Personally, I think its recommendations are generally ok for the warmer end of each range specified, but near the colder end, IMO, their recommendation would leave you cold and I personally would go with the next thicker suit for warmth.
the pacific around me is ~65° and I am comfortable in a 4/3 full wetsuit. I figure it could get a few degrees colder before I switch over to my drysuit.
Like willow says, your body fay has a large effect on your personal perception of the coldness of water and resistance to cold. I am athletic with very little body fat and get cold rather quickly in cold water.
As other people mention, if you’re close to help, civilization, and rescue, a somewhat thinner suit is ok. If you need to survive for hours in cold water, a thicker suit should be chosen.
ALso, as willow says, I got my Kokatat goretex suit for $250, so a used drysuit is affordable. Also Mythic Drysuits are available for as cheap as $250 new.
This is an informative video, though the guy with no protection is a Champ and the woman who bails early with plenty of protection is a wuss. the guy lasts 15mins in freezing cold water. hes a badass (but also had a rescue crew literally standing around him)
I picked up a semi-drysuit on clearance for around $280. I usually wear a thin wetsuit on underneath it and/or wool layers. Works perfectly. Have literally gone swimming with it as well as routinely jump in during the coldest months. The caveat: wouldn’t be the best for lot’s of rolling, surf zones or going a good distance offshore in really cold water.
I know they’re a lot of money, but quality drysuits last a really long time if you take care of them. They are more versatile for different weather conditions, and generally give better mobility. Having used both, I don’t think there’s any comparison.
I still use a shorty wet suit sometimes in the spring when the air is warm and the water still chilly. But since solidifying some reliable rolling skills I wear my drysuit in much warmer conditions than I used to, and just roll frequently to moderate my temperature.
@Sparky961 said:
I know they’re a lot of money, but quality drysuits last a really long time if you take care of them. They are more versatile for different weather conditions, and generally give better mobility. Having used both, I don’t think there’s any comparison.
I still use a shorty wet suit sometimes in the spring when the air is warm and the water still chilly. But since solidifying some reliable rolling skills I wear my drysuit in much warmer conditions than I used to, and just roll frequently to moderate my temperature.
So, having skills and/or skilled partners really extend your range of options. Middle of this week, I went surfing (solo surfing as usual) in my long boat with a 2 mm full wetsuit, under a drytop and a pfd. it was 40 degrees air and 53 degrees water (which according to the generic charts, I would be “pushing the safety limits”). But, as I expected, I was sweating like crazy sprinting in and out of the surf zone. And, of course, bracing and lots of inadvertent rolling happened. Enough so to cool me off. I never came close to coming out of my boat (the rolls felt more effortless in the long boat than with my waveski). If i did, it would not have been a long swim back to shore. If I were further out, I am pretty sure I would have been able to do a re-entry and roll and/or a paddlefloat re-entry in under 15 minutes. Certainly within the timeframe before I would have been physically incapacitated by hypothermia.
In the past, I would have been in fleece, drysuit, and PFD. I would have also been totally drenched from sweat (so much for making a lie of the "dry"suit concept). If I didn’t wear sufficient layers under drysuit, then I would not be as sweaty and drenched. But, the trade-off would be that I cut my window of time to safely to do re-entry (but likely well within my skills portal).
Again, what I am getting at is the the window of safety is hugely contingent not only on a person’s physical characteristics, but on the paddling venue, the partners and their skilled levels. So the “right” choice in immersion protection is really hard question to answer for someone other than oneself (provided one is self awared).
Yup, completely agree with your above comments, @sing. Hence my initial (and perhaps a bit curt) response to the question
There are just so many variables in the equation. If I couldn’t roll proficiently, I’d often be sweating to death in my drysuit, despite the ice and snow around me when I paddle in the winter.
I paddle in the waters of Mine in the summer. A thinner category of hydroskin (last I looked there were two weights) is often my top when paddling near shore to watch osprey diving for their dinner and the drysuit would be overkill. But I am talking very non-challenging paddles because even in July the water is usually in the high 50’s.
hmm, well down here in northern FL, hydroskin is great for winter.
my ‘daily stretch’ paddles are pre-dawn, so a bit cooler temps (and no sun).
Winter (predawn) is typically higher 40’s, some warm spells, some cold spells.
All things being equal (wind, waves, tidestream direction), for me, my formula is:
anorak +
60s = 2 light polypros
50s = 3 (usually 1 light + 1 mid)
40s = 4 (1mid + .5hydroskin or 2 light)
For me, a .5hydroskin is equivilant to a mid or 2 light polypro shirts
If I’m going to be getting wet, I’ll use the hydroskin.
note: I’m of slight build, some may prefer less, and I don’t ‘push it’, so don’t build up a sweat
Medawgone: the 1,5 Hydroskin has a “fuzzy” interior that I find more comfortable than a wet suit, You do get damp inside of it, either from water flushing in or sweat, but I don’t find it as uncomfortable on my skin as the conventional neo wetsuits I have due to the texture and stretchiness. The only drawback I have found to it is that it takes a long time to dry out after you have worn and rinsed it. I went to a 4 day kayak camp and was glad that I brought both the long pants and jacket and the Farmer Jane (all 1.5 Hydroskin) because it took 2 days hung in the cabin to get the garments dry , even turned inside out and I could rotate them. Yeah, I know I could have just put them on wet, but since we did a lot of early morning standing around on shore for lectures and instruction I preferred starting with a reasonably dry layer.
There are wetsuit makers who use a more comfortable brushed surface stretchier material – Henderson is one that comes to mind. What I like about the NRS products is that the designs are paddler-centered and it does make a difference. Though I find my standard back-zip, padded knees surfer wet suit is great for canoeing, it is not that ergonomic for kayaking,
VC…I have a Kokatat Drysuit for sale for only $350…it is the GMER model. Gortex. It is in very good condition. Hate to admit it but I can’t fit into it anymore and need to size up. The Drysuit is a size Large. Text me: 518-796-6289 or pitmartin@roadrunner.com …if interested…
@pitmartin said:
VC…I have a Kokatat Drysuit for sale for only $350…it is the GMER model. Gortex. It is in very good condition. Hate to admit it but I can’t fit into it anymore and need to size up. The Drysuit is a size Large. Text me: 518-796-6289 or pitmartin@roadrunner.com …if interested…
It kills me to pass that up, but a large would be too big for me Thanks for the offer though!
Perhaps it is, but make sure you also consider the thickness of the insulation layers you’ll be adding. A drysuit on it’s own offers almost no thermal protection in the water.
I own a Kokatat Expedition XL, more for the height than the width. But I’ve found when paddling in the winter that the extra bulk is handy. I’d love to have different sizes for different conditions, but I’d also love to win the lottery… which you need to play in order to win, and I don’t.
I’ll gladly spend more on clothing than a boat or paddle so i can boat in the winter( in wv)- your life could depend upon it, so going cheap ain’t a good idea for true winter paddling- just my two cents
@PaddleDog52 said:
Dying sucks I have heard. So if you don’t have proper gear stay home.
You obviously didn’t hear from someone who died.
You can die physically once. If you live your life in fear of dying, you’ll die a thousand deaths. (A warrior’s saying.)
In terms of “staying home,” I don’t. With paddling, I just learn to stay away from being engaged with certain types (as they are would mutually want to stay away from me… so it all works!
Thanks for the offer though!
