We have a 24 hour layaway on the only instock Stolquist ladies BodyPod, large size, for about 1/2 retail ($300 Cdn). Suit looks great, quality seems excellent, but there's one major concern. The neck gasket seems really tight when trying to remove it - both my wife and I had real problems trying to get the suit off over our heads. The top rim of the gasket is so tight that we both needed assistance to get it off.
Is this normal??? Does the gasket stretch somewhat with use??? Are there any 'tricks of the trade' for the glideskin gaskets??? And finally, can it be replaced???
The deal is so good we hate to pass on it, but we don't want to spend money on a drysuit with a neck seal that's actually painful to remove. Any experience with the B-Pods would be greatly appreciated.
The neck gasket will probably have
ring markers so that you can trim it. And Stohlquist will probably supply recommendations for trimming. To trim the gasket to the point that it is both comfortable and easy enough to don and doff is standard procedure.
I usually stretch, rather than trim, neck and wrist gaskets using 2 or 3 liter soda bottles for the neck gasket, and 20 oz soda bottles for the wrists. But this is a slow procedure, and is not going to work for you if you need to put the drysuit into service as soon as possible.
There are two myths about these procedures, that trimming causes small nicks that may result in gasket tearing later ; and that stretching with pop bottles causes invisible damage that normal wear and pulling on and off one’s head strangely does not produce. Both are suburban myths. They just are not true.
So, read up on trimming, for which you will receive lots of additional advice.
That’s Really Bad Advice…
If you stretch or trim the gaskets on a bPod, you will destroy them.
The gaskets used on a bPod are neoprene, not latex, and cannot be trimmed or stretched.
That said, you MAY get used to it... I have a Stohlquist shorty with the GlideSkin neoprene neck gasket, and I got used to it in a few hours... they're pretty comfortable for most neck sizes... The bPod is a good, but atypical drysuit.
On the upside, you posted this in the correct forum, in case anyone tells you otherwise... (inside joke :-)
Edit: The bPods have neoprene gaskets, the gPods have traditional latex... The OP states they're referring to the BodyPod (bPod).
Yep
Or rather, nope, you shouldn’t trim glideskin. But stretching it out as stated should help - the one I had loosened up in time.
I have a B pod
and my neck was to skinny (only thing on me that is skinny) and I got leakage around the neck. Contacted Stohlquist and they replaced the neck with a smaller size at no charge. If you don’t get used to the feel, contact them the necks can be replaced.
bpod neck gasket
I purchased a bpod a few months ago and I also found the neck gasket to be a little tight. I called Stohlquist and they changed the neck gasket to a larger size at no charge. Now it fits like a charm.
My experience
I had a b-pod and also had a terrible time getting it on and off over my head. Once it was over my head it was too loose around my neck and it leaked crazy. I returned it for a g-Pod with the latex neck and it was easier to get on, more comfortable and kept me dry for a while. Unfortunately, after about a month of use it started to leak into the booties and around the waist. It was leaking through the fabric. I returned it and bought a Kokatat and I am very happy with it.
Clearly I didn’t know the nature of the
gaskets. Wish I had googled to find the product. (DOH !) I have a Palm semi-drytop with folded-over neoprene/fabric gaskets, and as they are tight, I have puzzled over how to deal with it. They have been on stretchers whenever the drytop is in storage. I'll have to check and see if the gaskets have stretched usefully.
One screwball solution to the wrist gaskets would be to cut away the outer layer. On my wrists, the inner layer would still glide and would seal. I'd have to cuff or seal the ends.... Problem doesn't bother me much because this Palm was purchased at a real bargain price.
Thanks For Responses
We appreciate folks taking the time to share their experience with us re the neck gasket.
Chris purchased the suit this afternoon, and Stohlquist's repair facility has issued us an authorization number to have the neck gasket replaced with a larger one at no cost to us beyond shipping. They've also asked us to let them know how the new gasket feels - "We want her to be comfortable with the fit", is how the lady I spoke with put it.
Full marks to Stohlquist for promptness in responding to our concerns (less than 6 hours after I called and left a message),and for standing foursquare behind their product. The suit will be off to Colorado after Chris does a brief test swim in the next few days to make sure it doesn't need any further attention while it's there.
Again, our thanks for the advice and info from the p.net community, both on the board and via email, and to Stohlquist...