The Dry suit vs. wet suit argument

In the winter, and more generally when NCKA members don’t have better things to do (such as chasing salmon) it is customary to argue about things that are a matter of personal preference, such as politics or the eternal argument of wet suits vs dry suits.

So.. I have a Kokatat dry suit (neoprene gasket at neck) and an NRS a farmer John, and I only like using the Kokatat when the risk is low. For example, crabbing in LM in December: you’re pretty close to shore, and there are many anglers around. But, since a wetsuit can tear in the middle of a trip, there are very few other occasions that I use it. And since it’s pretty cold here on the coast, I was looking for some solution to keep me warm, but with the same safety of a wetsuit.

I decided to get the Kokatat Tempest pants, and wear them over my farmer John. This way my legs would stay dry and warm. It doesn’t have a relief zipper, but I can always pull the pants down for that. The pants are $450 and can be used as waders, which is pretty cool.

It does kinda feel like winter again today…

I’ve alternated between FJ wetsuit and (semi) drysuit, and for me, the drysuit wins hands down. It seems to me that if it works for Mr. X on his 120nm journey, it’s safe enough for any day of fishing.

This past Christmas, I bought myself a real drysuit (i.e., latex neck gasket), and planned to use it during the winter, but never got the chance. So in the future, I’m hoping to get in on the semi-drysuit vs drysuit argument too!

Hahahaha, again and again. I've only been on this forum for a couple years, but this comes up at least once a month.

Some prefer drysuits, others prefer wetsuits. I prefer a wetsuit because I don't like the tight seals on a drysuit, and when it's warm out, they tend to "bottle it all in there" so to speak. 

Fine, it is kinda wintery even though the local fishing has been good. 

I have only ever used farmer John wetsuits, sometimes with a wetsuit jacket or light windbreaker over. If no jacket I try and remember to wear a long sleeve shirt to protect from UV.

More recently I have looked at drysuits primarily to go out in the cold of winter crabbing and such. After reading up on it I have decided a semi drysuit is not going to cut it if I end up in the water and a full blown drysuits at $1,300 is going to be too much 90% of the time. Perhaps those fancy pants might be a good addition?

I think for Mr. X a true dry suit or some kind of extreme marine survival gear might be a more prudent way to go.

So, I will say that the biggest plus of a dry suit is that you can layer under to suit the climate. They are great for when it's cold out. It's when its over about 55 for me that the law of diminishing returns starts kicking in. The trouble is, it's a bit of a paradox. Not enough of a thermal layer under the shell and you would be in trouble if you entered the water, and too much and you roast.

Wetsuits are pretty simple; get the thickness you need for the water temp, and layer wind blocking material overtop to help on cooler days. They also kinda suck on a hot day, but at least you can splash water and cool off a little better than with a dry suit

Of course IMHO, a properly fitted wetsuit of sufficient thickness is a more reliable form of hypothermia protection than any drysuit. Simply based on the possibility of a leak. The chance of a quality drysuit developing a significant leak is slim but not 0. And if it does develop said leak in a shit hit the fan scenario, you're in trouble. Survival suits are a different animal.

I wear (wore it's been awhile) a 5mil FJ with a 2 mil longsleeve surf jacket, and Boundry boots. AND Gortex paddle pants to keep my legs "dry" so as not to get too cold from evaporative cooling on cold days. Hot days a splash helps. Also as a diver before a kayaker I never found spending all day in a wetsuit to be all that uncomfortable.

… I don't like the tight seals on a drysuit, and when it's warm out, they tend to "bottle it all in there" so to speak.

If you go for a semi-drysuit, I’d recommend spending the extra to get Gore-Tex, as you’re likely to have a lot less of that “bottled in” effect. The almost-like-Gore-Tex-but-not-really-the-same fabrics are probably fine on cold days, but I find Gore-Tex to work well even when it gets unexpectedly warm on the water…

I'll argue that the only time I want to wear my neoprene is when it's actually really hot out.  Then I dread the drysuit, and instead put on the wetsuit.

… I don't like the tight seals on a drysuit, and when it's warm out, they tend to "bottle it all in there" so to speak.

If you go for a semi-drysuit, I’d recommend spending the extra to get Gore-Tex, as you’re likely to have a lot less of that “bottled in” effect. The almost-like-Gore-Tex-but-not-really-the-same fabrics are probably fine on cold days, but I find Gore-Tex to work well even when it gets unexpectedly warm on the water…

I've never tried a semi-dry suit, but have spent lots of time in a Kokatat standard goretex dry suit with rubber seals. I was on the WA coast, so colder water and air temps than we typically get here. Warm days were ok til I worked in it, then it would get pretty ripe.

