The size of the suit and the size of the neck gasket are two totally different things.
Latex neck gaskets can be adjusted by stretching or trimming to be comfortable for the individual. There are lots of threads on here about that.
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Neck and gasket are not an association I like the feel of. Too many years of wearing a tie and a heavy beard on my neck I guess.
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I’ve been surprised how I am able to not just tolerate the gasket, but not be at all conscious of it once I am in the suit. I inherited my mom and grandma’s unusually narrow windpipe (confirmed when I had x-rays analyzed while I was a volunteer guinea pig for a sleep study). The one time when I had to be intubated during surgery they had to use a child-sized kit.
Did you try on a paddling drysuit or a diving one? I recall from my SCUBA course that the diving drysuits have what look like painfully snug neck gaskets. My PADI class shared the pool with 3 more advanced divers getting coached on dry suit use and I recall watching two of the beefier guys looking rather bug-eyed and red-faced when they squeezed into the neck rings. And you could see a mark around their neck when they took the rigs off after class.
But, as Lowtech explains, the neck gaskets comes in stock sizes that have molded in concentric rings that you can cut between until you get to the diameter that is comfortable for you (sharp razor blade for a clean cut line while it is stretched over a vase, cookpot or other solid cylinder.) You can also get drysuits with a soft stretchy neoprene rather than latex gasket, but that is not going to be truly water tight while fully immersed and you will get some seepage.
I do like that, unlike my old one, this Medium suit has the built in fabric socks instead of the latex ankle gaskets. Having wet feet annoys me. I have long been wearing knee high Nomad boots over the old suit, with neoprene sox inside them, which works for regular launching and paddling. But of course for wet skill practice that doesn’t work because they get water in over the top and then they slosh around obnoxiously. Having the socks to completely isolate from water will be a nice change and I can just wear rafter sandals or light water shoes over them to protect from abrasion on shore and pedal pressure in the cockpit.
I thought I needed a Kokatat women’s Large since I am right on the size cusp of Medium and Large with my measurements right at the “maximum” for M (allowing for insulated clothing underneath) but a little under the weight range for L. But the Large is quite baggy, especially since I am so short-waisted and have short arms, so it does blouse a lot in those areas and looks like those bulky snowsuits we wore as kids and flops around my lower legs. Took a chance and bought the same suit (also used) in a medium a few weeks ago on eBay for $330 and have found the fit is far better – still plenty of length for my long legs (I’m deerhound from the waist down and dachshund from the waist up) and there is still enough room for my stretch polar fleece bunny suit if I want to use it in really cold water. Usually I just wear light poly longsleeved sports tee and legging tights or rashguards under it, as much to keep the inside of the suit clean as anything else.
For on shore breaks where I want to cool off, I just undo the chest zip and pull the top half off over my head and then tie the arms around my waist. But with the Goretex suit, I’ve never felt overheated in it.
I ordered a back across-the-shoulder zip dry suit last year and then found it was impossible to zip myself in solo so I returned it, since I often paddle alone. So I think the chest zip is the most practical. You can also get two piece suits that zip together at the waist, but I dislike having a lot of material scrunched around my middle (again, the short-waisted issue as well as being moderately bosomy at 36D and already having the sprayskirt and bottom belt of the PFD riding around my midsection.)
I might add, I have been very impressed by survival stories from people who were wearing drysuits and were able to spend hours, even days, immersed out of their boats after capsizes from which they were unable to recover in the colder waters of the Pacific Northwest. It really is remarkable how a thin layer of wind and waterproof fabric keeping your skin dry prevents so much temperature convection.
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No idea what the cost is, but Kokatat and some other manufacturers will provide custom sizes for their drysuits.
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Appreciate all the information
Yes, it was a paddling drysuit and the gaskets were even latex I think (semi dry technically?) I do agree about the dry feet!
Hi, where is that?!
Similar to my paddling environment. I limit my open travel to the Upper Bay. The challenges increase below the Bay Bridge. Where I paddle, much of the land belongs to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds. Large areas are patrolled and no trespassing posted due to unexploded ordinance (you carry ear plugs in case you need to land in an emergency. You don’t want to damage your hearing if you step on live ordinance). Joking aside, they will fine and/or arrest for trespassing. Certain rivers and areas are closed off during live fire exercises. It’s interesting to hear various weapons firing, from the rip of .30 cal light machine guns to the staccato rap of .50 cal, or the pop pop pop of Bradleys, and big booms of tbe 155 mm howitzers. You know its for real when you can see plumes of smoke on shore, from the impact of mortars or big guns.
trim neck
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love my dry suit. 62° and down it’s a must for me. Rarely wear wetsuit.
TomL you said it well, “passionate about paddling”. I’ve met some great folks on this website. Castoff shared his knowledge and sea kayaks with me sc. I felt like a total newbie but it was great! Going to the north fork of the white I met so many great folks a couple of years ago- Pat, Pete, Brad, Pam, and Snarvol to name just some of the folks. Marty has given me beta on kansas that I have used and I don’t even remember who told me about the mountain fork in oklahoma but it was a delight to paddle. This summer I reconnected with Pat, and met a whole new Michigan crew. What a delight to paddle with Rich! That’s just the pcom folks. I also met some mad city paddlers this summer. Our passion about paddling is what is important. Canoes, kayaks, rivers, lake, ocean it’s all good! Find what works for you. Share it and learn from others.
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Thanks for asking, the picture was taken from Stenö, which is located in the Söderhamn archipelago, about 2 hours north of Stockholm, Sweden, from a recent trip i did out to an island called “Rönnskär”.
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Curious about the water temp…can you estimate?
I am in S. Germany.
During late summer, i’d say 14 C / 57,2 F. During peak summer around 20C / 68F
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definitely amateur/beginner. I just like being on the water. I have gone white-water rafting before, but I was 8 years old with family (did enjoy it); now a bunch of decades later, mostly solo. I recently finally got my own kayak, but it’s intended for flat water only–which is fine because I don’t really have access to rougher waters in any case.
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I’m the age when I get home from a paddle I wonder if I’m done. I always enjoy my time on mostly flat water and my fellow paddlers but getting in and out of the boat is getting to be difficult.
To answer the question, I’m a paddler who will keep going until I can’t.
Then I’ll irritate people here. Some may think I’ve already started. 
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@string, i wonder the same thing, but my doubts come at decision to paddle time. My issue is prep and packing up, but once I commit, I follow through. If I could still cover the distances I did years ago, it wouldn’t even be a thought. Once on the water, no doubts. One day you’ll decide that a cup of coffee is more important, and it’ll be more enjoyable to stay home. That hasn’t happened yet!
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It has happened to me once. My paddling partner showed up and I’d been waiting for a short time, drinking coffee.
I was also battling a bug and
felt like crud . I had to cancel . She’s gone and is still missed over a year later.
I need another beer.
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Sorry to hear that brother, I hope you can find comfort in remembering good times you shared with them
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Seasonal paddler. I go dormant for almost half a year every year. Can’t paddle when water levels get drastically drawn down, or administrative rules forbid entry, or the water freezes.
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Near shore coastal daytripper on a poly sea kayak. Happens more frequently now that I am retired. Slowly setting up for overnight stays on the nearby offshore islands. Based in the tropics of Northern Australia so don’t have climate constraints on when I paddle except when it is too hot. I do have to consider the risk of crocodiles and sharks in planning where and when I want to paddle!
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