolerance
Paddling year round in the northeast or interior northern part of the country makes that money worth finding pretty quick - air temps in the 20’s, wind chill lower than that and water temps in the high 30’s.



It is a also personal tolerance. I am cold when some I paddle with are OK in wet wear. By my late 50’s what bit of fat I had was not enough to be warm without also being dry.



Both of these considerations come around regularly in discussions about why people opt for dry suits. It’d be interesting to live in a place where these temperatures weren’t an issue, but many of us don’t.



As to the cost - you are buying the warranty as well as the suit. Both my husband and I have had our Kokatat suits replaced on full because of delam. So that is really about a grand spent just once, for approximately a decade of suits for my husband and a good five years for me. (My first suit didn’t really fit right and pin-holed instead.) At about $100 per year, my husband is not unhappy with the price.

Colors are nice
I like anything that is not yellow - after I finally had to roll to lose a bee that followed me offshore I’ll take anything that isn’t (yellow). I like pink/purple these days a lot. Though I have gotten terribly attached to the pockets in the Expedition.



But the women’s colors are thus far not in play for me. The shoulders have been an issue in the Women’s sizing that otherwise matches me, even if I was in love with the drop seat. Despite appearances, I am proportionally broader there than the apparent model. No matter - as long as I keep my posterior in check, I am a perfect fit for the unisex small. And getting that one part back where it should is good for me…



Anyway, I just mailed my suit in yesterday for a checkup. It’ll come back in some color that isn’t yellow.

I think this is a bit of an issue
with young people getting into sea kayaking.



They see outlays like this and there is no way most people under 30 can think about spending the kind of money older established people don’t even blink at.



I think we need to remind people that you can paddle safely in 45 F water in a wet suit that costs $180. (have done so comfortably where original poster is thinking of paddling)



On Facebook recently Sean Morley had a discussion about why seakayaking is dying out, and I think this is one of the reasons.

I’d get the tunnel
Its helps ease the “purging” process (getting air out of the suit), and it makes for a cleaner interface with your spray skirt.

I could not agree more

– Last Updated: Mar-25-14 12:45 PM EST –

Personal comfort doesn't help ease the pocketbook, and one can spend less than $1100 new for a drysuit that will adequately protect them and provide adequate comfort.

Issue

– Last Updated: Mar-25-14 1:54 PM EST –

Thanks for your input. I've paddled for years without any suit, then bought a cheap paddling jacket, than a shorty wetsuit. The wetsuit was just too uncomfortable so just went with my jacket. Jacket doesn't handle keeping me dry if I go over but keeps the weather off of me. Can't remember ever coming close to capsizing. Never had a dry suit even when I was diving up here. However, I am older, and not as strong or flexible as I once was, joint replaced and soon others. I participate in the annual Polar Bear jump in Olalla but can't seem to handle the cold water like I use too. I've gone from a "What the $#^%" kind of guy to thinking about my limitations. Spending that kind of money on a suit is hard to do but as annotated above in some other posts, for me, the benefits outweigh the costs. Plus being retired, I'm thinking I would like to start paddling year round. Kids of today are not like kids when I grew up. We played and seeked adventure. I think kids see sea kayaking as too slow and requiring too much work. Thanks again for your input.

where you paddle
Nice comment. I’ve become cautious in my old age. In the past I would have no problem climbing up on the roof to install Christmas lights, now I have some reservations. I just don’t have the strength, flexibility, and just physically unable to do the things I use to. I now look at the risks. If I ever did become incapacitated by the cold water, I couldn’t put somebody else at risk trying to save my butt because I wasn’t prepared. Some of the kayak clubs out here require a dry suit to participate in some of their trips. I’m going to pick up a suit, just not sure which one. I see you like the Kokatat.

slush
I’m sure any of the top brand dry suits would fit my needs. I am a believer however, you get what you pay for. Besides, if I didn’t spend some bread on this I would probably have thrown the money away on something else; not that I have money to throw away. You know what I mean. Thanks for your input.

Partly agree
The outlay for a good drysuit is high. Then again, if that same person is buying a $3000 kayak that’s available in rotomold version for half as much, he could’ve had both the roto and the drysuit and insulation for $3000.



It’s like buying a car: Do you have some of your budget allocated for gas and maintenance? To kayak in cold water, more money has to be set aside for warmer immersion wear. What that wear consists of is highly subject to individual body tolerance of cold. It might mean needing a drysuit.



I sometime go out when the water is 40-something degrees wearing only a 3mm fullsuit, but that’s ONLY in calm conditions, fairly sheltered area, and no intention of “wet practice”. If there’s any doubt in my mind, the drysuit goes on. I already know how I react to being in such cold water. The OP sounds like he already knows cold water by having dived in it many times.