Does anyone out there wear the Kokatat Tec-Tour Anorak? Does the neck seal well enough to “get by” if you take an unexpected swim for a few minutes? (Assuming you also have a good plan to keep your lower body dry & get back in the boat). The archives & gear reviews are completely devoid of info of this sort.
I know I’m asking to get inundated w/ safety nazis that will insist on nothing but latex neck gaskets, but I really want to hear from somebody who has actually used this sort of neoprene neck closure and has formed an opinion.
Thanks
I think you are fine for a brief swim…
I have a similar Lotus garment. It is not a dry suit per se, but with adequate undergarments such as a Farmer John, you have enough insulation for a few minutes of relative comfort in cold water. You’re right, the safety police will say “only in the Caribbean in midsummer”, but I’ve used this combo in Lake Superior in September. I have jumped in to test it, and I am still alive. Sure, you’ll be wet, but that’s the beauty of water sports, right?
Paddle on, brother.
Could we do without the name calling
I am for your right to express your views but could you do it without the name calling sarcasm? Back up what you say with your reasons rather than just stating conclusions. Then we can all judge things for ourselves. Not holier than thou, I can let myself talk this way also.
When I wore this jacket, it leaked water faster than the semi-dry top reaction jacket, which is pretty dry. I have the Kokatat pac-lite jacket and it is about the same as the Tec Tour. They are really mean as spray tops with regards to the neck. Neither the spray skirt band nor the neck will keep water out all that well nor are they designed for cold water swimming. Pair them with other garments knowing this, and test it out like all things so you know ahead of time whether it does what you need.
Good for what it is
it is a great foul weather jacket and paddling top for when i know i’m not going over OR when i can afford a damp to wet upper torso.
The ventilation is the payoff. Hard to vent a latex neck.
personally i use the vented neck jackets for most of the Columbia river/ San Juan Is trips I do in the spring/summer/fall where venting is important and chances of going upside/down are nil.
steve
Going over, surf, offshore in the PNW and it’s a drysuit.
it is a neck closure that is rubber
but not neoprene.
In my opinion it is a great jacket to have in summer for foul weather days, I have an old style reaction jacket, that is goretex xcr. I really like it for 90% of the summer/fall paddling I do. But nothing beats a full drysuit.
the short answer to your question is that you will get wet if you roll/swim in this jacket. And then you are depending on whatever layers you have on underneath to keep you warm. Which could be fine, but it depends on the water temp. I wouldn’t depend on this jacket in lake superior.
NRS
NRS has a decent sea touring unit that they put on sale periodically. It’s red and the last time I saw, bit was about a hundred bucks. I’ve worn mine maybe a dozen times and it seems to get the job done. I more or less look at an anorak’s job s keeping off the rain and spray, and rely on other means to deal with immersion issues.
safety nazis?
Nah.
“Fun hogs” is probably more accurate. Rightside-up all the time is bo-o-o-ring! 
gotta agree
whenever I feel the urge, I flip and roll or swim for ‘practice’. A drysuit (gore w/ booties and releif zip) is mandatory!
steve
Opting for the neck gasket…
Thanks for all your comments on ‘real world’ experience. I don’t mind giving up venting if the zip down jackets sincerely don’t work well in the event of a swim. Which, based on your actual experiences, they don’t.
go for the tec-tour
I have the model you are asking about, and it works fine. The neck closure can be snugged down to the point where very little water gets in during a capsize/roll. For sure there will be leaks, and you will get wet, but as long as you’ve made a “good faith” effort at closing it, and aren’t planning for a long swim in icy waters, you should be fine. Your are more likely to get wet from the waist seal than the neck seal anyway(it does have a great waist btw) and that is the case with ANY dry top.
If you have a solid roll (BIG if) the tiny bit of water that comes through the neck is irrelevenat. If there is a real danger of a long freezing swim, then go with a full drysuit, as Kwikle has pointed out.