RE: [Paddlewise] What to wear wet suit, dry suit

Darian wrote:

> I need some help here and please correct me if any of my assumptions
> are wrong.
> Dry suit, Wet suit, I am not sure what I want.
> Here in Ohio paddling time is to short.  So to extend the season, I
> want to get a dry suit or a wet suit.
> What (I think) I know:
> Dry suits keep you dry and with clothes underneath warm
> Wet suits let you get wet and warm
> Dry suit will cost more
> Either can be used for SCUBA diving and paddling 
> For extreme cold and/or extended cold a dry suit will keep you warmer
> longer
> 
> I am leaning toward a dry suit.
> 
> Questions
> What materials should they be made of?
> Where to get one?
> How much is it going to cost me?
> How long will they last if treated well?
> How long will they last if treated poorly?
> Is one company better than any other?
> What else do i need to know?

Lots of questions.  Dry suits do keep you dry and the warmth is derived
from the layers of insulating clothing that you wear beneath it.  Wet
suits let the nasty cold water in and then your body has to warm it up -
this works well as long as water is not being flushed through the suit.
Swimming in a farmer jon can move a lot of water through the suit.

Diving dry suits are quite different than paddling dry suits - I'm not a
diver, but from what I've seen they are much heavier and stiffer and
can't be put on without assistance (zipper in back), I think it would be
very uncomfortable to paddle in one of these..

My personal choice when the weather and waters start getting chilly is
for the dry suit.  Yes, it does cost more (sometimes a LOT more) but I
know that I can comfortably (well, almost<g>) take a swim in in 36F (2C)
water in my drysuit and recover back into the kayak and keep on paddling
in sub freezing temperatures.  It wouldn't be so comfortable in a wet
suit.  There are some variations on the classic neoprene wet suit, but I
can't comment on them, never having used them.  Maybe some of the others
who do use them will comment.

For my money the best material for a dry suit is GoreTex.  Sure, it's
not really the material, but rather the waterproofing method.  I tend to
sweat a lot - being sealed up in a urethane coated drysuit can get
pretty soggy for me.  The GoreTex suit really does help with this
problem, but you do pay a premium.

The most fragile thing on a dry suit are the neoprene gaskets at the
neck, wrists, and sometimes ankles.  These should be treated regularly
with a product called "303", available from most paddle shops or buy it
on the web from a retailer like REI or some of the smaller shops that
have web presences.  At least one dry suit manufacturer, Kokatat, offers
either latex or neoprene booties as an option - a nice improvement, IMO,
over latex ankle gaskets.  Warm, dry toes are hard to beat!

As to how long they will last - we had a thread about this subject a few
months ago.  I think that it really depends on how often you use it, the
conditions (do you spend much time sitting on rocky shorelines?), etc.
My Kokatat GoreTex gets a good workout during the course of the year and
is 4 or 5 years old and still going strong.  I rinse it off with
freshwater after each trip and use the 303 freely.  Gaskets can easily
be replaced, but having one blow out on a trip would be inconvenient.
Duct tape is a good field-expedient gasket replacement, but painful at
removal time. 

I'll give Kokatat a plug - I have no commercial or other interest in the
company, but I think they make a great product - check out their web
site at www.kokatat.com. 
Hope that this helps answer some of your questions.

Dave Seng
Juneau, Alaska
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