Size for your midsection and shoulders
As long as the legs and sleeves are long enough. So if you cannot have the legs and sleeves shortened, be glad the “main tube” allows freedom of movement. The long legs won’t matter while you’re paddling, and if you cinch the cuffs the sleeves will be OK, too.
My drysuit is too big overall and it still works well. I’ve had it for 6.5 yrs. It’s the closest fit in Gore-tex that I could get, stock.
Mine is like a sprayskirt tunnel
The torso is so long that it hangs over the skirt’s tunnel. It’s fine while paddling but slouches down too much when walking. Then I don’t look like a clown; I look like a zombie shuffling around trying to hold up the waist. (Yes, it has elastic gathering there–not enough to snug it up!)
Sizing considerations
The most common mismatch problem in dry suit sizing seems to be someone whose rump or belly is big enough to need a size of suit where the arms and legs are planned to be for a taller person. I’ve known guys with this issue as well as women who, at least until there was more variety out there, preferred a pzip and had to get a mens suit to get one. NRS’s current approach, with the lowered pzip standard in womens’ suit, at least handles this.
I’ve been all around with this myself because I fit into the above women-who-wanted-a-pzip group.
My first suit was a mens suit with a bigger torso (to handle my non-male butt) but shortened arms and legs. The material is ragged as hell but I keep getting it patched and the gaskets replaced to have one I can take into surf and get dragged thru sand or in WW without guilt.
Because of the oversizing of the torso, by the time I get the PFD clipped on I am folding layers of the suit under the PFD. (No risk of anything up top filling that void.)
As a result of the folding and compression, the suit gets pinholes. Lots of pinholes - I lost count of the patches somewhere around 200. And there are wear points on the material itself just from the folding etc.
My husband’s suit, as well as the newer one I got that is a smaller size that fits more closely, have so far not shown this issue. What problems have shown up have been nice simple delamination. That’s OK, because if it is delamination Kokatat sends you a new suit. Pinholes just result in a long term relationship with their customer service reps, and you keep getting the darn suit back with more patches.
While the newer better fitting suit will require that I keep hauling muck buckets to keep things in check, it’s probably a better long term fit for durability than the big baggy one.
Answer to ?? from jcbikeski
KayakAcademy stocks an “L-King” in addition to the regular “L”. Per the statement I quoted above, the “L-King” is the height of a Men’s Large, but has a 58" chest and waist which is substantially larger than the waist on the XXL. KayakAcademy prices the “L-King” the same as their other stock sizes, so I assume they have some sort of arrangement with Kokatat for that special size.
Here’s the info: http://www.kayakacademy.com/cgi-bin/commerce.exe?preadd=action&key=KOKGFER
The size info for the L-King is at the bottom of the suit text.
Re: Sizing considerations
Ah Celia - that’s the info I was looking for!
You’ve posted a definate issue with a way-to-big waist (pin-holes from folding/wadding) and brought to mind another (getting the PFD on over all that loose stuff).
kayak academy
Well IF you go through kayak academy then just work with them to get them a list of your sizes and it will fit nice. If not through them then L-King isn’t likely an option, but you can follow the suggestions of Kokatat and get one that fits your waist/chest and then have them adjust other dimensions to fit you.
One concern is on point
The suit can be tight enough that getting it on requires some acrobatics, or at least a high tolerance for wedgies while you get it over your head. (Seems that they always come off easier than they went on.) That’s because most dry suits are made with a torso length in mind to go along with the other proportions, though you won’t find the neck to crotch measurement in any sizing chart I’ve seen.
So - something to keep in mind as a limiting factor on the other end.
I should mention that I have a small advantage over many. I don’t have to worry about what to use in winter season on a day with lotso layers, because at one point I picked up a used Coast Guard suit on EBay that is a women’s medium hence on the beeg side. It has a high fleece lined collar and some other stiffening features that make it less of a candidate for rolling practice, and it doesn’t breathe nearly as well as the newer suits, but then again these are good things on a winter day. It’s not like I am going to roll on purpose in 38 degree water unless someone has snuck a little extra something into my thermos.
too much of a good thing
A little extra torso space is preferable to not enough space, but I’d definitely not buy a hugely oversized drysuit on purpose.
Sounds like you’re a 40-42 waist/chest, and 6 feet-ish. If the XXL is the right body-size for you, you can order that, and have the arms and legs shortened to fit you.
Drysuits are expensive, and mine gets a ton of use. I’d get one that fits reasonably well.
extra large
I have the NRS extra large and I do feel like a little man in a big suit when wearing it (and I am not necessarily small) but a large was definitely helping me to hit high notes. Only matters when I am walking around and there is a drawstring that lets excess material fold over it. Otherwise, I find the suit very comfortable all things considered (it is a dry suit after all) and I can certainly do any kind of layering I want in it without running out of room. I think it woudl be hard for me to go back to a slightly more form fitting one now.
Paul
Reed Chillcheater
Reed Chillcheater from the UK makes all paddle suits from your personal measurements. $604 plus postage with booties and fly zipper. Takes 4-6 weeks from date of order. Check them out a www.chillcheater.com
Re: Reed Chillcheater
Thanks for the link, Falcon!
BTW, you aren’t the “Falcon” boy who wasn’t in the baloon, are you? 
Got one on the way!
After wandering around in a daze for a while, I called the Kayak Academy (they didn’t respond to an earlier e-mail). After giving them my various measurements, they recommended the large-king size (with legs, arms, etc. sized for Large, but the body sized larger than XXL). To confirm the correct sizing, they sent me a loaner suit like the one I’m interested in of the appropriate size. When it came in, I tried it on and called them per their request. After a few tests to make sure I had adequate room for movement, the sizing was confirmed and they placed an order from Kokatat to get mine. I get to hang on and use the loaner until mine arrives.
Thanks for all the comments folks, and thanks to the Kayak Academy for being so helpful!
Can you get the arms/legs shortened?
A suit that is way too big in the chest and waist will start developing pinholes from the folds and rubbing. This can result in many returns to the manufacturer for the addition of patches. One options around this is to get the legs and arms shortened.
Are you looking at a manufacturer who will let you do this?
drysuit alterations
Kokatat told me that an alteration on a new drysuit (e.g. if you order an XL with 2 inches taken off the legs) costs $60.
Alterations
When I discussed possible alterations with the folks at the Kayak Academy, I believe they said modifications are $20. I don’t know if that was just for a “standard” mod like KA’s “large-king” size (that’s what the up-charge was for mine) or for any mod. Of course, the different materials may have different alteration charges - due to my projected usage, I saved a couple of $ and went with the Tropos T3 material instead of GoreTex.
I bought an L-King Kokatat Tropos from
Kayak Academy and love it. They’ll work with you for what your best fit is. They also asked for my neck size and my neck gasket was trimmed perfectly before it arrived.
I can’t recommend them highly enough
Dry suit fit
I was a tight fit for a kokotat XL, since I was concerned about it beint too tight if I was wearing bulky stuff as insulation. I talked to the factory, and they made me a XXL with XL sleeves and legs. There was a moderate customizing fee, but the suit is fantastic.