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Topic: Dry Suit Suggestions????  (Read 1747 times)

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grandpa21

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Ok so I think I'm going to buy a dry suit before my Trip to Monterey Bay. Since you guys live in an area where dry suits are almost required to do any type of fishing the majority of the year I would like to get your suggestions on which ones are the best! The ones I'm looking at so far are.....

Kokatat -Expedition (have almost decided on this one as the one I want to get)
Mustang Tactical Operations Dry Suite MSD575 (I think Jet-Ski Brian Uses this one)
Palm - Aleutian EXP Immersion Suit
Whites - Military Dry Suit

Any other suggestions are welcome. I would just like to know that I'm getting a suit that is well made, comfortable, breaths well, and is waterproof. I'm also angling for a hood, just because I'm a fan of hoods.

Thanks!

-Ryan


OldNewbie

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I have the Kokatat and one bit of advice: see if you can't find a dealer with a decent stock where you can try one on before buying it. No complaints at all about the quality, etc., but man, that thing's an absolute Palin to get into. It's not a quick process at all, at least for me - lots of contortions, trying to minimize body mass going through small openings at very uncomfortable angles. A wet suit is several times easier for me. Once on, though, the Kokatat's a great suit with a great reputation. I haven't tried the others, but have several Mustang products and am equally impressed with their quality.


bsteves

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Another thing you might consider is that Kokatat is a NorCal company that actually employees NorCal residents to make the dry suits in NorCal.    I'm pretty sure you'll find that the other dry suits you mention might be a bit cheaper, but they're all made over seas by people getting paid next to nothing.
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grandpa21

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Well I'm glad you like the Kokatat because I just ordered an Expedition through my kayak supplier at a very good price with a guarentee that it will be here before my trip out there.  I got an XL because I'm 6'1" with a 12" shoe size so I figure even if it is a little big (which I don't think it will be) I can live with it.  But I'm excited to get out there and try it out!  Thanks for the advice! 


p.s. and it does make me feel better that it's a US manufacturing process...I always like to buy American if at all possible!  I'm a big fan of Avet reels too...I don't know what it is but you Califolk make some good Sh**!


kit mann

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Grandpa, and others,
Thanks for the support (and honest feedback).

For someone new to drysuits, I would suggest you put it on at your dealers and have them give you advice, etc.  You can also get information about the use, care and feeding at our website www.kokatat.com.  Like any piece of technical equipment, if you take care of it, it'll last a lot longer and serve you better.  Just a reminder, exhaust the air out of the suit before you hit the water.  Just hold the neck gasket open and squat down with your arms around your knees.  Also, neck gaskets always feel tight at first, and there's info on stretching and trimming at the website. And believe it or not, you do get used to them!  btw, that drysuit design has crossed the Arctic.

Have fun!

Kit Mann
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SBD

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Quote
And believe it or not, you do get used to them!

True!


OldNewbie

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  Some of my problems squirming into my drysuit probably stem from my body proportions - longer torso and shorter legs than most people of the same height. But none of us thought to mention one other great thing about Kokatat - you can have a suit built to fit you better. I'll definitely be doing this if I ever wear out this suit. Hopefully they won't mind my quoting their site:

SPECIAL SIZING
Kokatat will increase or decrease the length of the arms, legs, torso (above the waist) or rise (waist to crotch) on most of our dry suit models for a nominal charge. The adjustments we can make are limited in scope and depend on the model and size of the garment; please contact Kokatat or your paddle sports dealer for more information. Since everybody likes a different kind of fit, we cannot build or alter a suit to a list of body measurements. If you believe some customization will be necessary, consult with Kokatat or your dealer. We will even send a sizing suit to the dealer for you to try. You can then determine how much to add or take off. Please exercise caution: when you get a custom dry suit, it's yours. No returns will be accepted (other than warranty)!


Marmite

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I have had a Kokatat GFER dry suit for about two years now and am very pleased with it.  I  bought it from Kayak Academy and they were very helpful with suggestions and fitting.  They recommended I get a standard size rather than having to have a custom made suit.  I'm 6 feet and 210 lbs with a 39-40 inch waist. When I first got it I thought it was way too baggy, but they told me that it was much better to be on the large  side than too small, and they told me about "purging" the suit.  The suit seems baggy when you get in, but the excess helps you get in the diagonal zipper easily.  If it's too small, you can really get hung up getting your shoulders in.  Then when you purge--step into water and kneel to get the water chest high, and open your neck gasket you let the excess air out.  When you close the gasket and stand up a vacuum develops and the suit will cling to you as if custom fitted.  Also, if you get it too small, they said you can find it chaffs at certain points when you paddle. And you may need the extra room if you layer heavier for colder conditions.

When I first got my suit, I was afraid to custom cut the neck gasket, and instead used the neck ring that the Kayak Academy supplied.  This took some of the tension off the neck but it was a bit of a hassle. Later, I was confident enough to cut off two rings from the gasket, and that made the neck comfortable, easy to slip on and I never really think about any discomfort associated with the neck ring now.

What I really like about the dry suit is that I can stay dry and warm all the time, especially my feet, which tended to get cold in the wet suit.  I even prefer cooler, overcast days because I'm more comfortable in that weather.  Have to be careful if it may get over mid seventies because you can then over heat in the dry suit.

Also, if your interested you can get a full body, 100 Polartec Pile uni-suit dry suit liner from Kokatat, for a little over $100.  Also comes in the 200 weight which is warmer.  the advantage is that you avoid the cold spot that tends to develop around your waist if you wear separate bottom and top liners. 

Hope you enjoy your new suit!


grandpa21

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Thanks for the info!  I'm going to try and take her out for a test paddle this weekend if it comes in by then.  I'll post up and let everyone know what I think. 

-Ryan


bsteves

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I hope you like your new drysuit Ryan.  Sounds like it will be useful in Monterey and even more useful for chasing trophy sized striped bass (excuse me.. I mean rockfish) this winter in Virginia.

Brian
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