Kayak Academy Used Suits
If the budget is tight, the Kayak Academty can sometimes save you hundedrs of $$$$ on lightly used Kokatat suits…
That’s how I got mine.
Wish I had done it years before I did.
Gear and skills never a substitute
for judgment…
Kokatat
Goretex, booties, relief zip.
For all the reasons mentioned.
Take care of yours (incl. the booties) and it will take care of you. George Gronseth for example gives 3 detailed pages of how on wear and care.
Skills & judgement matter, certainly, but it’s logical to start w. gear that you can count on.
Kokatat is legendary for replacing a whole suit with a little delamination, even if the customer just requested repair. And Goretex was first and foremost in the outdoor industry w. a lifetime fabric warranty on waterproof, breathable fabric.
Kokatat’s factory in Arcata CA is the only drysuit maker in the world which meets the rigorous testing & fabrication required by Goretex.
Other breathable waterproof fabrics may yet prove out (I own & enjoy drytops - a Palm Sidewinder in XP150 for example & the shortsleeved Flashburn by Bomber Gear) but Goretex has a much longer proven track record.
Kokatat is the reigning champion in drysuits and the choice of, conservatively, 75% of the seakayakers at symposiums in the upper Midwest.
I am not affiliated w. them or Kayak Academy, just a very satisfied user.
Possibly bpod
I found a place close by that has the Stohlquist bpod for $440 which is a great price. No tax as well. I thought the goretex was the way to go but my bank account is telling me otherwise. I think for the time being, the bpod may be the way to go and then upgrade to a goretex down the road once I recover or better yet, my wife lets me buy anything else!!
Booties are definitely better
The first thing is that they’re drier. Icy water on your feet is simply no fun unless you’re a masochist.
You can wear socks in them for added insulation in cold weather.
I don’t agree that they’re more leak prone, as ankle seals were very prone to leakage for me and if my long underwear happened to work it’s way through the seal, it was even worse. I’ve never had booties leak, even when the latex was starting to rot.
It’s easier to put on and take off a suit with booties.
About the only advantage I found with ankle seals is that they make it easy to rinse out the inside of the suit, as water drains out of the legs.
Breathable is better, period
If you’re going to paddle in a non-breathable suit, it will not be a “dry suit”, no matter what you call it. You will get soaked with condensation and probably be miserable. In that case, you may as well save some money and buy a wetsuit. 
I absolutely agree about the booties and relief zipper.
If you can swing the difference in initial cost, I strongly recommend buying a Gore-Tex suit. The primary reason is durability and warranty. It’s proven, durable fabric and if it does fail, you’re covered by a lifetime warranty. I recently had a nine-year-old Gore-Tex suit replaced at no charge when it began to delaminate. I’m not aware of any other fabric or dry suit manufacturer that stand behind their products (or products made with their fabrics) the way that Gore and the companies that use Gore-Tex do. You definitely pay more up front, but in the long run, it’s cheaper than buying a new dry suit made with inferior materials every 3-5 years.
BTW, I have no relationship with Gore, nor do I sell their products. I’m simply a very satisfied customer.
That may be fine in North Carolina…
…but it’s far from ideal up here. A dry suit is much more versatile for our highly-variable New England weather and warmer in the winter.
That’s true and Sing is a great guy…
…but he is primarily (strictly?) a surfer these days and his needs are somewhat different from a touring paddler. While I’m sure there are other surfers who do the same as Sing, I haven’t met any touring paddlers that prefer neoprene in the winter up here. In fact, some of the clubs up here won’t even allow people to participate in winter trips unless they have a dry suit, which frankly, is just smart.
Judgement…
is also an attribute that can be developed (i.e. a mental skill). If not, there would be a lot more dead paddlers.
sing
surfing and touring
Most surfers wear wetsuits here in NE but the difference is they surf close to shore, when they have enough they simply catch a breaker and are back on the beach in seconds. Some even have hot water in a cooler ready to pour over themselves to warm up.
