In a message dated 3/31/99 9:56:49 AM Pacific Standard Time, Bhansen97_at_aol.com writes: << I'm very interested to see if any of the group has had favorable experience with the neoprene neck gaskets. The idea has a lot of appeal, if it's safe and effective. >> I'm about to buy my second Goretex "semi-dry" paddling jacket since my first is finally ready to give up the ghost after 5 seasons of heavy use. The latex wrist seals are (of course) completely dry in surf and river. The neoprene waist band, over a neoprene spray skirt, is amazingly dry, but naturally will let in some water during rolls and rescue practice -- considerably more with a nylon skirt. The neo neck seal is like any other paddling jacket seal -- it will keep out most of the water if snugged up. Although this is not always the case, I am often amazed at how little water gets in during classes where I might do 3-5 wet exits along with assisted and solo rescues, plus a few rolls and Eskimo rescues. I will often have just a 3-4 inch wet band in my base layer around the neck and waist, while the remainder of my top will only be damp from wicking or body moisture. It is not a dry top and cannot be expected to function as one, but for most of the year in most of the areas and conditions most people paddle, it provides a high level of protection from water flow-through and evaporative heat loss. And it has the advantage that it can be vented at the neck, which allows a person to wear sufficient insulation for the water without requiring constant roto-cooling to stave off hyperthermia. Harold *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Mar 31 1999 - 18:07:27 PST
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:30:06 PDT