Kenneth Cooperstein wrote: > > <Don't try to compromise with a coated drysuit. It won't breathe, and > you'll be so uncomfortable that you won't use it.> > > After several hours of paddling in my coated nylon Kokatat MultiSport > drysuit I am completely comfortable. I do not even notice that my > polyester underwear is wet until I remove the drysuit. As long as you > undress in a warm place, it is no problem. That has been my experience too, i.e. my layers are wet but I am comfortable. I refer to this as a comfortable relative level of humidity. As long as that wet stuff is not exposed to wind and air, which it isn't inside the dry suit, then it feels just fine. Some people have raised a question about whether this insulation loses some of its insulation benefit when wet. I don't believe so. To my knowledge, I have not been any colder in cold water than a person next to me in Goretex suit with similar insulation. Breathability is a relative thing. Wearing a PFD and sprayskirt on your torso certainly reduces the breatability benefits of Goretex in that area; the rest of you inside a non-breathing boat also doesn't do as much ventilating as it would in the open air. Where the Goretex is superior is once you are out of your boat and moving about on land. Then the moisture does start working itself out, albeit at the price of some loss of heat. That moisture is driven out through the Goretex pores by heat which escapes along with the moisture. I have a coated suit and am pretty happy with it. Were I to be in the market today, I would probably go the extra bucks for the Goretex because of the way the insulation will dry quite a bit while you are drinking some hot cocoa or tying your boat to the car rack or disassembling it if a foldable. From what I have seen, you could, after 15-20 minutes of this, take the Goretex off and the layer inside would be dry enough to drive away with just the bunny suit on (or with a jacket for modesty over it). When emerging from a coated dry suit, you do want to also change your inner layer as it can be quite soaked. 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 Tue Jan 11 2000 - 08:28:21 PST
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