dry suits which one?

I have been researching dry suits, narrowed down to Kokatat GMER, Stolquist Bpod, Palm Torrent or Skitine. Any advice or suggestion on direction?

Average height and build. Use seakayaking.

Hi from Sacramento
Hi, Randy.

I am also in Sacramento. The best advice I could give you would be to make sure you get one that fits and feels good to you.



We are lucky to now have Penguin Paddlers in Rocklin, and they are a great store and stock drysuits. You can’t go wrong there - check their website and maybe join our fantastic paddling club. http://www.penguinpaddlers.com/ Join us for our upcoming trips to SF Bay and Trinidad up north. You will want your new drysuit.



The other option (which I took before Penguin Paddlers arrived) is the Kayak Academy in Washington State http://www.kayakacademy.com/. George and Barbara have the largest stock there is of Kokatat Drysuits and are wonderful to do business with. They will ship you several types and sizes and have demos that you can actually try.



Drop me a private message if you like - you can take a look at our Kokatats. The Kokatat’s are more expensive than the brands that Penguin carries, and Garth at Penguin thinks that his are just as good. I have found Garth’s advice to always be correct, and he is very committed to seeing that you will be happy, and will make it right if you are not. George and Barbara are also great.



Whatever you get, I recommend booties and a pee zipper.

I have both a Bodypod and Kokatat
It seems like the Kokatat is just little bit beefier. If I know I’m going to take a swim that day I’ll wear the Kokatat if I’m looking for comfort I wear the Bodypod. Just my opinion.

Also in Sacramento, but bigger…

– Last Updated: Jan-05-08 5:50 PM EST –

California Canoe and Kayak off Sunrise and Folsom Blvd have a good selection and very knowledgable/experienced staff. They also have classes, trips, etc.
They also actually stock Kokatat and other "major" brands in their stores.

www.calkayak.com

I agree with the comment regarding Pee Zippers and Booties.... :-)

I’ve got a Palm Stikine and would…
…vote for that over the Torrent mostly because tests show the material to be much more breathable than that used in the Torrent and it’s got beefy metal tooth zips. It’s really a whitewater suit that’s built pretty durably.



Although, I’m quite happy with the Stikine, if I had it to do again, I’d probably go with the Kokatat GMER due to the fact that customer service issues will likely be easier to deal with the the result likely more confidence inspiring. Kokatat backs up their stuff very well from what I’ve personally seen and heard from others. To really get a good fit, like another poster, I’d vote for Kayak Academy. There may not be another business so versed in Kokatat drysuits and the myriad of custom options available. Good luck.

I like my Stohlquist White Water, good
fit, good air flow, built for abuse. No booties at this point is still my preference, but we are doing rescues in the St. Clair River tomorrow and I will update after that. Best of all $329 from REI.

don’t forget IR double D drysuit
http://www.immersionresearch.com/products/drysuit.html



considering the comprehensive search you are doing, one would be remiss not to consider this bad boy. it was the nicest looking, detailed, best feeling fabric of any i’ve seen, but i didn’t get a chance to try it on.



if i wasn’t so partial to Kokatat, this would be the suit i would be looking at the closest. Kgear is the top of the pops though, made in the US, exceptional quality, great service and warranty, can’t go wrong.

Another sac area boater


I’ve had a couple of friends that had Palm drysuits and had problems with them leaking.



I’ve got a Kokatat drysuit that has gotten heavy use for 6 years and is still doing it’s job. When it finally wears out I will buy another one without hesitation.



Bob

I have a Stohlquist B pod
and just ordered a NRS extreme drysuit. should be here on the 9th and I can’t wait to try it out. The Large size B pod is ok but leaves very little room for additional layering other than the fleece union suit I have. I got the extra large NRS to be able to ad more layers and general comfort. If it works as well as I think it will the Stohlquist will probably be up for sale. Shame too as I just had Stohlquist put in a relief zipper in it and it is in perfect ocndition. Maybe I will just keep it.



Paul

I’ve got the Stohlquist Body Pod…
I’ve used it 3 times in the last two weeks and so far I’m very pleased.



The glideskin neck seal is comfortable once you get used to its “snugness”, and was watertight for me, even while doing a dead man float and bobbing up and down at the end of the boat ramp in 55 degree water. Someone with a stringbean type neck where the muscles stand out may have a problem with it but for fleshy necked folks like me, it seals great.



Using it today with the air temp in the low 60’s, I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t overheat or even sweat soak the shorts and shirt I was wearing underneath it.



Tripp

another b-pod vote
I like my b-pod a lot (but I’m claustrophobic, and couldn’t stand regular gaskets around my neck). So far, it hasn’t leaked.

Palm Stikine
I have owned several Kokatat suits - Meridian, SuperNova, and love my Palm Stikine more. I like the way it fits, feels, the heavy heavy duty material and now (thanks to Sing) like the back zipper too.



I just feel more secure in this one, as I feel like I could hike through a mile of thorny brush and have no holes/tears/wear on this one, unlike my other suits that I felt had much thinner material.



With the added 18’ zipper pull cord Sing advised me on I can also ingress/egress the suit without any assistance, and this suit fits me so nice and has the waist collar for the sprayskirt to go under like the Meridian did too.



Great product!

B Pod
I’ve had only one other (basic NRS nonbreathable) but I really like my BPod. I’m hard on clothes and gear and after one summer it’s still solid. Reinforced in the right places. It’s in a different league than the kokatat tropos. I would get a relief zipper, booties and if you wear a neo spray deck, a tunnel. Outdoorplay carries them and you can get a discount for joining.



FWIW, if you’re a heavy sweating person like me, on warm days, you may want to view “breathability” with a jaded eye.

I like mine too but
the tunnel is a pain. the velcro grabs onto the zipper cover all the time while putting on and taking off.

Palm Torrent
I’ve worn the Torrent for two years and have been happy. Recently I found an area where there was some delamination occurring, I contacted Palm and now have a brand new suit. A point to make, the 2007 Palm Torrent has the same XP200 material as the Stikine. I have no issues with the rear entry and am able to open and close the zipper without assistance. I’ve never experienced any type of leakage although as with any zipper, if you allow foreign material to collect between the teeth, a leak may occur at that point. The quality and cut of the suit is superb and you definitely get your money’s worth.