Hi, I have almost a half dozen things I have seen or read lately that makes me wonder whether we should be rethinking some of the things we know or think we know about drysuits and wetsuits. Here are the items in capsule form: 1. Sea Kayaker published an article earlier on dry suits in which I took issue with some of the author's comments. One was regarding use of a neck ring to relieve some of the pressure of the neck gasket. In my letter which SK published I commented on that (and also the idea of leaving the drysuit off the top of your body while paddling in calm conditions...but that is a separate issue). The author replied that even with the neck ring on you would only get a few ounces of water into the suit if you capsize and roll back up. 2. Greg Stamer in answering some of my questions regarding the tuliaq, nightshirt looking Greenland neoprene garment, referred to something that the editor of SK wrote. In brief, in a capsize he found that the tuliaq captured air underneath and that by tucking the open bottom hem inbetween his legs he significantly limited the amount of water flushing in and out. In summary, the tuliaq, while open at the bottom and not tight fitting, gave a surprising amount of warmth. 3. In rec.boats.touring there was a recent discussion regarding two piece drysuits, actually more specifically, combining a dry top and dry pants. I raised some issues regarding it but one individual said that some instructors he knows swear by the arrangement and say very little water gets in past the non-gasketed mating of the two pieces of garment. 4. The gaskets at the ankle on drysuits are generally recognized as one of the hardest things to deal with such suits. One answer has been glued in booties which are not so constrictive and much easier to get into. And that led to a discussion in which the issue of possible damage to the bootie was raised and then answered by pointing out that very little water is likely to enter from below. 5. I hope this doesn't sound too far off base but then there is the case of the guy who recently encased himself in a block of ice in NYC' Time Square for several days. 6. In the neat slide show that my tocayo Ralph Hoehn sent in yesterday we have great photos of German kayakers in among ice floes wearing at best rain slickers and wool on a paddling expedition in 1935. So my question is basically is what we feel we know about drysuits and wetsuits is all wet and should we be rethinking things. A. First wetsuits: a given in neoprene wet suits is that you must have them extraordinarily tight or otherwise they won't work. I have discarded several neoprene farmer johns because of either increased tightness or growing intolerance for them. The tuliaq case as presented by Greg Stamer would seem to indicate that perhaps we don't have to boa constrictor ourselves to death in tight wetsuits and that a real loose fit would be survivable. b. Regarding drysuits, the wisdom is that they must be fully sealed off religiously so. But if wearing a neck ring compromises water intergrity so minimally (the few ounces that were reported to get by the open neck gasket), then why have latex gaskets at all? Wouldn't we be better off with say a Darlexx gasket which is like neoprene but doesn't itself absorb water that can trickle in? And if the combo of a dry top and dry pants lets in minimal amounts of water, why should we get caught up in the discomfort of a full suit? Can a case now be made for the semi-dry suits that were ushered in about a dozen years ago and eventually dropped? These had neoprene gaskets and a non-waterproof zipper that closed similarly to a dry bag with overlapping flaps over the zipper. I am not arguing with any of what has been reported. I am taking the 6 points above as givens. Am just wondering if such facts may want us to reconsider the cold-water garments we use, their materials, and how we use them. 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 - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu Nov 30 2000 - 08:45:53 PST
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