Drysuit
Wed, 08/17/2011 - 23:00
Hi all,
I have never ridden in the wintertime before and seems like I will be spending another one in Mass so I decided to get a drysuit. There are many varieties and prices out there and I know there are suits for water sports and for diving. Any recommendations?
Thanks,
Lyubo
Thu, 08/18/2011 - 07:37
#1
Ocean Rodeo Pyro Pro or even
Ocean Rodeo Pyro Pro or even better for really cold conditions, Ocean Rodeo Surf Dry.
Thu, 08/18/2011 - 07:54
#2
check out drysuits designed for kayaking
check out drysuits designed for kayaking. They are expensive, but rugged. They are usually equipped with reflective tape and bright colors (to quote a coast guardsman - "don't wear black in the water unless that is what you want to be buried in, becasue we can't find you") Some have fabric collars that protect the latex neck seal when you wipe out hard, which can help prevent intrusion.
Most have pee zippers. You can pee in your wetsuit, but not in your drysuit.
Also, many have goretex booties sewn in, which I like. Wear wool socks, then the goretex layer, then some booties to protect the goretex - very warm, and dry feet at the end of the session.
Palm or Kokotat make good suits.
You should also invest in some good form fitting polar fleece - the fleece you wear as an outer layer is too loose for under the drysuit. It will get caught in the zipper, bunch up, etc.
Before I coughed up the money, I wore an inferior wakeboarding drysuit with a 3/2 wetsuit under it. Very warm. When the drysuit seeped (and it did) I was still comfortable and safe. Plus, if the drysuit tore, I had time to self rescue.
Sun, 08/21/2011 - 22:10
#3
Front zip work?
I've only seen the Kokatat drysuits with the diagonal front entry zipper. Does this work OK with a waist harness? I would think it would get in the way or be like sand in your shorts.
Sun, 09/04/2011 - 11:21
#4
Kokatat is th way to go
For me he Kokatat with the front zip was the ticket. Lots of fit options and the Goretex fabric is awesome. My first suit was a OR pyro pro. Very Durable material but did not brethe at all. Also, in order to get the length I needed I ended up with a suit that was just way too baggy ( i'm 6'3" and pretty skinny). Kokatat offers the option of a "semi custom" suit for an extra $100. With this option I was able to get sleves and legs that where long enough to suit me as well as gaskets and a torso that also fit.
Thu, 09/01/2011 - 23:28
#5
SAR Suit?
Waller wrote:
[T]o quote a coast guardsman - "don't wear black in the water unless that is what you want to be buried in, because we can't find you"
This visibility thing has been weighing heavy on my mind. Would this suit be way too dorky? Break some etiquette by wearing when not really affiliated with SAR? Attract sharks? Thanks.
Mon, 09/05/2011 - 23:36
#6
typical look for a kayaker, a
typical look for a kayaker, a little out of the mainstream for a kiter. But it's your life so you gotta decide whether to come down on safety or style.
I'm pretty happy with my O.S.Systems drysuit. You can pick various options and colors.
Wed, 09/07/2011 - 10:15
#7
I wish my Ocean Rodeo Pyro
I wish my Ocean Rodeo Pyro Pro was some bright color. I'm thinking about sticking adhesive tape to it, but I think it would just peel off.
Thu, 08/18/2011 - 08:16
#8
OR Pyro. The Lite one is
OR Pyro. The Lite one is fully functional, the Pro has all the bells and whistles.
Thu, 08/18/2011 - 08:54
#9
Think about your pee
Think about your pee strategy. Can't pee in a drysuit.
Thu, 08/18/2011 - 09:19
#10
+ Pyro Pro... Just mindless
+ Pyro Pro... Just mindless to put it on. Dont have to deal with getting wet and can hold you all the way to a 3/2 or nothing.
Thu, 08/18/2011 - 10:40
#11
why not?
why not?
