Another consideration for choosing between a Kokatat suit in gore tex vs something else is the warrantee. The tropos warrantee is only for two years. The GT stuff is “reasonable lifetime”. I just had my first Expedition suit replaced after 11 years of hard use due to some de-lamination/leaking. No charge and no questions asked. $1200 is a lot for 1 great suit but is a good deal for two. I had a tropos paddling jacket and it did not breathe very well at all.
I am not sure, but I think the Goretex version has a better neoprene neck gasket. I have a Tropos padding suit, and the neck gasket seems thin and uses a flap with velcro to help seal better. I have a semi-dry top from Kokatat in Goretex and it has a thicker neoprene neck gasket and uses a draw string the seal tighter (when you need it - generally I don’t). That thicker neoprene neck with drawstring seals much better for me. I assume the Goretex paddling suit has the same neck gasket, and wish that I had gotten that rather than Tropos.
Peter’s recollection is correct. The Surge Paddling suit has the thicker Neo cinch able turtleneck.
See you on the water,
Marshall
The Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
fb.me/theriverconnection
Thanks. I looked at the descriptions on Kayak Academy website, and I do see the difference now. Gortex suits call it a neo cinch collar and Super Nova calls it an APT, adjustable punch through collar. I never noticed the difference before.
If I save up for a suit, I think I would go for the Surge in order to get the Switch Zip. It looks so much more user friendly for a gal than the butt zipper. Price on the Surge is $850.
Tried the GoreTex ironing tip suggested by Marshall. It does make the sock material feel crisper but unsure when I’ll get to do a water test as the local inland lakes are now ice covered. Going to have to be a sunny and calm day before I’ll chance Lake Michigan in the winter.
On a positive note, base layers are are nice to wear when blowing out the drive so some of my gear will get used.
You can reduce the amount of moisture by using an antiperspirant on the soles of your feet. Learned that trick many years ago hiking mountains all day in warm weather.
That is a problem for a lot of people – we all vary in how much our extremities perspire. and people whose feet sweat a lot are at much higher risk not just for discomfort from cold but from frostbite. My boyfriend in 1976, a very accomplished climber and alpine mountaineer, ended up stranded overnight on a ledge just below the summit of Aconcagua in the Andes, the highest peak outside the Himalayas. He was with another friend of mine who was wearing single thickness boots and gaiters. My BF had better high-tech double insulated boots, but he was a heavy sweat-er. His liners and wool socks became soaked and frozen. They both suffered from frostbite, but the guy with dry feet only had some skin loss and scarring on one big toe but the BF ended up being hospitalized for 3 months while we watched every one of his toes die and literally fall off or be amputated above the first joints. He did recover (and continued to climb and ski) but can never wear flip flops again. Now known (but only to close friends) as “No-Toes”. At least in kayaking you won’t get frostbite (unless you are stranded ashore in sub freezing conditions).
It’s interesting to hear that antiperspirant can help with this wet feet situation. I wish it would help with my own issues – I barely sweat at all except for my head and face which more than make up for the rest of my skin area. If it is at all hot and humid I am continually blinded by a waterfall of sweat pouring off my scalp and forehead into my eyes (a trait I inherited from my mom and have in common with most of the other females on that side of the family). My armpits will be completely dry but my hair and face will be dripping. Have tried every type of headband/Buff/scarf/hat, even the cooling gel ones, and nothing works to stem the flood. I have never tried antiperspirant on my face (since the rest of me doesn’t really sweat I don’t own any anyway) but figure it would not be good thing to have washing into your eyes.
I sweat on my forehead too. I keep several bandannas and swap when I need too. I wring them out and let them dry as the next one wets out. works fairly well for me. When I eat hot spicy food my forehead sweats. I should carry a bandanna when I eat Mex, Thai, etc. Maybe start a new fashion statement! 
got some Nixwax DWR because the low portion of my socks on my Kokatat dry suit were not beading up. I pulled up the leg and did the entire black sock. I could see where the ankle and below was the only part really taking the solution. Rest of the boot ankle up was beading the DWR and not really letting it in.
Castoff: Your comment about your hot food reaction reminded me of a rock climber boyfriend in my 20’s who loved super hot food but was very fair-skinned and would flush bright red and sweat profusely when he ate it. One wintry night after we had gone ice-climbing at a local highway road cut we headed with two other male climbers to our favorite Chinese restaurant. They all ordered dishes that displayed the mega-hot 3 red pepper icon warning on them in the menu and I quickly realized the dinner had become a macho “pissing match” as to which of them could withstand the most intense heat. Though it was about 10 below zero outside and not all too cozy in the dining room, all three of them started perspiring profusely until sweat was dripping off their moustaches and “mountain man” beards onto their plates (eeew). One of the guys was good friends with the owner who finally brought out his own private stash of tiny shrivelled black peppers in a jar of strangely colored thick oil. Our two companions each sampled one and dove for their water glasses. My beau chewed his thoughtfully, pronounced it “delightful” and requested a second sampling. So he “won”. It turned out to be a Pyrrhic victory – when we got back to my apartment he drank a half gallon of milk yet still had to make several urgent trips to the bathroom through the night
, reporting that the fiery flavorings were just as scalding to his nether regions as they had been to his tongue.