My dry top's wrist gasket had started to leak due to use. Looks like delamination.
But this being the middle of the season, I don't want to send it back to Kokatat and have it out of action for 2 months.
Is there any (albeit temporary) fixes that can keep me dry till the season wind down? I can then have the luxury of sending it in for repair (I don't paddle in winter anyway)
Waterproof glue/tape? Do such exist?
replace yourself?
If you replace it yourself, it would only be out of service for a day or two.
Search youtube.com for “dry suit gasket” and a variety of how to video show up.
What is wrong with it?
Is the latex torn, or is it separating from the cuff?
If it’s a small hole or tear, you can fix it with AquaSeal (I’ve done this for a small tear–works great and is easy). If it’s separating from the garment, you might still be able to “glue” it back together, but I don’t know if this makes it a pain for later work.
If you want Gore-tex seam tape, forget it. Only professional authorized repair people are allowed to buy it. However, you can buy small self-adhesive patch kits in outdoor gear shops.
It’s seperating from the cuff
Took me a while to noticed it (this being rather warm season). So there's actually quite a bit of the cuff that're parting company with the gasket.
Latex still feels pretty good.
It's not Gore-tex. Some other kind of breathable coating on the sleeve/jacket...
“replace”…
Please forgive my naive question. This being my first time encountering this problem…
In “replacing”, am I replacing the entire wrist gasket? Is that how it’s usually done? I thought it was just somehow glueing it back onto the cuff…?
Take photos and call Kokatat
I would take photos of the gasket and cuff, then ask them if they’d look at the e-mailed photos and recommend what to do in light of your desire to avoid being out of action. Maybe they would let you AquaSeal it and later send to them for a full repair. It’s worth asking them for advice.
If they say your repair would be covered under warranty, they might send you a loaner for use meanwhile? Again, worth asking them.
thanks for the great advice!
I’ll do that
Yes
Generally, you replace the whole gasket. Here is NRS’s replacement gasket (posting for info - not because I am recommending it): http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=2280. There are a variety of replacement info on that site.