Been doing a bunch of searching and have a few that I’ve been watching, and learning the specs on.
One concern I have is sizing. For example, on NRS’s sizing guide I fit into the “medium” size on everything except height, there I’m a “large”. So if I go w/ one that fits right will it be too short? Or if I get one for my height is it just going to be baggy and be an uncomfortable amount of material under my pfd?
Having always paddled warm water I’ve never had to learn about dry/semi-dry tops before.
If between sizes, in any way , always opt for the larger. It will allow layers under it when needed. It is not a fashion show. Should not look tailored. Baggie folds and works. Too small is difficult to get on and difficult to get off.
PFD’s are meant to be adjustable and will accommodate.
I get that, but I’m actually on the line between small and medium other than height.
And what damage is repairable verses what should be avoided?
I see ones that have some peeling inside, what’s that? I saw one that looked like the neck was coming unglued? I figure some of those things are repairable but others mean that it should be skipped over. I just don’t have the experience to know which ones.
Splash top means it will keep splash from getting to you. Check out the collar and the sleeve closures, they can do that but would be of no use in keeping water out in a swim.
Dry means it’d keep water out from sleeves and neck in a swim. For that you usually need neoprene or latex at the sleeve and neck.
But - it would let water in at the waist. Hence a dry top is only dry in certain circumstances. Enter a full dry suit or the Kokatat bib system which closes that last gap. Literally.
I have that exact NRS Endurance jacket, it is pretty warm. It does keep me dry and lets me paddle in weather I shouldn’t be paddling in. :- )
I picked up a nice Gortex rain coat a year ago, I prefer it to the NRS Endurance for shoulder season paddling. You see, the front zipper means I can regulate my temperature easily, plus, I can take it off and put it on while in the boat, the NRS is a struggle for me.
The NRS is a great jacket, but I find it has limited use for me.
The Florida opinion…When wet a wind breaker keeps the wind from evaporating the moisture in your clothing after a swim and you are warmer. Florida sun shine if there is any will warm up wet Kayakerr unless they were in too long and got body temp too cold.
A splash jacket , semi dry (they leak), CAG or other will do the same.
Winter is water 50 to 55 degrees. (N fla) Hydroskins work well. But can be difficult when air temps reach 80. It does in January. Might start out at 32 and be 80 by noon. Two piece better than farmer john. Top with zipper and /or not sleeves good. Sun heating often good warming.
Summer …you will sweat .
Used? If it looks like new one inside it might be good. But I’ve never seen one for sale that was usuable for long.
I can’t find the one w/ the neck coming loose anymore but I think it was an NRS. It had a volcano shaped neck and what looked like a single line of glue along a seam line.
edit; it’s actually a Kokatat and it’s the one w/ through cracks on the latex (?) cuffs.
I’m also looking at what might be an older Kokatat Session that has some flaking(?) along the seam where the tunnel or skirt (what’s the right term?) is attached.
Have seen others that seem to be peeling along the seams. Is that just something that can get re-taped? And ones where the volcano cuffs are getting cracks. Those I’ve shyd away from as I don’t think they are repairable?
I’m aware that I won’t get the same amount of use time out of something used but it seems like an affordable way to test some out before spending the big money on something that I know I really want.
Peeling along seams likely means the seam has been conpromised. You can purchase Goretex tape, or at least you could before CoVid. But it is not easy to affixvorrectly in my experience. The other part is likely the layer being damaged from chafing, doubt you can remedy that.
If your going to buy used , Just to see what you like. What you should look at is used ones that look like nothing is wrong. Don’t look at problems.
The good ones will just not of been used because the people didn’t stay with kayaking or didn’t kayak much.
Look for ones that are half or 1/3 the price of new. {companies will many times have a sale on gear when they are introducing a new line and replacing an old line.} Store closing their doors …also many stores purge with the end of season to get funds to buy new models {new old stock} Or to invest in their winter sport they stock and sell.
Any crack in a layex gasket means the latex is beyond it’s life and needs replacing.
If you are the owner of a Kokatat Gore-Tex dry top or semi-dry top where the seam tape is failing or there is any flaking, as far as I know Kokatat is still honoring their lifetime warranty.
I had a very well used Kokatat semi- dry top that was over 15 years old and the seam tape was failing in a major way. You could see daylight where the stitch holes were. When I asked them what i could use to repair it they said that it sounds like a warranty issue and to send it in. I bought the top at Atlantic kayak in 1999 when i bought my boat. It was originally $125, but had been hung on a rusty hanger that wore a small hole in the shoulder. They sold it to me with the boat for $40. A bit of Aquaseal and I was good to go for many years. A week later Kokatat called and said that it was beyond repair and that model had been discontinued many years ago. The only model that was anywhere comparable was the Rogue, a $500 dry top. All they wanted to know was that OK and what color I wanted. I still have it and it will probably outlive me.
The take away from this, if you have spent the money for a top brand, check the warranty. Some companies have lifetime warranties and stand by them. What they consider normal wear and tear and abuse varies. I also received a new Kokatat dry suit after I send it in for a leak around the knee. They called back and said that the Gore-Tex was delaminating, and again what color of replacement I wanted.
Of course a friend sent his dry suit in to check for leaks, and $80 later it came back with over 80 patches.
All good advice. I’ll also add that one should always smell used gear before purchasing. Some fabrics off-gas a very distinct and offensive vomit smell when they break down with age, and it cannot be gotten rid of. I recently laid a trusty old backpack to rest because of this issue.
Kokatat no longer honors the warranty unless you are the original owner. Which the OPer would not be if he is buying used.
I have had a new suit from Kokatat, but frankly l suspect with supply chain issues there is a shift towards more patching and less replacement right now.
My reply was for people that had equipment where they were considering replacement in general. If the OP was not in a hurry and they ran across a listing where someone was an original owner and was considering getting out of kayaking , they might want to see if the original owner would consider looking into a warranty claim. If it was successful. would they consider selling the replacement at a reasonable price.
With my dry top I had not even considered making a warranty claim.
So at the moment I’m super stoked! Scored an NRS dry top that looks like it would be an older version of the Flux (or whatever a previous model was called) and an older NRS Helium (?), both for ~$100 total.
The dry top I bought w/o knowing what I would be getting. It was listed as a black NRS dry top but it had pics of a Kokatat dry top. So I took the gamble knowing that it was returnable. I was hoping for the Kokatat but sure not complaining. ;-]
The semi-dry I got the same week as the unknown “dry top” was not going to arrive before the semi-dry I was watching was going to end on an auction. Being the only bidder I took it for starting bid.
I can definitely see that I’ll use the semi-dry more often based on the temps of the waters we usually paddle, but super happy to have a colder water top as well.
