I can’t believe you all have so many problems and pooling. What are you actually wearing?
So I will chime back in on this. I think that for temps 45 and below the best I have found is Mysterioso or another version of Power Stretch Fleece for those of us who sweat a lot. It is highly absorbent and holds a lot of water, but moves it to the outer layer of the fabric and away from your skin. Since it can hold a lot of water it takes a lot to get to the point where your skin will actually be wet.
I guess you could also add additional layers if needed. I still haven’t found the exactly right combination. I think that generally a greater number of thinner layers is better than one thicker layer. If layering with Mysterioso I would probably add a very thin base layer under it rather than something over it. But it is pretty warm by itself in my opinion.
I also think it depends on level of exertion and time on the water. Most of my paddling is relatively intense for about 2 hours. If completely saturated I can deal with it. But recently I have done a couple of overnight trips (which I have not done in a few years) and there is definitely more of a need to regulate moisture over the course of a full day albeit that you are producing less sweat because you are paddling at a more sustainable pace.
Polartec Power Stretch / Mysterioso is hard to beat in those cases, but may require some rolling to prevent overheating.
FWIW I would also say that kayaking vs. canoeing matters too. I tend to generate a lot more body heat kayaking than canoeing and the same layers in the winter when paddling a canoe will leave me cold.
Matt
Matt
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Well this thread is very useful to me since I just got my first semi-dry suit and have started to use it (canoeing) and was surprised to start off a bit chilly then get a bit overheated and then later a bit chilly. So my experimentation with underlayers has just started and hearing everyone’s thoughts gives me ideas to try. I love the idea of slowing down one’s pace to reduce or delay sweating, that’s something I doubt I ever would have tried without hearing someone else recommend it. Tomorrow I’ll try a smart wool tee under my capilene onesie and try to back off from my normal pace even though I’m hungry for the exercise.
Key part for me is like you said chosing the right layers for the conditions. Was going to write down winds and temps but never did. Keep it in my mind hasn’t been to bad yet. Caught once 30° wind got to 15-20 mph at end of paddle felt a little chill on my back last 20 minutes. I use kokatat polar tec bunny suit, kokatat Merino wool base layer, kokatat neocore 5 mil, thin poly pants and shirt in different combinations. I use kokatat drysuit. If conditions permit I vent my neck gasket once it a while. Get some new air in old air out. Heavy 85% wool socks also kokatat balaclava and hood on drysuit. Chota boots boots and various gloves or pogies.
On flatwater trips when I am lily dipping along I rarely work up a sweat. With temps in the 30’s I’ll start to get cold after 2-3 hours - especially my feet. I typically wear a polypropylene base layer, thermal underwear if it is really cold, and a fleece union suit. Smart wool socks and neoprene boots for my feet.
Playing in whitewater I’ll work up a real sweat, but I never get cold. Body generates plenty of heat as long as I don’t stop for too long. If you are padding hard I don’t think there is any way around working up a bit of a sweat in a drysuit.
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I may average 3.5-4 mph on a three or four hour paddle. That’s a decent work out pace. Even when sir is in upper 50’s I never come back with a pooling issue. I usually just wash the underlayers after each outing and the bunny suit every second or third. The only pooling I almost had was when I came close to peeing in the suit 
. Thought I’d make it to the dock but conditions slowed me down. I headed for shore I couldn’t get the gear off fast enough. I was running up and down the beach ripping stuff off like it was on 
. Yes I made it and it was better than winning a big lotto prize. Funny thing was GoPro showed me running back and forth while shedding gear.
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The difference in pooling may be that the clothing worn underneath may or may not be absorbing the sweat. The way the suits wrinkle and water can follow the path of least resistance to the foot area without being absorbed could be a cause.
I have scuba dived in both a neoprene and shell drysuit and not come up with a cup of water at times. Of course, I’ve also come up soaking wet too 
I came back from a good paddle yesterday (a little under 2 hours) and my underlayers were bone dry. Maybe the relatively loose fitting neoprene neck helps. I’ve been wearing relatively thin underlayers so it will be interesting to see what happens when I bundle up more like PD and EK.