Kayak touring on the other hand gets you away from your ‘safety blanket’. You can be bobbing in the sea for much longer before you get to safety of the kayak or the shore and all these minutes you are exposed to extreme cold temperatures - so make sure you wear adequate insulation under the suit because all that ‘dryness’ is no good if you can’t stay warm.
Supernova
Kokatat’s Supernova is made using Tropos, not GoreTex. The materials are not comparable. Tropos is less expensive but does not hold up over time the way GoreTex does. If you anticipate frequent use over multiple years, the GoreTex versions of Kokatat’s drygear are clearly superior and well save you money in the long term.
Other option
The other option you should seriously consider is buying a used GoreTex drysuit. You can easily find private parties selling used Kokatat drysuits, typically the GFER version, and with booties, in very good condition for $400-$500. The classified section of this website, or Connyak, or North Shore Paddlers Network, or Chesapeake Paddler Association or the customer’s used items webpage at the Atlantic Kayak Tours website are all places to look. Gronseth’s Kayak Academy has also been mentioned, and that’s good option. Four years ago I bought one of his suits, with latex booties, for $400 from a paddler who had himself bought it used from Kayak Academy a few years earlier. The suit is still going great, although I did need to replace the wrist/neck seals last winter–as would be expected after all that time.
go for it.
4 or 5 years using NRS extremes, 200 outings before Aarons zipper bit the dust. Had some minor leakage going on, but at under $2.50 an outing well worth it. Had no hesitation ordering 2 more. Aaron outgrew his and we’ll keep my old one as a spare. Kokotat goretex is nice but return on investment is what counts. Lots of friends in all sorts of suits in the winter, all dry, all happy.
re: looking for a dry suit, opinions
a friend bought a goretex kokatat from this outfit last week, prices seemed to be very good.
http://www.o2gearshop.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=dry+suit
she bought a basic goretex, but plans to have the booties added in the future.
Relief zipper?
– Last Updated: May-03-10 9:25 PM EST –
O2 has some very good prices on Kokatat's G-tex drysuits. Maybe I missed something, but I didn't see any on the page you cited that came without booties, but had relief zippers.
You and your friend will get very tired of removing your suits to take a bathroom break.
I believe Kokatat can also add a relief zip to a suit that does not have one, but wouldn't you be further ahead if you just purchased model that had the booties and relief zip to begin without? Of course ymmv.
Booties, two big thumbs up!!!
No booties or relief zip? The cost savings is just not worth the hassle or the cold wet feet.
BTW, I’ve had my Kokatat Gore-tex drysuit for 7+ years.
This past season I sent it back for pressure testing and to have the neck gasket replaced. Kokatat repaired two small pin holes in one bootie, as part of the service. The suit is still going strong.
the one for $588
has no booties.No pee/relief zip either from what I see. I haven’t ever needed a pee zip, finding front zip is low enough, something my son clued me into. Booties I’ve been told are a necessity from bootless friends with frozen feet.
Stohlquist looks like a good deal, almost went for two more myself;Outdoorplay had them for $394 in all sizes a few months back, but went for the less zippered, latex booty (as opposed to fabric) NRS Extremes once again.
relief zip
I’d definitely get the relief zip. Maybe the NRS chest zipper is different, but with the Kokatat suits the end of the zipper is around the edge of my rib cage. I regret to admit that I’m not so equipped as to pee out of that zipper.
I got my wife a suit without a pee-zip, but that’s only because it was on clearance for $150 for a Kokatat GFE. We’ll probably have a pee zipper added by kokatat for $150 at some point.
Received the Stohl bPod today
– Last Updated: May-04-10 4:17 PM EST –
Ended up buying the Stohlquist bPod. Seems to be very well made and the neoprene neck feels great. I inflated the suit and it held air very well. Next is to obviously test it in the water. I have high hopes!
Edit - Just took a dip in the Atlantic. Not brave enough to get my head under water due to the cold, but there were no leaks. I'll need to have more of an extended period of time in the water, perhaps up upside down in a kayak but I think it will work well.