How do the neoprene seals actually create a seal? Isn't the point of neoprene to be somewhat porous? 

I don't see myself ever wearing a drysuit again.  I actually find my wetsuit more comfortable, and they are less expensive. 

How do the neoprene seals actually create a seal? Isn't the point of neoprene to be somewhat porous? 

They don't.  The wrist gaskets are latex and the neck seal is neoprene, so they call them semi-dry.  They are basically splash top on top at the neck and drysuit the rest of the way down.

How do the neoprene seals actually create a seal? Isn't the point of neoprene to be somewhat porous? 

They don't.  The wrist gaskets are latex and the neck seal is neoprene, so they call them semi-dry.  They are basically splash top on top at the neck and drysuit the rest of the way down.

You only get wet to upper chest barely.  Not sure how long one would last in a crisis.  I use a semi goretex.  Pro angler or some glam name.  The warranty is great and I wear it on the hottest of days.  I go into sauna ninja mode...

I flipped in the surf in my Kokatat semi dry suit (neoprene neck) and got no water in. But if I ever lost my kayak far from shore (say I flipped and wind blew it away) this suit would definitely get water in and become a hazard. Even if it were full drysuit, in this scenario, where I may have to swim, I wouldn’t want to worry about it tearing unexpectedly.

The number one cause of death for kayakers is, by far, hypothermia.

I flipped in the surf in my Kokatat semi dry suit (neoprene neck) and got no water in. But if I ever lost my kayak far from shore (say I flipped and wind blew it away) this suit would definitely get water in and become a hazard. Even if it were full drysuit, in this scenario, where I may have to swim, I wouldn’t want to worry about it tearing unexpectedly.

The number one cause of death for kayakers is, by far, hypothermia.

I used to wear a drysuit for 8-10 hours per day on small boats from about late September through late April.  Lots of kneeling on non-skid, performing towing operations, climbing all over other peoples' boats during boardings, etc.  We would also have to do a 200 yard swim in one annually to stay dry-suit certified.  Never have I seen one tear from normal wear and tear.  Pinhole leaks were often discovered during our swims, but we'd also have to tread water for a period of time plus float in the water awaiting our turn to swim our 200.  That is to say, we'd spend a lot of time in the water and a pinhole leak was a minor inconvenience over the hour or so we'd spend in the water.

The most common damage, by a landslide, was people blowing out a gasket while donning or doffing the suit.  That'd be a huge bummer, but not a life safety concern.  In other words, I think peoples' concerns about dry suits are a bit overblown.

I flipped in the surf in my Kokatat semi dry suit (neoprene neck) and got no water in. But if I ever lost my kayak far from shore (say I flipped and wind blew it away) this suit would definitely get water in and become a hazard. Even if it were full drysuit, in this scenario, where I may have to swim, I wouldn’t want to worry about it tearing unexpectedly.

The number one cause of death for kayakers is, by far, hypothermia.

I used to wear a drysuit for 8-10 hours per day on small boats from about late September through late April.  Lots of kneeling on non-skid, performing towing operations, climbing all over other peoples' boats during boardings, etc.  We would also have to do a 200 yard swim in one annually to stay dry-suit certified.  Never have I seen one tear from normal wear and tear.  Pinhole leaks were often discovered during our swims, but we'd also have to tread water for a period of time plus float in the water awaiting our turn to swim our 200.  That is to say, we'd spend a lot of time in the water and a pinhole leak was a minor inconvenience over the hour or so we'd spend in the water.

The most common damage, by a landslide, was people blowing out a gasket while donning or doffing the suit.  That'd be a huge bummer, but not a life safety concern.  In other words, I think peoples' concerns about dry suits are a bit overblown.

I wear my drysuit around the house showing my wife how cool I look and she doesn't respond like the drysuit beer ads...

I would add that the wetsuit most people are comparing to is a FJ, which is more like splash protection than a real wetsuit.

Another thing I noticed is that the few times I turtled my kayak wearing a wetsuit, I froze my arse off once I got back onto the kayak--a wet wetsuit out of water is an icecoldsuit, or at least that was my experience. In contrast, if you go overboard in your drysuit, once you get back onboard, you might forget that you ever went for a swim...