Never breathable enough
"None of these breathe worth a darn, or I sweat too much or something."
You’re not alone…
I landed on a beach a few weeks ago with 8 paddlers and most had a Gortex drysuit on. Everyone changed their wet tops. We wear PFDs, under-layers and we are aerobically working. I don’t know if the fabric industry will ever come up with a perfect breathable fabric for what we do. But I know from experience that a non-breathable top or suit is really bad.
I think someone in the group said “I wish they could come up with a breathable dry suit”.
My latest experience
– Last Updated: Nov-21-13 9:52 AM EST –
Was in strong-ish winds (sustained 18mph, gusts to 28), 65F or so air temp, sunny, and 49-50F water temp. I was in my surf ski, choppy wind waves and clapotis, plus I took a swim at one point. So I was thoroughly wet from time to time on the outside from spray and my bottom was fully wet and often immersed in water. My top would temporarily dry from the wind but would get sprayed often with water from the waves (lots of whitecaps, though the waves were generally below 2 feet - short fetch area).
I paddled for an hour and a half, quite actively, either upwind or surfing downwind. So I was sweating a lot. At the he end of the paddle I was damp inside but not wet! No drips and accumulation of sweat in my pants or sleeves. I had neo shorts and a thin under layer for my legs, a thin rash guard and a medium fuzzy layer on top underneath my dry suit.
Whether I paddled 1 hour or 10 hours I would have simply remained damp inside, maintaining the equilibrium, and likely dried some if I dropped the intensity.
Had I been in a less breathable garment, I would be swimming in my own juices buy the end of the first half hour and worse after that...
It helps to have a breathable PFD and no spray skirt with a tunnel, so on a sit on top surf ski, even when I am splashed constantly, the highly breathable eVent fabric on my suit seems to make a significant difference.
LOL yep.
Not really a fair comparison since waders are open at the top. I do love my Simmsies too though.
It’s all that other “stuff” in the way
The Gore-Tex suit fabric is breathable, until something nonbreathable sits over it, such as a PFD or neoprene or coated nylon sprayskirt tunnel. If you don’t wear the PFD and roll down the skirt tunnel, that area will let sweat vapor pass right out. The neck of the shirt directly below the latex neck gasket also gets wet, for the same reason: the latex stops all moisture from going either in OR out.
I know the above suggestion is not recommended from a safety standpoint, but my experience comparing unblocked Gore-tex vs. blocked Gore-Tex (on sheltered water, and before the cold season) tells me it’s not the fault of the Gore-Tex.
If there were such a thing as a breathable PFD, that would eliminate one big area of blocked breathability. But the only solution I can think of is to make it similar to backpacks that have an arched mesh-and-frame structure to allow air passage between the back and the pack. Unfortunately, that’s not likely to work for PFDs, and it would have to have the same structure on the front side, not just the back. So much for freedom of movement!
Try this some time
– Last Updated: Nov-21-13 11:27 PM EST –
I tend to paddle fairly hard and will work up a good sweat. And I will get quite damp on the inside. Really no surprise, because the PFD and the tunnel from the spray skirt allows only your arms to be exposed. My legs will get sweaty too.
What seems to work nicely is to open the spray skirt and watch the steam rise up in cold weather.
That being said, If I've worked up a good sweat, as soon as I get back on land, the PFD comes off and the spray skirt. Moisture evaporates quite quickly. I have a GMER suit.
You are kayaking and getting wet?
Not for nothing but it’s KAYAKING.
On the water.
One way or another you are GOING TO GET WET.
It is a water sport.
still…
… I perfer water to be on the outside of my drysuit, not inside! If I wanted it to be inside I would just wee in it 