[Paddlewise] [Fwd: Made-to-measure drysuits?]

Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2007 12:15:10 -0500

Gary J. MacDonald wrote:
>>>>>I have an old post about Ravenspring.  Did I save it because they do 
custom-mades?  

Anybody else make them?<<<<<

A place in the UK called Chillcheater (http://www.chillcheater.com/) makes custom-fit drysuits.  
They refer to them as "paddle suits" (to distinguish them from diving dry suits).
They make them from their own proprietary material which is breathable, but not as 
breathable as Goretex.  I've never paddled in a Goretex drysuit, so I can't really make a 
direct comparison, but after a day of paddling, despite the breathability, I'm typically pretty 
damp inside.  What I can't tell you is how much more damp it is than a Goretex suit, which I 
assume must still leave the paddler damp, at least under his/her pfd.  The material they use is
 a kind of rubbery, stretchy material, with a slightlyfuzzy interior.  The fuzzy interior does 
alleviate the feeling of dampness somewhat.  The material is reasonably tough, but in my opinion 
not nearly as tough as the Kokatat or Stohlquist suits. They use the same material for their 
wrist cuffs and neck gasket as they use for the rest of the suit.  I find the neck gasket more 
comfortable than the typical latex gasket, though I suspect it's not quite as leak-proof.  After 
rolling/rescuepractice, there's always a little water that gets in through the wrists and neck, 
but not too bad.

Each suit is custom made, where you go to their web site and enter 20-30 different measurements.  
The combination of the custom fit and the stretchy material does make for a very comfortable fit.  
The suit comes with built-in suspenders, which also helps with a more comfortable fit.

The total cost for a suit with built in sox, relief zipper, and shipping to the US is about #220.  
I was in a hurry when I placed my order (a few years ago), and to their credit, they turned it 
around in only about a week.

Evan Dallas
Woodinville, Washington
USA
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