curious as to how everyone else gets the air out of a drysuit. Tried squatting & opening neck gasket. While this does get some air out I still feel like the Michelin tire guy.
If I really want to get all the air out
… I get in the water and let the water push air out the neck and then each sleeve
Like Clarion said
You will feel like the contents of a FoodSaver bag.
'Course the opposite, inflation, can be rather good fun if you’ve got a couple of young nephews that need a raft. Exhale under the neck seal and become your own Man (or Woman) Raft. Just remember when venting to put your feet down first so your not held head down. Bad form.
See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
(new site)
warning
A word to the wise. Do not ingest Indian food the night before a big paddle. Or at least tether yourself to your boat.
Squat first then
Squat first to get some air out. Then I pull on neck seal put my mouth lower into seal and suck air out with mouth exhale through nose. You can pull that suit tight around you that way. It kinda looks crazy when you do it though.Getting into water also works really well if you can do it were you launch from. Sometimes the water isnt so great and I wouldnt want to get into it and get the dirty water on the suit.
Even worse
I used to frequent the New Year’s Day “Chili Run” on the Cartecay River in northern GA. The idea was to bring a crockpot of chili, sample everyone’s contribution, and then go out and paddle the river.
That was back when quite a few dry suits had a big inverted U-shaped zipper on the back that required a friend’s help to don the suit, or be released from it after the run.
Friends were sometimes hard to come by at the take out.
Third getting in the water
Get into the water, assuming you have a nice shallow area where you can walk in, and that’ll get all the air out. It will also give you a quick check on how well you closed the zippers. My double change of underlayers for a day’s paddle is partly due to having been careless about a zipper after a lunch break. 
I also prefer to stick my head in the water while I am there and get that out of the way, so it’ll be less of a change if I do end up in the water out on the paddle. Ideally you wait until your finger is out of the neck gasket from burping before you do that. But I screwed that up once or twice too.
crouch
I normally get enough out with the crouch and open neck method. Once I am in the kayak, I will also do a hug myself and open neck. Between these, I am usually fine.
if I am doing something where the chances of swim is high or I am at a beach launch, I will do the walk up to my hips-deep and open neck method.
In general, though, I don’t get all the air out. Guess I prefer it this way. There is enough out that I won’t float up in inconvenient ways.
A little air is Ok, but you definitely don’t want to be like this: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151150575383247&l=c093490ce6
Pray to Allah
is the method I use. On my knees, bow forward while holding neck gasket open. This stretches the back area while compressing the front, both of which force the air out the neck. River dunking was fun at first with a drysuit and is real effective, but as time went on I found this quicker and just about as effective.
Oh, I see now
Here I thought you were just acknowledging the river gods on a New Year’s day paddle.
Now I see there was another purpose. Gotcha!
See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
hey that was fun, Marshall
and I guess those days I don’t swim I can credit my “river god homage paying multitasking pose”.