NRS Extreme Drysuit - Any Opinions

…after a solid season of use? I’ve read all of the archives and am ready to pull the trigger on a Kokatat GFER or an NRS Extreme Relief. Given the high price I wanted to take one last chance to poll the crowd. Now that the newer models from NRS have been out for a little while does everyone still like them? My concerns with NRS are: warranty repairs if needed (kokatat has a great reputation…even for repairing ten year old suits, how about NRS?), breathability (seem to be mixed reports), gasket trimming (I came a cross a blurb somewhere on the NRS website stating that the warranty was voided if the gaskets were trimmed), and long term durability (if I spend this much it better last a true 10 years, with solid support from the manufacturer). Because of these concerns I’m really leaning toward just splurging on the Kokatat…anyone have any long term experience with the NRS quality and warranty?

I like my NRS
The breathabilty seems to be about the same as the Kokatat Gore-tex, based on side-by-side comparison with paddlers of similar fitness wearing Gore-tex.



The fabric is heavier than the Gore-tex, and seems very durable.



NRS warrantee:



http://www.nrsweb.com/faqs/FAQs_Warranty.asp#warranty



I’m not really sure what that means, as I haven’t had to make use of it.



The only think I wish the Extreme had was a tunnel to mate with a spray skirt. The folds in the fabric that I get when I put my skirt on allow some water to trickle into the boat.


Thanks
Thanks. I looked on the NRS site again and the warranty being voided concern I had wan’t valid. It relates only to the gasket itself if trimmed - "If a gasket is trimmed, that gasket will no longer be covered under the garment’s warranty. "



I can live with that. I was also just looking for anyone that has had any real warranty return/repair experience with NRS. Other stores have a similar guarantee, but I’ve had to put up a fight more than once to return something that didn’t live up to my expectations.

Have the GMER
Like it, but I’m in my 1st season so can’t speak to long term durability.

On the NRS end of things - I’ve found them to be top notch. Good people and good customer relations. If they say they stand by something, I’d believe it.

another option
Hi,

I was debating the same thing earlier this year - i liked the extreme relief but it didn’t have the double tunnel. the gmer is probably worth every penny, but was more than i wanted to spend. i ended up getting a palm torrent which had all the features i needed for $487, though they are probably more now. it’s got the built in booties, relief zipper, and double tunnel overskirt. so far it’s been great - the gaskets work great and there are no leaks whatsoever. the material is breathable and seems tough enough - i don’t baby it anyway. the palm stikine uses a heavier duty fabric, but i don’t do whitewater/rock garden rolling so i opted for the mid-weight torrent. good luck with your decision! -jeff

Palm Stikine is pretty beefy…
…and the BDM zippers seem bigger and stronger to me than those that I’ve seen on Kokatat’s. With booties, relief zip, and tight double tunnel, it’s a pretty good bargain. If you surf or spend alot of time getting wet, take a hard look at it. I much prefer the big BDM metal tooth zippers to those fragile looking T-zips in the Torrent. I’ve got a deck bag for the double with the T-zip zipper and that’s fine, but I don’t think I’d want one in my dry suit. Just my opinion. Palm Europe was working on it’s customer service in the US as the US Palm dist. (several months ago at least–maybe they have their ducks in a row now) was pretty sketchy in Palm product support in terms of repair. If you want the best customer support, the choice is still clear–Kokatat–until and if Palm gets a highly qualified shop under contract, etc. here in the US.

Drysuit
Before I bought my drysuit I made comparisons of as many brands as I could get my hands on in the San Francisco area. I bought the Palm Torrent. I wear it in SF Bay and on the coast. I’ve had no problems with it or the T-zip, which I throughly checked out with dealers and consumers prior to purchasing. Feature for feature I don’t personally believe you can beat it. If you want super heavy duty then go for a Stikine, but I was advised and correctly I believe that unless I was to be doing white water or going to the Arctic, the Torrent would do the job. After wearing it for a year I have no regrets.

i had heard from
a number of people that the foreamr material eventually starts to seep water…but-un certain the validity of that statement…

do not knock out stohlquist either!!!great suit for good $

rob

How about less expensive drysuits?
Hi everyone, a newbie here listening carefully :slight_smile:





Dry suits are expensive!.. or perhaps not, depending of the activity and degree of quality/duratbility for the kind of activity. Example, if someone will go on a 2 or 4 week trip to the north of Canada somewhere, a $1000 suit is not expensive at all.



