Wetsuit...how thick?

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.

Half priced brand new drysuit, about the same cost as a nicer wetsuit:
http://www.rivermiles.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1538343678

How does the NRS Hydroskin stuff, compare with a real wet suits? Been looking at both, as a bridge between shorts and my drysuit.

Hydroskin, for me, is summer or pool wear. I use it to keep me more from getting sunburn than for immersion protection.

sing

0.5 mm Hydroskin is for sun protection, but the 1.5 mm is decently. warm and easier to layer than thicker neoprenes.

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.

…hydroskin for summer…

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 :frowning: 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.

my personal opinion, you would be much better off with a “cheap” drysuit and buying some fleece pajamas at walmart as a under layer
https://www.mythicdrysuits.com/collections/drysuits,

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

@tdaniel said:
my personal opinion, you would be much better off with a “cheap” drysuit and buying some fleece pajamas at walmart as a under layer
https://www.mythicdrysuits.com/collections/drysuits,

I wonder if Mythic is still in business. Many suits are out of stock.

@melenas said:

@tdaniel said:
my personal opinion, you would be much better off with a “cheap” drysuit and buying some fleece pajamas at walmart as a under layer
https://www.mythicdrysuits.com/collections/drysuits,

I wonder if Mythic is still in business. Many suits are out of stock.

Hmmm… Maybe going of business. The female model grabbed a left over drysuit for a guy…?

https://www.mythicdrysuits.com/collections/drysuits/products/taruba-unisex

It says “uni-sex” but the design clearly favors the male function. Just saying…

sing

Dying sucks I have heard. So if you don’t have proper gear stay home.

@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. :wink:

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! :smiley:

sing

You don’t want to die dumb because you cheaper out.

@PaddleDog52 said:
You don’t want to die dumb because you cheaper out.

Ok. I hear you. But, even with the “best” gear, nothing is 100%.

I don’t know the statics of it, but I think I am actually more likely to die pedaling to work than going out paddling. I wear my helmet and reflective clothing. Still several years back, a woman broadsided me in front of an entrance to a mall and sent me flying 20’ or more across the road. I tucked in the air and rolled and came up luckily with a few minor bruises (my bike fared much worse). Another time, my attention lapsed and I went into a pothole and did a head over heels with my feet clipped into the pedals. I got knocked out and blew out my knee (torn ACL and ripped meniscus). Having experienced these, I could give up biking (as many has suggested and some said outright) and get into a car crawl through traffic on the daily commutes… No thanks. I acknowledge that I may die yet while commuting by bike. But, when the times comes, so be it. No one lives forever (and I don’t want to). :slight_smile:

sing

Nothing’s 100% but my father said “good care takes the head off bad luck”

How much money did the owner of North Face have? Millions but bad choices killed him.