This is just one of those “I wonder if…” questions.
Does a heavy geard growth about the neck interfere with the waterproof seal?
Is it possible to damage the seal with stubbly growth?
Curious Jim
stubble
I don’t know about the impact of actual beard - though enough highly experienced and skilled paddelrs have beards to lead me to believe that it may not be an issue as far as seal.
I can say that stubble is very irritating under a latex gasket. Since wearing a dry suit I bring a razor when kayak camping so I can shave in the morning before donning my dry suit.
My experience
while not with a neck seal, but with a dive mask and a hairy upper lip, is that hair in the seal, will cause water to seep in. Perhaps you could keep the area where the seal will effect clean.
Can cause problems
I have a regular 5 o’clock shadow and I have found that wearing a drysuit with razor stubble is not only uncomfortable, it is also hard on the gasket itself.
With a thick soft beard, this might not be as much of a problem, but if you cannot wear the gasket below the beardline, I would expect some leakage.
One of the reasons the military requires a clean shave is that a gas mask will not seal othewise. Same concept could apply to a neck gasket.
Yes and yes
The former is less of a problem than the latter, IMO.
I Can’t Stand Latex Collars…
…well maybe sometimes, but only if she asks nice and lets me pick the next game.
The only reason that I don’t have a dry suit is that I cannot tolerate latex cuffs and collars.
I do respect the benefits of drysuits but beings as I will not wear one I pick my off season trips to accomodate the gear that I am comfortable in.
Never bothered me
But my neck gasket sits below my beard so the only time they are in contact is putting it on and taking it off.
So how far down your neck do you shave?
Neck hair and chest hair
– Last Updated: Mar-01-06 1:27 PM EST –
do their best to merge!
I have been toying with the idea of getting a Kokatat Supernova semi-dry suit with a neoprene neck seal. I am rather sure that a latex seal and my stubbly, 19" neck would not get along well.
Jim
Edit: I spoke to Kokatat's customer service dept (always a helpful resource) and was informed that the Supernova's neoprene neck seal will stretch with time. Since it is not advertized as a truely WP seal, I imagine it should be much more comfortable than a latex seal. ( 8^o} - trimmed my beard last night