Thanks for the link
I’ve replaced a neck gasket so I have a fair idea how to do it. It might be easier to just add an inch of length by splicing an adding some length to the toe area…
About putting them backwards, did you learn that “the hard way”? I probably would have -
booties are quick
If you’ve done a neck gasket, then booties will be really easy. Much much simpler than a neck gasket.
I ALMOST put my wife’s booties on backwards. almost.
Booties
Mihail,
My Kokatat is actually a GFER. The NRS has 50x100 rip stop nylon. I would prefer the heavier material for durability. I had the cheaper Kokatat Gortex dry top with rip stop nylon. The arms wore through rubbing on the PFD. The NRS has heavy cordura material under the arms to prevent early wear. You want to keep those flappers dry. You will be much more comfortable. I love my Gore Tex booties on my Kokatat. You can always buy rodeo socks to protect them. Kokatat seems to have reasonable prices to install booties. Check NRS. I would have trouble installing the left and right booties. ;-)))
JimZ
Got it - first impressions
– Last Updated: Oct-27-11 5:43 PM EST –
Just got the NRS Mission dry suit with the lighter (50x100 denier rip-stop nylon outer layer) and eVent waterproof/breathable fabric.
Got size XXL and I think it fits about as good as it can, given that at 185-190lb I am probably a bit under the average weight of a 6'4" tall person. So it is a bit baggy but not excessively so.
Arms and leg length is fine. If anything, the legs length feels a bit too long when walking about, but is probably good when seated.
The latex booties fit my relatively narrow size 15 foot just about perfectly without stretching or being too lose over socks (tried with dress socks but I'm sure thicker wool socks should fit fine too).
I did not see any obvious manufacturing defects, but I did not look too closely either. Zippers open and close fine but are quite stiff. They appear to have some thick lube on them, so not sure if more lube would help, but I'll have to try to see if they losen-up a bit.
The wrist and neck gaskets feel great. The neck gasket does not feel like it would strangle me (in comparison, the "large" gasket on Kokatats is way too narrow for me and I had to cut it to widen it). I hope water would not get in - the neck gasket and to a smaller extend the wrist gaskets almost feel a bit too relaxed... We shall see soon if they or anything else leaks -;)
The fabric is light-weight. The full suite weights less than the dry-top/dry-pants combo I have. The fabric also feels more breathable then either my pants or my dry top (judjing by how fast air exits through the fabric when I bunch-up). I suspect I would need additional layers under this suit compared to my current 2-piece outfit, which feels thicker overall.
I don't particularly like the velcro closure on the neck compared to the stretchable neoprene version on my dry top but once closed it seems to fit fine.
Upon entering the dry suit and spending some time to zip myself-up, I thought the zipper felt unreasonably stiff and longer than necessary, kind of sticking out and away from my shoulder/upper arm. After wearing the suit for a few minutes and especially after donning my PFD, I pretty much stopped noticing the zipper, so it's not that bad. Still, I think if the zipper was shorter and made for someone with a smaller chest, I would not mind.
The light-weight outer fabric seems only a little thinner than my current dry top, which has held well during lots of use. So for my not too abusive use, I think it should be fine. Certainly, the suit does not restrict my movements and feels very comfy (tried it over my day clothes). The outer shell also appears to be made of more closely spaced fibers, so I hope it will repell water better and longer.
Once the waist elastic and the spray skirt over-flap are adjusted/tightened, the suit seems to fit pretty well.
I got the yellow upper/grey bottom combo and the yellow looks nice and bright and the grey is not as depressing as it appears on the NRS photos. So it looks good -;) Let's hope it lasts and keeps water out -;)