Thu, 08/18/2011 - 12:19
#12
yeah, i'm pretty sure Jean
yeah, i'm pretty sure Jean says he pees in his...
Thu, 08/18/2011 - 12:02
#13
Hi there,
I have two dry
Hi there,
I have two dry suites for sale. Need to check on exact sizes but a pyro pro in large is think and a NPX lucifer in small or medium.
They are mine and my girls, and since we moved we do not need them anymore. Both are in tip top shape. Was planing to wait for the winter to sell them, but if you want to get them now, I am glad to free up the storage. drop me a email chris.schowalter@gmail.com
Thu, 08/18/2011 - 16:13
#15
I switched from the drysuit
I switched from the drysuit to a wetsuit this past winter and really love the decision. I am was way warmed in my npx 5/4 then I ever was with my drysuit. Mainly because having neoprene over your whole body seems to keep your hands and feet warmer. I loved having a drysuit and not getting my whole body wet but my hands would almost always get cold over time. I found a way around it, brought hot water in a thermos to the beach.
I have written many posts on here ranting about how awesome a drysuit is but after this past winter converted. However I think it comes down to personal preference, riding style, and really conditions you plan to ride in. Are you really going to go out when its 25 degrees out in the middle of february? I mean I have been that dumbass who does but its not for everyone.
If you have the chance, and you should cause you have time until winter I would suggest trying on both. See which would feel more natural. Go try on a couple different dry suits. Go try on the top of the line wetsuits, NPX and West I think are the best but everyone will debate it. Personally my 5/4 npx is more flexible and comfortable then my 2 year old 4/3. I rock it all winter until I am ready for a shorty or just board shorts and half mill top.
Thu, 08/18/2011 - 21:56
#16
+1 on personal preference
I was always comfortable in the water in layered wetsuits, It was just changing into street clothes after the session that was miserable for me. For a while, I used a kind of track suit to put over my wetsuit so I could drive home with the wetsuit on.
So if you have a van that you can change in, that is not an issue. Maybe if you weren't born and raised in Florida, it isn't an issue anyway.
It is much nicer to don a drysuit for a second session (like after lunch).
BTW if you also surf, and duck dive, the kayaking suits suck, too much air in them, you have to go pyro pro surf, which fits like a wetsuit. See their website.
Sat, 08/20/2011 - 14:46
#17
I love the pee Zip! No more
I love the pee Zip! No more dehydrating myself for a Winter session.
I have the attched gore tex socks too but actually find it harder to keep my feet warm because the gore tex socks are so bulky that I have to get booties that zip. The zip booties, with gore tex socks, and wool socks inside aren't as warm as my 7 mil Billabong fleece lined booties. It's totaly counter intuitive.
Thu, 08/25/2011 - 14:24
#18
I'm with the stupid ones who hate drysuits...
Bought an OR Pyro Surf for close-to-winter riding, but hated it right away... first of all - pain in the ass to get in and to get out... especially on a sandy beach... especially while getting hit by really cold wind... Made me realize that I wouldn't have made a huge mistake if I was to became an astronaut...
Second - can't take no piss... have to get out of the water, take off half the suit and freeze your butt on order to take a leak...
And lastly - the worst part - if you crash every once in a while, the seals will leak... the seals will also leak if you ride with no booties and/or gloves... So as such, I was really happy to get rid of it... Nothing beats a good steamer.
Thu, 08/25/2011 - 15:34
#19
Yep.
alexeyga wrote:
Nothing beats a good steamer.
That's what she said.
Mon, 09/05/2011 - 18:36
#20
5/4 West wetsuit
Hooded, rear entry, blind stitched, glued seams. Skyrocket approved.
Tue, 09/06/2011 - 21:13
#21
NPX Lucifer!
Is amazing: pee-zip, great flexibility...just amazing..I feel like I'm snowboarding on the water! I don't think I'll ever go back to a regular steamer. However I've gotta say that I have never ridden it in Boston in the winter so I don't know how warm it would be.
