All I want for Christmas is my Kokatat Dry Suit

Hello friends, I'm trying to subliminally program my wife for a Christmas gift- but there are so many options, and at the prices they go for, I really don't want the wrong one or to go too crazy $$ wise. Hydrus 3L SuperNova Angler? Meridian? Gore-tex front entry? Gore-tex rear entry? Looking for quality and durability, I destroy stuff.

If anyone has a used XL (or L once I drop my "turkey weight") I might go for that too. And of course if there are any vendors that are NCKA friendly I'd gladly support ya. Any feedback would be great.


Thanks,
Justin

Also curious about this. Glad you posted.

Have you tried drysuits yet? I chatted about them with the staff at the Oakland CCK store the other day, and they had some mixed opinions. I mentioned that I was tired of the sweaty/sticky/chaffy mess of wearing a wetsuit for 6-8 hours while trolling in my Outback, and the guy said I'd be equally (if not more) sweaty in a dry suit. He said it was like wearing a plastic trash bag with zero breathability.

I'm curious if this is true... Maybe I'll rent one from the shop and try it out before dropping $500+ on something that might not help...

My experience with my Kokatat Gore-tex dry suit is that it is very comfortable, much more so for me than a wetsuit. I am not clammy, etc., unless I've overdressed & have to paddle a bunch or otherwise have to work out more than expected. I'm real happy with it.

BTW, get the relief zipper, whatever you do.
Bill

Hi Justin!  I'm coming down to Napa on the 19th and will be hopefully fishing the river on Saturday, the 20th.  You are welcome to give my Kokatat drysuit a try for fit and comfort if you want.  I'll bring it along with me even if the weather is bad so you can try it on for size any way. 

I got the front entry and would recommend it.  Very easy to get into and out of, even for a guy like me with stoved up shoulders, neck and back.  The front pee zipper is wonderful.  WONDERFUL I SAY!!!! 
I'm pretty sure mine is a XL, and while it is big on me, it's nice to have the room to move around it and not get 'all bunched up' if you know what I mean....  you don't want a large if it pulls up on your groin and as a one-piece suit, it will. 
Also, the extra room lets me layer up and wear my 'street clothes' underneath.  Plan on getting some diving booties that will fit to go over the suit.  I wear a size 9 1/2 shoe and got size 10 booties that fit perfect. 




Photo of how a XL fits me @ 5'11" and 175lbs  Notice the dive boots I got on for reference too;

I have the Kokatat Gortex front entry suit too.  I have an XL but had a large as a loaner from CCK when they replaced my gaskets and it really fit me better.  However, the extra room make a lot of sense since it allows for layering underneath and binding has never been an issue.  As far as getting hot and sweaty goes; a splash of water on the fabric quickly cools the temp down without getting you wet.  I used a wetsuit for a couple of years and would never go back. 

Gore-tex rear entry? Looking for quality and durability, I destroy stuff.

Quit being such a hard ass!

Thanks for the link, VK. I'd read through that thread long ago, but it was a good refresher.

I had never heard someone so anti drysuit before, that's why I asked again.

The wetsuit is just really not working for LONG days of trolling in the Hobie. The backs of my knees get rubbed raw, and my whole body is itchy for several days after a session (especially my shins for whatever reason). I must look like a tweaker scratching at  myself all over...

 

The wetsuit is just really not working for LONG days of trolling in the Hobie. The backs of my knees get rubbed raw, and my whole body is itchy for several days after a session (especially my shins for whatever reason). I must look like a tweaker scratching at  myself all over...
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That's for sure, the one time I wore my 3mm farmer trolling 16 miles wasn't anywhere near as comfortable as my dry suit. I can wear my dry suit for 3 straight fishing days blood guts and all and still be good to go [emoji39]. I always have that 3mil ready though if I need it.

Bought a GFER around three years ago and unfortunately I can't recommend kokatat goretex stuff. I too use my gear heavily and quite simply this suit is not intended for fishing/utility work. The breathability is great and the zippers kick ass but the fabric is far to easy to puncture and the seals rot fast.

When sent back for the first go round the charge was $140 for a new neck seal and wrist gaskets in addition to patching the suit. I wasn't too upset about that but it was only 1.5 years old. I am very familiar with 303 and use it often and still my seals are junk yet again after 1.5 years. In addition both feet leak and the crotch is starting to leak again which is why I sent it back the first time.   

Disclaimer: I use the shit out of my drysuit year round.     

Meat hunter did yours come with a lifetime warranty? I sent mine in just for a pressure seal test and replaced both socks and patched up some micro holes free covered by the warranty

My wrist gaskets just blew also but I never used the 303 after 1.5 years. 19 bucks per wrist and installed them myself

Yea lifetime for de-lamination of the gore-tex. Doesn't cover the latex seals or the patching for me at least. They also charged me for the wash fee and I washed it twice before I sent as per instructions.

http://kokatat.com/warranty-repairs

Hey fellas, thanks for all the feedback. Also, thanks for the "search function" advice too- I'll utilize that for sure, but also wanted to get current product feedback in case there was something better out there now or something to stay away from! Jerry, are you fishing for sturgeon that weekend? Tides are looking really nice. With rockfish closing soon I can't decide what to target- but I guess that's a great problem to have. Thanks for the offer, if things work out we could go fishing next weekend although I do not have great sturgeon luck. They don't like me.

Justin

Gore-tex rear entry? Looking for quality and durability, I destroy stuff.

Quit being such a hard ass!

 

Let us know what you decide on.

At 6'2.5" and 185 lbs, I'm right in between L and XL. I think the XL will be much more comfortable. Nobody likes a wedgy...

I'm sending subliminal  "Kokatat Angler size XL" messages to my girlfriend. Hope she's getting them...