But, if all you want is a suit to help you recover should you capsize, say in my area of the country (zip 22192 = DC/MD/VA), where the winter is not as long or severe as further north or other places… AND the activity is limited simply to very easy paddling, on weekends, in fairly good weather, then I would hope there is a drysuit for this purpose, and hopefully less expensive. At the same time, I would buy something maybe even a bit better, for when the weather changes and it get’s cold and not so nice anymore. Do you follow me?



Can you anyone, give me solid ideas, links, tips, etc.



I will appreciate it.



For instance, how about this one?

http://www.ems.com/catalog/product_detail_vertical.jsp;jsessionid=FRQgtpvnprbnlXQ3IVt8Jv2Aw4r0x5f8hITR1DsiyutWi8YbonN7!519872194!174391836!7005!8005?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442589645&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302877163&bmUID=1158779046316

Please shrink URLs – use TinyURL.com

– Last Updated: Sep-20-06 5:35 PM EST –

Not only do long URL's tend to get mangled and become unclickable, they screw up the display of all the articles in the forum (yeah, a bug in the forum software, but still no reason to invoke it.)

How to do it? When sitting on the site you want to point to, (a) copy the URL as you probably were going to anyway; (b) go to tinyURL.com (c) follow instructions; (d) paste the resulting small URL into your message.

For example, the one above comes out as http://tinyurl.com/s7enf

There's an even easier way, but it's a bit geeky.

--David

cheap drysuits
here’s my $0.02 about cheap drysuits - if you paddle in cold water, how much is it worth for peace of mind and in bad circumstances, your life itself? if it’s cheap but nonbreathable and you get cold, wet, and clammy, is cheap worth it? i probably would make an excuse not to wear it. my bud and i paddle in the cold, in the wind, and among ice in early spring and late fall, and i wouldn’t be without a good drysuit. if i capsize, i’m ok. if i don’t, i’m ok. i can concentrate on the paddling and have fun without worrying about tragic consequences or hypothermia. cold weather paddling is a lot of fun, and even more fun if you know you’ll be safe (for you and your family’s sake!) good luck – jeff

the supernova
is NOT a Dry Suit…very wet in fact…it has latex wrists…and a soft neoprene neck that you velcro tight…

if you forget to velcro it could fill up…

the neoprene is soft enough to pop inwards in a capsize…once again filling you up…



Immersion Research and Stohlquist (as well as some of th older Navarro) tops and suits have a special neoprene neck gasket that is a)tighter b)coated with Titanium to make a silky smooth seal to the skin…

the stohlquist i feel is nicer because the area of contact with your neck is not a razor thin area from either latex or a neo gasket…the stohlquist’s seal makes a contact area of 1 inch vertical up your neck to make a really nice smooth confortable seal…

rob

Hmmm… about the links
Thanks, let me ask you.



would not be easier to tell people simply to COPY AND PASTE the link? or Are you saying that we should not use long links because it damages the web somehow, as you explained. I just want to be clear on this.



I mean, I learned about the chopped links the first or second time I visited the board



Thanks

Rique

About cheap dry suits
Let me ask you, is $445 cheap for a dry suit? I mean, I would like to have an idea of what is “cheap” for you? :)… I am newbie to kayaking, so all this is new to me. I’ve seen dry suits for $800 - $900 and I suppose there maybe others even more expensive.



Another factor, as in my original email… is “cold” must mean several temperature degrees, or not? Would a day in november in MD, be as cold as the same day in RI or Main or Canada?



TIA for your help



Rique

Used
If you don’t want to spend the cash try e-bay. Also don’t go to cheap. I bought a non breathable Kokatat dry suit new for $199. Used it a lot in winter in Wisconsin. Any time it is above 30 degrees it is way to hot. On a 2 hour paddle I will be drenched in my own sweat. I also have a wet suit that I wear when its not that cold. They can be found pretty cheap. Bought one for $50 at REI. Hope this helps you with your decision.

I’m a geek
What’s the easy way?

“Palm Torrent” for $487 seems the one
Hi,



I like what you and someone else wrote about it… I liked especially, the research you did on the dry suits. And more importantly $487 is an amount I can live with for a good product, as you describe this product to be.



Could you please tell me where and when did you get it for this price?



TIA



Rique

Just watch one thing with NRS
I’ve gotten several neoprene items with holes in them from the price tag “connector”. That little plastic strap that goes thru the item and thru the price tag.

Had mine since Spring…
… Haven’t used it more than a half dozen or so times, so can’t comment on how well it will hold up over a long time … and it’s my first dry suite (but not first water proof fabric item).



I like it for what it is … seems well made and of a heavier fabric compared to the entry Kokatats I saw at a local store.



One comment: the cut seems very loose … ie a lot of room inside. Could be a good thing, depending on one’s size.