I was between L and XL
got the XL and it is baggy but comfortable and I have room for a 3rd layer. One more to consider http://www.foldingkayak.com/used.htm
I was happy with a urethane coated nylon suit. Mine got a bit tight at the shoulders so I sold it.
For your head
Balaclava
http://www.ems.com/search/r2_results.jsp
or Henderson dive hood. http://www.scuba.com/shop/product.asp?category=28
Large
They will also loan you a suit if
you have to turn your suit in for repair to Kokatat. It’s all on the web site. Lotsa perks.
Paul S.
accessories, sizing, etc.
a neo/rubber skull cap. Come w. earholes and without. It will fit under a cap or helmet, too.Mine is by BomberGear - that’s my review in Accessories. BomberGear is gone but the skullcaps show up occ. on eBay. They are light and foldable, yet warming, and wash out easily.
Front entry is, for most folks, easier to do yourself. Drysocks as noted by Celia are much easier to slip into and out of by yourself. I put socks in mine and Chota River runners outside to protect the fabric.
Pee zippers are worth their weight in bulging bladders. I am female so my advice wouldn’t be worth a piss…
Sizing: take your hip, waist and chest measurements for the maximum layers of insulation you might be wearing… that might be a light wicking armless top, a full or armless union suit of performance Capilene fleece or wool, and a polarfleece four way stretch shortsleeve shirt over all… you get the idea.
you won’t need as much on top as you are paddling plus your PFD adds insulation.
You want a good fit, but not so tight you can’t add a layer for extreme cold. Or gain a few pounds 
Kokatat, NRS, & Stohlquist sell one piece liners to mate up w. their suits…see nrsweb.com they have liners on sale for men’s drysuits… George Gronseth (aka God) at Kayak Academy has really good deals on Kokatat drysuit liners…
Re Tropos breathability: can’t compare as I don’t have the Goretex version, but I did go full bore in 7 hours paddling last weekend with temps a balmy 54-56 degrees(water temps maybe 40 degrees,skin ice) here in MI and I did not sweat. Or perspire.
Tropos fabric is nice and quiet, too.
Differs for everyone of course. I am small and slender (5’3", 115 lbs) so my proportion of skin area cools off my total body mass more efficiently than someone who is larger.(Conversely I lose body heat more easily).
I wore the Tropos Meridian up to the put in, just left the front zip undone and the heat off. It was 35 minutes each way and no sweat. Literally.
Plus they loved it at Taco Bell… 
he got me set up with a
women’s Meridian Tropos drysuit w/ drop seat too!
Too bad I’m not a woman
$120 fee for the pee zipper
If you get one, be sure to drink PLENTY of water. Otherwise, if you use it only say 12 times, it works out to something like $10 a pee!
well…
it pays to be flexible…
BBB site…
I posted this on another thread, but if it helps you out…
http://www.bodyboatblade.com/else-retail.htm
Kokatat Watersports Wear
SALE: 25% Off Select Kokatat Dry Suits
Kokatat Gore-Tex Men’s Meridian (GMER), Size L, Mango, with relief zipper & GORE-TEX socks
Sale Price: $683.00 (Retail price: $910.00)
Kokatat Gore-Tex Women’s Meridian (GMED), Women’s Size L, Plum, with drop seat & GORE-TEX socks
Sale Price: $783.00 (Retail price: $984.00)
Kokatat Tropos Men’s Super Nova Paddling Suit, Size L, Radish/Gray
Sale Price: $334.00 (Retail price: $445.00)
Might give 'em a call and see if this stuff is still available. Good luck.
Why not the best?
Some of the following is from a previous post of mine.
My wife and I have the Kokatat Goretex models, with the boots and the relief zippers, and we are very pleased with them.
Re the boots: with latex ankle gaskets it takes two people to remove the suit.
Re the relief zippers: when you land on an island for a pit stop, do you want to remove the suit?
Re the Goretex: this material works very well, but it is possible to overwhelm it if you pile on so much underwear that you sweat profusely.
We bought ours from The Jersey Paddler and tried on store models for size, etc.
IMHO, if your life might be in the balance, why not get something that is reliable and has very good customer service? That is not to say that one shouldn’t buy the product at some sort of discount.
Just my two cents.
Do not have to remove the suit
with a front entry to take a wizz. Just undo the front entry zip and go.
I must be missing somthing
– Last Updated: Dec-21-06 1:44 AM EST –
Chuck, are you referring to the Kokatat suits? In the pictures it looks like the front entry zipper slants down to just above the hip. Do you have to pull your shoulders in, hunch over, and shift the opening, or something? What exactly is the maneuver?
edit: I'm hoping the maneuver doesn't include; a) peeing an arch up and over the opening, b) any really long organs.
Paul S.
(It was cold out there!)
Just bend at the knees
a little bit.
Picture, please
– Last Updated: Dec-21-06 8:34 AM EST –
Video is even better.
THAT IS AWESOME!!!best math ever!!!
Tr ust Me…
you don’t want to see. It’s really whacked to see Chuck contort himself behind the bushes…
sing
;))
Don’t want to pass on a freak show.
Kokotat is Best
I bought the KokatatMen’s Gore-Tex Front Entry Zipper & Socks four years ago and I love it! Something that I did not expect was how great it is for “bushwacking.” I often go exploring (old homesites, etc.) when I see something while I’m paddline. I don’t bother taking the suit off and I find I can just “plow” through the underbrush as the suit give me great protection.
Kokatat Also
GFER suit w. all the bells and whistles. I like it about as much as being encased in a neoprene sausage casing is enjoyable. Opted for the most breathable Gore Tex, and can’t imagine what a less breathable fabric would feel like, as at anything over leaf watching pace, I feel like a pack of Birdseye vegetables simmering inside.
It seems extremely well made, and most rave about Kokatat standing behind their product,something I value greatly. The one piece booties are nice, but make sure you have a large enough pair of Chotas or other footgear as they do take up some space. Can’t fit them in my Nike water shoes. Have yet to use the relief zipper, but I know that had I not bought it, I would have needed it regularly.
Had to trim the neck gasket; a month’s stretching time over a 2 liter bottle and then a basketball did nothing, and the first time I put it on, I almost popped a hose from cutting off blood flow to the head. Don’t really have any issues getting it on and off. Mine ran $545 at the end of the season sale at my local outfitter a year and a half ago-quite a discount from the $800+ it was selling for in season.