Kokatat drysuit leak

After this wet weekend at GSX, I decided to shop for a dry suit. My body stayed dry in my farmerjohn with a splash top and pants, but it was too bulky. My feet were cold in the booties.

I noticed mention of neoprene and latex neck seals. I would like to hear the advantages or disadvantages of both before I buy.

Any advise is appreciated.

Thank you,
Al

Al,  The latex is the only thing that will make a complete seal around the neck.  Many opt for the neoprene because the latex is either an allergy problem for them or they can't tolerate the tight seal around the neck.  I have been wearing a Kokatat Gortex suit with the latex neck gasket for a few years, and was able to get used to it pretty quickly.  The gasket can be trimmed to fit, if it's too tight but I have never trimmed mine.  That being said, there's a pretty good argument that the neck being sealed is overkill for kayak use, since it's doubtful that you would be fully submerged long enough to take on much water through the neck gasket.  In my opinion; if you can get used to the gasket around your neck, it provides the best protection for keeping the water out.  There's also the issue of water entering during heavy rain and my seal didn't allow a drop.  If I had worn a water-proof hat to keep my head dry, I would have been very comfortable.  I would really recommend you try both a dry and a semi-dry suit and make the decision based upon what feels right for you;  keeping in mind the fact that the latex seal won't feel very good until you give yourself some time to get used to it.

Martin

I called Kokatat and was told that the Supernova Angler is a paddling suit and that the neck gasket will let water in.  No suggestions for the rain other than a wide brimmed hat.

I think a hoodie that's lightweight goretex would do wonders for keeping rain out of the neck area.  Plus a wide brim hat with a chin strap to keep from loosing it.  Guess it's time to keep an eye out on Cabela's Bargain Cave!!

I think a hoodie that's lightweight goretex would do wonders for keeping rain out of the neck area.  Plus a wide brim hat with a chin strap to keep from loosing it.  Guess it's time to keep an eye out on Cabela's Bargain Cave!!

I wouldn't think it would even need to be gortex. You're not sweating through the fabric of the drysuit so there is nothing to be trapped by the rain coat. A light weight nylon rain coat with a comfortable fit and hood size that zips up all the way to your chin. Wear a baseball hat under the hood and that will keep rain off your glasses if you wear them and help keep rain off the opening under your chin. It will give you another layer if it is windy or cold and can be easily removed if the sun comes out.

However, I guess if you want to spend the money on gortex, there's no other disadvantage and you'll have a nice gortex raincoat for other uses.

You're right; it doesn't need to be gore-tex for this application.  I was thinking of maybe other applications to press it into other duties. 

I also got water down my suit on tourney day due to the rain, and know for a fact it came down thru the neoprene neck.  This is the first time I can recall anything happening like that and I've fished with it in the rain a few time before.  However, that was some heavy rain on Saturday and the wind was blowing it sideways, so that might have something to do with it.  +1 on the wide brim hat.  I wasn't wearing one on Saturday and believe that might have helped considering I've worn one before in the rain and didn't have the issue like I did at GSX.

I don't know how the neoprene neck is supposed to hold up against rain. Saturday was the first time I've fished with mine in the rain. Maybe give Kokatat a call first to check their opinion on this. They have a very good customer service by the way.

as for hats, I would recommend Outdoor Research Seattle Sombrero brimmed hat from REI. They were on sale a while back for ~$20, regular $60. I know, theyre very pricey, but it kept me warm and dry on Saturday's tourney. The inside is lined with fleece to keep your melon warm. It's not something I'd wear on hiking trip though and I know a few NCKAer wear them.

https://www.rei.com/product/238313/outdoor-research-seattle-sombrero

Thanks for the link Herb!  It's time for a new hat.

Breathable materials like GoreTex or Hydrus 3L can only pass water VAPOR, not liquid water. On a hot day, your sweat evaporate from your wicking later and passes out through the material. On a cold day, your sweat evaporates from your wicking layer, rises (it's warm), and then condenses when it hits the cold outer layer.

This is my vote for what happened. I've experienced the same thing myself.


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+1 on getting wet in the rain with the hydrus angler suit. Paired my drysuit with a northface wind breaker and a hat. I didn't notice I was wet since I was wearing a hoodie underneath the dry suit. The only thing that sucked were my cold hands.

Breathable materials like GoreTex or Hydrus 3L can only pass water VAPOR, not liquid water. On a hot day, your sweat evaporate from your wicking later and passes out through the material. On a cold day, your sweat evaporates from your wicking layer, rises (it's warm), and then condenses when it hits the cold outer layer.

This is my vote for what happened. I've experienced the same thing myself.


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Not according to GoreTex.


2) Gore-tex is meant for cool places, not the tropics
A breathable membrane of any kind won’t be much help when you’re in the Amazon or zip-lining in Costa Rica. In basic terms, your hot sweat molocules need a cooler place to escape to. That works great when you’re skiing or hiking in the mountains. In the hot, humid tropics however, the sweat has nowhere to go. It’s just as hot and humid outside as it is around your body. So the sweat just sits there. Technology can’t save you there—unless it’s the technology in your air-conditioned hotel room. So this is exactly what you want for skiing/snowboarding, hiking, or living in a place like Seattle or Iceland, but not what you want for a boat ride down the Amazon.

http://practicaltravelgear.com/8-things-you-should-know-about-gore-tex/

That doesn't really contradict what I said. We aren't in the humid tropics, so we aren't dealing with the issue GoreTex is discussing.


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That doesn't really contradict what I said. We aren't in the humid tropics, so we aren't dealing with the issue GoreTex is discussing.


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Maybe I misunderstood you. They say it doesn't work when hot and humid, you say it doesn't work when cold. That pretty much renders it useless for rain. it is supposed to be good when skiing which is cold. It seems like it wouldn't be very useful if it only worked when warm.

Alex, I won't say it couldn't have been condensation, however I went out on two consecuative days with approximately the same temperature.  On the first day there was no rain and I had to work harder to deal with the current and wind both coming from the same direction. No moisture was found on my under garmets.  On the second day it was raining and the conditions required less work and my clothing was wet only on the upper part of my body (near the neck gasket).  That, combined with Kokatat telling me that the neck gasket will let water in leads me to believe that  it was probably due to the rain.

That doesn't really contradict what I said. We aren't in the humid tropics, so we aren't dealing with the issue GoreTex is discussing.


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Maybe I misunderstood you. They say it doesn't work when hot and humid, you say it doesn't work when cold. That pretty much renders it useless for rain. it is supposed to be good when skiing which is cold. It seems like it wouldn't be very useful if it only worked when warm.

Yeah, I think we're talking about different things.

From a physics perspective, "stuff" (i.e. water vapor) moves from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration. If it's hot and humid inside your drysuit AND its hot and humid outside your drysuit, there is no concentration gradient and therefore no outward movement of water molecules (in vapor form). I believe THIS is what they were getting at in that blurb from Gore Tex.

I'm not saying Gore Tex (or equivalent) don't work when it's cold. What I'm saying is that water will obey the laws of thermodynamics whether it exists inside your drysuit as water vapor, in the air as rain, or anywhere else in any phase. If humid air inside your drysuit (or anywhere else on earth) moves to an area cooler than the dew point, water droplets will form.

Another thing to consider... If the outside of your suit is soaking wet (i.e the water isn't beading and running off like it should), your suit won't breath properly. Water vapor can't escape through soggy, saturated outer fabric.









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This page explains it pretty well.

http://andrewskurka.com/2012/breathability-its-importance-mechanisms-and-limitations/