Joe Brzoza wrote: > > Does anyone out there have experience with Patagonia's paddling/sailing > gear? I'm interested specifically in the One-Design Pullover and Pants. > Like some of their other paddling gear it has "Stretch-coat" and "Velcro" > seals at the neck and extremities (neoprene joints at the waist). Has > anyone had the opportunity to test how well these seals work? I'm sure that > they're not as good as the latex gaskets in "real" dry suits but I'm > wondering if they're adequate for late-fall and early-spring paddling? A thing to know about Patagonia is that they create a proprietary term such as Stretch Coat when they initiate use of a particular product or product part. Thereafter, they may stick with that manufacturer for the part or material or switch over time. That Stretch Coat stuff originated from Darlington Mills' Darlexx material which has a waterproof stretchable membrene at its core. It is meant, in this application, to substitute for neoprene gaskets. It works somewhat better on several counts: 1. It is absolutely waterproof and won't absorb water the way neoprene will. So as you move around your arms, say lifting them, your movement will not squeeze water out to trickle down to your armpit. Neoprene does that, i.e. get squeezed like a sponge sending its contents toward and away from the body. 2. It is smooth surfaced. It is arguable whether this is better than the spongy surface of neoprene. From what I see the Stretch Coat does grip better with less gaps. The downside is that it feels a bit less warm to the touch than does neoprene against the skin, at least my skin. Overall, its effectiveness as a sealer is somewhere between traditional neoprene used in paddling clothing and the latex used in dry suits. So it might meet your needs. I am surprised that all paddling gear manufacturers have not switched to this over neoprene for seals at the neck and wrist. Some have picked up on it besides Patagonia and their specs on the products will say Darlexx seals. ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Nov 29 1999 - 08:19:42 PST
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:30:17 PDT