on 11/30/00 11:30 AM, ralph diaz at rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com wrote: > 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: snip Ralph and Kevin, I've been using a Gortex drysuit for about 5 years for sea kayaking and white water kayaking here in Washington State. The neck and wrist gaskets are trimmed properly for my size and I find it very comfortable. My suit has the latex booties installed. They are easy to get in and out of and my feet are always dry. I use this drysuit year round. If it is a hot summer day I can easily cool off with a few rolls. The same suit keeps me warm and dry even on a snowy winter day running a ice cold river. I've used this gortex suit to keep me comfortable for hours while swimming in the surf, shooting video in the cold Pacific. I can't say that I'm doing any rethinking on dry suits because mine is working fine for me, in the waters I paddle and swim in. On the subject of neck rings, I used one for a while but decided it was more trouble than it was worth. Getting it in position to hold the gasket open was a hassle. Maybe there is a trick I don't know about. I found that I'd rather do a roll to cool off or just scull with my torso and neck in the water if I want to keep the salt water off of my sunglasses. But I have to agree with Kevin when he says the neck ring does not really compromise the immersion protection. I did rolls and wet exits with the neck ring and the amount of water was very minor. Paddling with a dry suit top off? Personally that is something I would never do. I don't see the need and I don't like the risk. That's my personal decision. In defense of dry suits, the key is learning how to trim the gaskets properly so they are not too tight for comfort while still being snug enough to keep water out. Rex *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:19 PDT