[Alpendave]

Been looking for some immersion gear to make kayaking a little (actually, a lot) safer. I spoke with Kokatat about their whirlpool Bib paired with a dry top. Turns out that as far as immersion goes, “DRY pants” is a bit of a misnomer, as they will leak. Not good if the current separates you from your kayak. Still, I wanted to sea what others’ experiences with them might be. As is pretty common, I found three gear reviews that people did right out of the box. WTH cares if the gear (whatever it may be) looks all clean and shiny when and fits like a glove right out of the box? Unless you’re stupid enough to spend $370 on high tech gear you’re only going to wear around the house. Take it outside and dunk yourself in the water and then tell me about it. Same applies to any outdoor gear. Why the hell do people do gear reviews (Amazon is really bad for this) in gear they haven’t USED?

[Mike Collins]

[Alpendave]

[Randito]

A buddy of mine that has paddled all the class V around here has owned both styles of drysuits. His drytop has a belt along the waist to cinch the seal tightly. A unisuit does seal up a bit better -- be sure to get one with integrated booties if you really want keep water from seeping. A hood significantly reduces the shock of near freezing water on the head. The two piece setup is allows attending to biological need #2 in a less awkward manner.

[Cyclopath]

I have a Kokatat single piece dry suit. Hate the neck gasket. But it works.

[Alpendave]

[Bedivere]

[Slugman]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.buzzfeednews.com/amphtml/nicolenguyen/her-amazon-purchases-are-real-the-reviews-are-fake I prefer a wetsuit to a dry suit. Partly because as a flat water-(ish) canoe person I am not as likely to get wet from waves or splashing or doing roll overs. I merely want to be able to swim to shore after an accident before any hypothermia kicks in.

[Cyclopath]

[BigBrunyon]

There free tho

[Tom]

Pretty much anything I buy on amazon I run thru fakespot. The result may surprise you!

[Alpendave]

[JonnyQuest]

First, Kokatat makes great gear, specialized for paddling. Now let's chat 1pc vs 2pc. The biggest problem with the two piece system is that it can be challenging to execute the "three-fold" required to seal the top and bottom properly. If you spend the time to get that right, and maybe have someone check your work back behind you, you get a fairly water tight seal. Not as secure as a one-piece dry suit, but it works fairly well for quick swims. And I'll chime in to suggest that IF going #2 is needed, it's easier to take off a 1pc suit than the dry top + bib combo. This is basically due to the difference in using the zipper of the 1pc vs the three-fold of the 2pc combo. Remember, the 2pc bottom is a bib (overalls) style, and you need to remove the dry top first to take off the bottoms. Kokatat does make a 2pc zip-together dry suit called the Idol that eliminates the problematic folding seal. It has some advantages, but many that I know who have tried it prefer the 1pc design.

[Alpendave]

Totally jives with everything I’ve been hearing and reading. Despite what I’ve been told about the discomfort of latex ankle gaskets, I’m leaning toward the Swift Entry without socks. Having a SOT, would be nice to wear sandals and dip my feet in to could off as needed. Can wear my neoprene footwear when it’s cold.

[JonnyQuest]

No worries on ankle gaskets. We "survived" with those for years before they started putting socks in dry suits. As long as you aren't wading in icy water for long periods, you'll be fine. On cold days, you can wear warm neoprene booties and be just fine. Almost everyone needs to stretch their latex gaskets to get some level of comfort. This is most pronounced with the neck gasket. Some use a ball for this, I prefer a large cylindrical Tupperware. You might not need to stretch the ankle gaskets, but if so a water bottle should do the trick. For worst case scenarios, you can trim the gaskets. But try stretching them (for days) before you trim! And if you trim, trim less than you think you need, and make sure there's NO nicks or curves that could propagate tears. The other trick for comfort is to make sure the gasket is flat, with no wrinkles or folds. Also, maintain your gaskets, as they are the weak link in the dry suit. Keep them clean (wash off any sunscreen, etc.), and give them an occasional wipe with 303. I'm sure the Kokatat website will have user info.