Re: [Paddlewise] Wet suits/dry suits

From: Dave Kruger <dkruger_at_pacifier.com>
Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 18:51:44 -0800
Thomas M. Heineman wrote:

> Tomckayak_at_aol.com wrote:
> > A dry suit is also great on any multi day trip in the Northwest & Alaska even
> > in the summer. A wet suit in the morning is a pain even if it is not frozen.
> > Setting up camp in the rain is another reason for a Gortex Dry suit.

> Why Goretex?  Does it really breathe $400 better than those that don't
> breathe at all?

Absolutely, if you have the bucks.  There is probably no better place to put
your "comfort dollar" than in Goretex gear, if you are traveling day after day
in wet conditions.  Remember, with totally water-vapor-impermeable gear your
own sweat will saturate your insulating garments, much reducing their
effectiveness.  And how will you "dry" that gear if it is raining steadily?

With Goretex outerwear, I can "dry out" the slight dampness developed in my
insulating layers while preparing dinner, etc., under the tarp, and wear them
to sleep in, if I want.

> P.S.  The native Alaskans seemed to love to poke fun at the Goretex clad
> tourists from the lower 48...  Do they know something we don't know?

I doubt it.  I used to poke fun at others who wore Goretex, ostensibly because
"it did not work."  That conclusion was based on a bad experience with
first-generation Goretex some 20 years ago, similar to the experience Thomas
Heineman had with an older Omni-Tech garment, mentioned in his response to
tomckayak.

Some 6-7 years ago I invested in one of Kokatat's better Goretex paddle
jackets, and it completely changed my mind.  It rains somewhere between 7 and
8 feet here annually, and I use my Goretex a lot.  The latest revelation is
that boots with a Goretex liner *really work,* despite my skepticism.  Never
had such dry feet before.  Really unbelieveable.

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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Received on Sun Oct 31 1999 - 18:51:57 PST

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