I have dry suit pants that I use in cold weather. I paddle very stable SOT so haven’t worried about the top half. I wear synthetics with a splash top.
I have a boat coming that won’t be as rock solid as those I have.
Where is a good place to find a dry top?
Kokatat and other decent brands or outlets.
1 Like
I usually shop NRS or Kayak Academy for dry wear. That’s assuming that you don’t need to try one on.
2 Likes
Per ideas below.
But be aware that if you really take a swim, most two piece combinations will leak at the waist. The two piece separates are generally only dry if you can roll, which minimizes your time in the water to a matter of seconds.
If you your dry pants are of the bib type with a pull down tunnel that can be mated with the inner tunnel of a dry top, the combination can be quite dry. I spent two entire days with a Kokatat combo of this type at a swiftwater rescue symposium at which we swam rapids, waded water over waist deep, rescued pinned boats in swift water, and practiced rescues in which we took turns playing victim, fully immersed in the water. I had only a very small amount of dampness in my fleece underlayers when the suit came off.
But if you have the typical splash pants with a neoprene waist band and no tunnel, water will get in no matter what type of dry top you get.
Dry tops often have a gasket at the waist. Dry pants have elastic at the waist. They leak some, but not that much.
As above the bib system is warmer. But I suspect the OPer here has a more typical pair of pants.
The issue is the length of the swim. OPer is just going to what appears to be more boat than the SOT. Cannot imagine they have a roll going into this winter unless they have learned in something other than the SOT this last season.
The boat is a SOT unlike any I have paddled. I may end up in the water BUT , based on expected use and my location , I’ll wait until spring to use it. And forget the dry top.
Another vote for NRS. American company (Idaho). Their brand stuff is American made, plus they carry other brands.