RE: [Paddlewise] Dry Suit Field Test

From: David Seng <David_at_wainet.com>
Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 08:20:30 -0800
Ralph Diaz wrote:
>
snip
> 
> Regarding the neck gasket I think people tend to leave them too tight
> unnecessarily, especially paddlers who are not inclined to play at
> rolling. Other than at the time of immersion, your head and neck would
> be largely above water.  I don't mean to suggest to leave a gap but as
> long as the neck gasket is stretching on your neck some rather than
> choking, it should work just fine. Also the less overly 
> stretched it is,
> the more likely it is to last.

  A valid point, but I just want to point out that if one is going to choose
to err on the issue of gasket fit that the prudent course might be to err on
the side of being too tight rather than too loose.  I don't ever recall
hearing of anyone being strangled to death by their drysuit (although mine
does attempt to do so occasionally, a little Zen paddling soon loosens its
stranglehold).  The problem that I've always had with trimming gasket rings
is that it's a one way street - you can't fix a botched job without
replacing the gasket entirely.
 
  BTW - to any that I offended with my comment a couple weeks ago about
paddling without a spare - paint me guilty also.  No mishap occurred, but as
I finished my evening paddle last night on a local lake (the ice just broke
up a couple days ago) I noticed that the spare paddle wasn't on the rear
deck where it belonged, but rather sitting in the truck.  Something about
glass houses and stones....<g>

Dave Seng
Juneau, Alaska
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Received on Thu May 06 1999 - 09:17:25 PDT

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