neoprene v latex seals

I'm in the market for immersion protection, ie a wetsuit or drysuit.  I hit up the local dive shop Friday night that was having a fantastic sale on wetsuits, unfortunately in sizes other than mine.  It seems that depending on manufacturer I'm going to need either an xl, xxl or xlt, with the xlt being a rather rare bird. 

I think I've read just about every thread on this forum regarding wet/drysuits and opinions are all over the place.  Drysuits in temps of 50 and below (Calif. big blue).  Wetsuits from 3mm-7mm.  A wetsuit and drysuit used in conjunction.  Wetsuit with paddler pants and jacket etc etc etc.  The interesting thing is once you start looking at adding the paddler jacket and pants to supplement the wetsuit, you are getting into the drysuit price range.  To lower that price gap even more is the neoprene gasket drysuits.  Surprisingly there isn't much on here about latex v neoprene gaskets.

Does the neoprene make an effective seal to keep water out comparable to latex?  Durability of one versus the other?  It seems like the neoprene would be less prone to damage.  Does one "choke" more versus the other?  General opinions?

Seipel (if you can find them) on the low end at just over $300
Stohlquist ez at around $500
Supernova for about the same
Hydrus and latex for another $50
2 piece FJ under $200 and another $150 to a lot for a paddler jacket/pants

On the plus side: registered my plb with the NOAA yesterday

Latex maintains its high-performance longer the neoprene when it comes to neck and wrist gaskets. That being said the "value" dry suit I have has the neoprene neck gasket and I expect my PFD would keep my head out of the water well enough that the neoprene would be fine AND it's more comfortable. NRS farmer-john wetsuits are available in just about every size and are comfortable,high-quality, widely available and low cost. People will have lots more to say, but I'll get the ball rolling.

I've gone for an intentional swim in my Kokatat Angler suit (neoprene neck) and got VERY little water inside.

My thoughts...

- If you're going to wear a WETsuit, there is no reason to cover it with DRY pants or jacket. That's counterintuitive. If you want some extra wind or rain/splash protection, just throw on a windbreaker or thin rain jacket.

- Buy once, cry once. If you're going to spring for a drysuit, do some research and buy one that has a lifetime warrantee on materials and craftsmanship (such as the Kokatat Angler suit).

- Kayak fishing and crabbing is tough on gear. Buy something with tough/reinforced material in high wear areas (like the Kokatat Angler Suit).

- You'll be more comfy in a drysuit than a wetsuit, especially on days that are cold, hot, or anywhere in between.

- Just buy the damn Angler Suit.

Cheers,

~Alex

Nice subtle hint lol

Thanks for the feedback.  I just bought some kayak electronics that cut into the budget a bit.  I'll hit up a few more dive shops and see what pans out.

- If you're going to wear a WETsuit, there is no reason to cover it with DRY pants or jacket. That's counterintuitive. If you want some extra wind or rain/splash protection, just throw on a windbreaker or thin rain jacket.

~Alex

+1

But this year I'm getting a dry/paddling suit (soon, hopefully...)

I like a neo neck seal, latex on the wrists and a full sock on the feet.

A dry suit is way more comfortable in a much greater range of water and air temperatures than a wet suit.  Buy a dry suit which fits loosely so you can fit plenty of fuzzy insulating layers under it, which will keep you warm and comfortable even if it's snowing and the water temperature is in the low 40s.  Don't go for a stylish tight-fitting look.  Get a dry suit with dry socks.  Your feet spend a lot of time in the water when kayak fishing, and with dry socks you can layer up polypro or wool socks under the dry socks and keep your feet nice and warm.  Ankle gaskets will leave you with cold feet.  Buy wetsuit booties or other footgear which is several sizes larger than your shoe size, so your footgear doesn't constrict your feet.  Tight footgear produces cold feet.  Get a dry suit with a gender-appropriate pee zipper, so you can pee comfortably and conveniently while out on the water.  A pee zipper is essential!  Get a dry suit with a zipper which you can operate yourself.  Most dry suits have diagonal front zippers; rear entry dry suits are a lousy idea, because you need a friend to open and close them for you.  Breathable fabric is more comfortable than non breathable fabric, as you'll get a lot of condensation inside a non-breathable dry suit.  I prefer latex gaskets to neoprene gaskets, as latex gaskets are more waterproof.  I snorkel and spearfish in the spring in Montana in a drysuit with latex cuffs, and after six hours in the water, I can drive home in the clothing I wore under my drysuit.  Your neck gaskets will last longer if you get a dry suit which has some kind of collar which protects your neck gasket from the sun.  Cuffs which cover your wrist gaskets are also a worthwhile feature.

One argument in favor of wearing paddling pants with built-in dry socks on top of a wetsuit: your feet stay dry.  Like Pete said, your feet will get wet and cold if you don't have dry socks.

One argument in favor of wearing paddling pants with built-in dry socks on top of a wetsuit: your feet stay dry.  Like Pete said, your feet will get wet and cold if you don't have dry socks.

Right... But since you'll be dry under your dry pants anyway, why not wear some cozy freeze pants instead of the wetsuit?

  Get a dry suit with a gender-appropriate pee zipper, so you can pee comfortably and conveniently while out on the water.  A pee zipper is essential! 

i'm using an O'neill Mutant wet suit with NRS Boundary boots. if you end up peeing in the suit you fill the boot. the Pee zipper is a great feature and the leading reason I'm switching to a Dry Suit. Happy Shopping

I guess I probably should deal with my taxes.  I thought being a jeeper was expensive. 

Thank you everybody for the thought out and insightful responses.

This may have been mentioned already, for sure latex seals and boots are drier, but I have found them to be more fragile (easy to tear) especially if you are a bit uncoordinated or unaware like me. Also can be problems with dry-out of seals if not well maintained leading to tears. +++ on need for relief zipper whether wet or dry suit. Front zip is way better too unless you are way more flexible than I am. I can get out of a shoulder back zip dry suit but it takes about 10 minutes of contortions.
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Speaking of peeing, here’s the best $5.00 you’ll ever spend on kayak fishing equipment: a funnel and a piece of plastic hose to pee in.  Put the hose down a scupper hole or your Mirage Drive hole and fire away.  This system allows guys to pee when sitting safely and comfortably in the seat of your kayak. 

Speaking of peeing, here’s the best $5.00 you’ll ever spend on kayak fishing equipment: a funnel and a piece of plastic hose to pee in.  Put the hose down a scupper hole or your Mirage Drive hole and fire away.  This system allows guys to pee when sitting safely and comfortably in the seat of your kayak. 

This looks like the way to go...

Hydrus 3L SuperNova Angler?