Re: [Paddlewise] Doug's Ultimate Drysuit

Ralph Diaz wrote:

> - ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Doug Lloyd" <dougl_at_islandnet.com>
> 
> > This was part of the reason I went with non-Goretex in the end. I also
> > phoned a friend who paddles every week, 12 months a year. He has both a
> > Goretex and a non- breathable drysuit. In winter, he doesn't use the
> > Gortex  Kokatat Meridian. For warmer spring paddles he does. Best of
> > both worlds. My eventual aim would be to have both too. However, I don't
> > want to get divorced right now. Also, I do remember my Storm Island
> > trip. The breathable Sympatex was terrible -- like wet matte coldly
> > clinging to your skin. I had to wear my old nylon Wildwasser paddling
> > jacket over top just to survive.
> 
> My experience in paddling in a coated non-breathing dry suit along with
> people in Goretex ones was that at lunch or other breaks they had to put
> something on over their Goretex suits where I did not.  But that was in
> exceedingly cold air conditions in the high teens with wind blowing.
> Obviously above the high 40 degrees Fahrenheit air temperature  and higher,
> I would be less comfortable than they would be during breaks.

I'm having trouble with the problem as it is being described:  that Goretex
allows more evaporative cooling than nonbreathables ... and that is a "cause"
of insufficient insulation, prompting Ralph's buddies to don another layer when
on a lunch break, and Doug to layer on a nonbreathable.

Wouldn't Ralph's buddies be pretty durn cold if they went into the water under
those conditions (air temp in the teens; water temp must be in the 30's or 40's
MAX).  Shouldn't they have on some more fleece while in their boats, so if they
do go in, their survival time will be acceptable?

Or, is the claim being made that immersion in 30-40 F water would cause less
heat loss than standing around in air in the teens (albeit windy)?

I think if I were cold while paddling in my Goretex drysuit, I'd put on some
more fleece ... and when the day was over, the fleece would be relatively dry
so I could wear it around camp.  Don't most folks who do extended trips using
fully coated suits have to use two sets of insulation:  a "wet" set for on the
water and a "dry" set for camp?

Seems like the Goretex makes that unnecessary, though I do concede that there
is more evaporative heat loss.  I just keep moving, and my internal furnace
takes care of that ... or, I put on another layer.

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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