“If you see someone emptying liquid
from their ankle gasket, I’d question their continence.”
Ha! Quote of the day. Unfortunately, I know someone who empties liquid from their ankle gasket, and it’s me! You might question if I’m fibbing, but I know I didn’t pee. I was surprised–appalled–the first time I saw how much sweat dumped out of that thing. But remember, I’m using an old polyurethane suit: no breathing.
Won’t happen with a breathable suit
At least, not with Gore-tex.
Before I bought a drysuit, I wore coated-nylon drypants. Much to my surprise, the condensed sweat even in the lower half was enough to soak underlayers.
Never happened when I wore the Gore-tex drysuit.
There will be sweat trapped under the sprayskirt tunnel and PFD, and under the long gaskets. But not in the pant legs.
The option of peeing down one leg is one I might miss with the new, socked suit. OTOH, the relief zipper and a FUD make that not-very-nice option a moot point. Whew.
On the fence
My Kokatat dry suit has Goretex socks but because my feet are on the smaller side they tend to bunch up creating a problem even with over sized NRS Boundary shoe’s which I prefer to use with the dry suit. I would like to see Kokatat raise the cuff to accommodate the use of mukluk type boots.
Yes to both
Once you’ve used a dry suit with socks, you’ll never go back to ankle seals. Always wear some kind of sock inside the drysuit. It will keep your feet warmer and more comfortable, and it will prevent the dry suit from developing “foot funk”.
muckluks
Most of the people I paddle with wear tall muckluks with their drysuit. No need to worry about where the ankle cuff is. Just wear the boots over the drysuit.
I wear water shoes similar to this
http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=2325&pdeptid=1169
with mine. They protect the socks without a lot of added bulk.
socks yes
Stohlquist has the same breathable fabric on the socks. I’ve been out in 70 degree weather in full sun, and was comfortable. I had on heavy fleece socks under the dry suit socks and those were bone dry. Had on the same neo shoes I usually wear. I’ve also warn wool socks and those stayed nice and dry also.
My Palm, Kokatat gortex light, and Stohlquist all breath really well. I’m most impressed by the Stohlquist though.
Really nice being able to remove the dry suit and be dry. No more wet neoprene socks. yuck.
Socks - two thumbs up!!!
– Last Updated: Feb-25-11 10:53 PM EST –
I basically follow the same advice provided by DCM, but then I have paddled with both Deb and her husband on several occasion. Good advice gets transferred.
I believe the OP also asked about leaks in the socks. It can happen. Gore-tex socks are not made to be worn without 'protection'. One can handle this in a number of ways. You could don your dry suit at home, camp or hotel before driving to the launch. When I do this I pull my dry suit on up to my midsection and tie the arms around my waist. I can then pull it on the rest of when I reach the water.
A second solution is to carefully put your dry suit on at the launch. What do I mean by carefully? Simply put I protect the socks by putting a large towel or blanket on the ground before changing into the suit. I never step off the ground cloth until I have pulled on my mukluks, overbooties or water shoes. How well has this worked. After 7+ years of use I recently returned my Kokatat GMER to the manufacturer for neck gasket replacement and pressure testing. They found four pin sized holes in the socks, but I had not noticed any substantial leakage. If I recollect correctly Kokatat changes a small, reasonable fee for the testing, but the repairs were free!. As Kokatat owners have already stated here on a number of occasions, Kokatat has excellent customer service and warranty support.
YMMV
I sweat quite a lot in a goretex drysuit. For some people it’s unavoidable.
Mukluks inside the pants cuff is better
With my Bomber Gear dry pants I could pull the pants leg over and then close the bottom velcro tight. With my new suit I can only wear the mukluks over the pants.
No question that mukluks inside keeps water out longer.
yes to both?
Only one question was a Y/N question
where’s Bowrudder?
Now who’s asking the newbie question and what have ou done with Bowrudder?
paul
(been waiting a while to be able to do this) 
Mukuks and dry suits
The Kokatat GFER suit that I have is designed to match up nicely with ankle high boots worn under the cuff which to me does not appear to be the best choice for cold water paddling as it leaves open the possibility of getting some cold water between the Goretex sock and your footwear. I do wear my mukluks on the outside but you do get plenty of fabric bunching in the calf area which can be uncomfortable after a period of time.
you’d think I’d been paddling
with my paddle upside down!
To tell you the truth, Paul, I don’t know what to do. I like the neoprene necks, but Kokatat won’t retrofit a drysuit for liability reasons (once a drysuit, always a drysuit), which I guess I can understand. (Not really.) As someone who tries to reduce, reuse and recycle, it’s hard to justify buying a new (semi) drysuit just for the neck. The integrated socks just add to the mix. I’ve never had them, and I can see what people like about them, but am happy with the set-up I have. (I like the no-worry, low maintenance aspect of not having socks.)
Wish I just had the confidence to do it myself. Or I wish Kokatat would let you sign a waiver and replace the latex neck with a neoprene neck.
dunno
but aren’t there other people who work with drysuits?
Paul
leaky
I have the built in socks with my dry suit
They leak and my feet get wet.
Mostly I’m tempted to cut a hole in them so at least the water drains out.
I wear over sized mukluks over the suit. If I 'm in water thats over the mukluk my feet get wet.
Hard to say if the water is forced through the material once it gets between the mukluk and the sock.
But I spent the other day with soggy, wet though warm feet. Wool socks that I wear inside the suite soaked up most the water, but all day wet feet is a drag in the middle of winter.
my worst nightmare
only, come to think of it, I guess I’m living my worst nightmare now: neoprene booties over neoprene socks. They get wet and there you go.
GoreTex booties …
stay dry if you take care of them. That means being careful when putting on the suit and removing the suit, wearing a light, clean sock and staying away from sand and grit. The booties also need to be covered by a closed shoe or boot as Suzanneh pointed out earlier - no open sandals, crocs, etc.
When they do spring leaks, and they will, you will need to patch them with GoreTex seam sealing tape. You can do this yourself or send the suit in to a repair facility for a pressure test and patching.
Best,
~wetzool
Gore-tex socks shouldn’t leak
Spidersplash, if you are wearing a Kokatat suit, call customer service and get an RA # and send it back fro analysis/repairs. Your socks shouldn’t be wet and you shouldn’t ever consider cutting a hole int he sock to drain the water.
If not Kokatat, it is possible to have your drysuit repaired - check with the manufacturer.
A drysuit that leaks as much as you suggest is not safe for any long swims and really compromises your safety.