Dry Suit Questions

I updated the Kokatat repair costs in the post a few back so there is no confusion.  The exact costs are:

You must pay shipping.
$15-25 for leak test and repair. (Bargain IMO!)
$62 for neck seal replacement if you have the latex ones.
$32 for wrist seal replacement.
$37 for ankle seal replacement.

-Allen

For what it's worth, in terms of wear & tear and how long gaskets will last... I use my drysuit about 50 days a year in the winter/spring and treat the gaskets with 303 Protectant at least once a week.  Gaskets have lasted so far 2.5 years and I probably have another year left.

On my dry top which is used mostly during hotter weather with longer, sunnier days, I use it about 60 days a year and I'm getting about 1.5 years of use out of the neck & wrist gaskets.

If you do not treat the gaskets with 303 you will probably get half that use before they crack and need replacing.

treat the gaskets with 303 Protectant at least once a week. 

If you do not treat the gaskets with 303 you will probably get half that use before they crack and need replacing.

You talking 303 Areospace Protectant??? looks like milk when u spray it on...

treat the gaskets with 303 Protectant at least once a week. 

If you do not treat the gaskets with 303 you will probably get half that use before they crack and need replacing.

You talking 303 Areospace Protectant??? looks like milk when u spray it on...

Yep, that's the stuff... I keep a spray bottle of it handy so I can hit the gaskets as I unload the truck after each weekend.

treat the gaskets with 303 Protectant at least once a week. 

If you do not treat the gaskets with 303 you will probably get half that use before they crack and need replacing.

You talking 303 Areospace Protectant??? looks like milk when u spray it on...

Yep, that's the stuff... I keep a spray bottle of it handy so I can hit the gaskets as I unload the truck after each weekend.

Yeah great stuff...

Yup.  Use the 303!

I got ~3 years out of the gaskets before I had to replace.  But I had to replace because they got blown out (on a week long trip no less).  I think the next time I will be a little more proactive and replace them if they start looking worn.

-Allen

 Im not pro staff, affiliated, or sponsored, and I wont pretend to be an expert, but I did my homework and tried different suits before I purchased.
I chose to go with the level 6 Poseidon
http://www.levelsix.com/store/index.php/producttype/drysuit/poseidon-drysuit.html
all ops are smooth so far
 
good luck Bird

I have the Stohlquist bpod on its third year. I fish cold water and use it a ton, was getting snowed on over memorial day weekend last week, nice and toasty and safe in my bpod. Gaskets are still like new. I treat them with 303 protectant every so often, maybe every other month or so, that is all you need and any more is overkill and wasting the 303. I'll get a few more years easily out of the gaskets. The 303 is great stuff, buy it and use it. It is expensive stuff but well worth it. Use it sparingly.

With Stoglquist they have OUTSTANDING Customer Service and really stand behind their products and take great care of their customers. Their suits are the best out there and they come with a LIFETIME WARRANTY. They will replace the gaskets, retape seams, repair the entire suit and test it FOR FREE. you pay for shipping to them, they pay for shipping it back to you. No nickle and dimming you for repair costs. Best suit I have ever owned and I have been wearing drysuits since the 70's. My buddy had a bpod which was like 6/7+ years old, which was still going strong. He tore the boot on lava rocks. They sent him a brand new suit! You can't beat that.

Best thing to do for your dry suit or wetsuit is simply to rinse it off after each use. This will greatly extend the life of the suit.
NEVER ever leave the suit in your vehicle in hot temps or even warm temps. A trunk on an even warm day gets hot inside and this is terrible for the gaskets and seams and the entire suit.

No one should be having any trouble with closing zippers. The manufacturer of your suit should have supplied you with a few tubes of zipper lube silicon lubricant(use sparingly). Are you not using it? All you need is a few drops and the zipper should easily slide effortlessly open and closed.

My work got me the O'Nell dry suit for snorkeling survey (don't ask me why?)
http://www.oneill.com/#/men/americacanada/collection/men/technical/wake/drysuits/boost_dry_suit/black/
it's nice & comfy (& very cool looking), but of course water seeps in from the neoprene neck gasket (yes, it is much more comfortable) after 15ft of dive...  no relief zipper & doesn't even have booties...

they gave other co-workers the BARE NEX GEN dry dive suit
http://www.baresports.com/en-US/Dive/Products/Drysuits/Nex-Gen-Pro-Dry/Mens
it's a real dive suit & very dry & nice (the exhaust valves are cool)
pretty tough, hard material that is a little bit harder to move in compared to others


& another guy got the Kokatat Gore-tex one
http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=2258&pdeptid=1174
after two months of use (once or twice a week) already had a bunch of little leaks, but he is always hard on stuff that he uses...

I'm thinking about getting myself an NRS one someday because that's what the swift water rescue instructors were wearing (they're a real firefighter rescue team too) then again maybe they might get some kinda discount...

too much to choose from...

I can second the Stohlquist bpod. Happy with it so far.

Ben

hobie dave and I  both bought the Palm drysuit from Wind and Toys guy from Santa Rosa during the 2009 AOTY picnic in San Leandro.

we both enjoy it very much..we got a killer price of $250 incl tx.

never had any problems with mine.. I still put in wide pool noodles in the wrist gaskets cuz they are a bit too tight.

i think yakhopper just bought same one for $300.
cant beat the price..
I wore mine yesterday in SWS.. very comfy although I should had worn a fleece inside cuz fog never burned off..
call that Wind&toys guy in santa rosa.


dave

hobie dave and I  both bought the Palm drysuit from Wind and Toys guy from Santa Rosa during the 2009 AOTY picnic in San Leandro.

we both enjoy it very much..we got a killer price of $250 incl tx.

never had any problems with mine.. I still put in wide pool noodles in the wrist gaskets cuz they are a bit too tight.

i think yakhopper just bought same one for $300.
cant beat the price..
I wore mine yesterday in SWS.. very comfy although I should had worn a fleece inside cuz fog never burned off..
call that Wind&toys guy in santa rosa.


dave

Dave, is the drysuits have the relief zipper?

Sent from my X10a using Tapatalk

Dave, is the drysuits have the relief zipper?

Why as a matter of fact, it does!

Wow that is a great price for a drysuit. Which model is it? And does it have breathable material?
Also why don't you trim the wrist gaskets if they are too tight?

hobie dave and I  both bought the Palm drysuit from Wind and Toys guy from Santa Rosa during the 2009 AOTY picnic in San Leandro.

we both enjoy it very much..we got a killer price of $250 incl tx.

never had any problems with mine.. I still put in wide pool noodles in the wrist gaskets cuz they are a bit too tight.

i think yakhopper just bought same one for $300.
cant beat the price..
I wore mine yesterday in SWS.. very comfy although I should had worn a fleece inside cuz fog never burned off..
call that Wind&toys guy in santa rosa.


dave

Anyone have any input on Palm (Dave looks a little too happy in that pic btw) vs Supernova vs Supernova angler?  I like the looks of the supernova but the extra features of the angler are appealing.