It's siiiick though!
Wed, 09/07/2011 - 14:11
#22
dont suppose there are any
dont suppose there are any recommendations for girl dry suits? im not used to cold water at all.
Wed, 09/07/2011 - 21:22
#23
Yes there are
Try Kokatat
Thu, 09/08/2011 - 09:26
#24
I was wondering the same
I was wondering the same thing
__________________
Thu, 09/08/2011 - 13:46
#25
I've been keeping an eye on
I've been keeping an eye on this one for a while. It's on sale but still way out of my budget:
http://stores.homestead.com/hstrial-dlove385/-strse-103/Women%27s-5-fdsh...
Thu, 09/08/2011 - 15:36
#26
And you'll still be pretty
And you'll still be pretty cold in the dead of winter with that.
Thu, 09/08/2011 - 16:19
#27
Jean,
Is your comment
Jean,
Is your comment specific to that suit or to drysuits in general? I'd seen the men's version of that suit and was considering it, too. I was deterred, though, by the lack of latex seals which, at least in my whitewater kayaking experience, are/were way drier than neoprene seals. I'm still trying to sort out winter waterwear strategy. Except for the one negative review on this thread of the OR Surfdry/Predator, I've only heard very positive things about the Predator. At this point, I'm considering the Ion Fuse, OR Predator, NPX Zealot Wind 6/5/4. Despite skyrocket's glowing endorsement of the West suits, I really am leaning toward a smoothskin/mesh wetsuit for reduced windchill if I go with a wettie. Have been scouring the web trying to find a wetsuit with the following:
- limestone neoprene
- smoothskin/mesh/single-lined
- 6/5/4
It's a surprisingly hard task. Even the Zealot falls short -- not limestone. Any more thoughts?
Thu, 09/08/2011 - 17:46
#28
I was looking at the suit
I was looking at the suit Marie was browsing. 5/3 is really not much more than a steamer. It has a drysuit zipper but indeed, neoprene gaskets aren't really gaskets at all. I have a suit like that and it is good for spring and fall, but it kept me off of the water in winter. I now have the OR Pyro Pro, and I kite year around.
Thu, 09/08/2011 - 19:37
#29
Dry Suit
For cold winter riding you need a 5.4 with sealed seams and an integrated hood or a drysuit. Any suit that allows water to flush through won't cut it. There is all kinds of debate as to which is better, the hard core winter wetsuit (probably 400 clams) or the drysuit (600 clams or more. For me its about trade offs. The wetsuit offers better mobility, nice safety ( a 5.4 is a floatation device) and a suit failure won't put you in a spot. Alternatively, a drysuit will keep you warm and dry all day, a wetsuit is only good for about 2 hours at a cold and windy beach. Getting out of a wetsuit in the parking lot after a long session when you are just starting to get chilled also bites. Getting out of a drysuit is a piece of cake.
Mon, 09/12/2011 - 18:40
#30
Pyro Pro is the way to go
I kited all winter last year wearing a Pyro and never had a problem or any small issues yet I watched other kiters wearing wetsuits freeze after an hour session. the best part of it is you don't freeze when you are changing and a fleece underneath is all you need, that being said you'll have lots of flexibility and no stifness anywhere.
everyone gets a bit worried about the suit leaking but honestly if you take care of it you are going to find that bying a Pyro is the best desicion ever.
Good luck
Mon, 09/12/2011 - 20:22
#31
I totally agree with that
I totally agree with that statement
Tue, 09/13/2011 - 22:07
#32
You should try that place...
http://www.pleasuresports.com/surfing.html
End of season prices are great, although 5/4 is not warm enough for winter or close-to-winter riding... Owned one for more than 6 years, so I know its limitations a little too well... Like somebody else have said you need at least a solid 6/5 with sealed/glued seams, integrated or additional hood and a leak-proof zipper... not forgetting some warm gloves and a pair of booties...
Thanks all for the info