Drysuit or wetsuit, what's your go to?

So, I was in the market to buy some new fishing waders when i came across the kokatat whirlpool bibs which could be paired with a dry top to make a pretty decent dry system. I thought, two birds one stone! Fortunately, I found a deal and got it for 15% off its pretty pricey tag. I followed the purchase up with a stohlquist dry top (which almost suffocated me while i was trying it on... note to self: never try on drytops alone.) So for about $800, i got myself a pretty decent dry system situation.  But then i tried on a farmer john wetsuit. So much more comfortable, so much so i bought one because it was also so cheap.  I haven't even christened my kokatat waders since it's been so warm that fly fishing has been completely comfortable in shorts.
I feel like i may have jumped the gun on the drysuit, seeing that I feel more comfortable with the wetsuit.   I'll still have use for the whirlpool bibs as waders, but i feel i may have not needed the drytop after all. Anyone prefer drysuits in spite of the discomfort of the gaskets?

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I mean, all it takes is fishing in the ocean before work one time for me to really think a dry top/bottom is a good idea so I don't smell like fish from top to bottom afterwards, that said I'm in the farmer john, and super comfy, like you haha.

You own a drytop jacket and bib not a drysuit.  Most people here wear Kokatat Angler one piece drysuits, Hydrus or Goretex material. The neoprene neck gasket is comfortable and wont suffocate you.  The latex wrist gaskets are tight at first and can be strecthed.  I never wore a FJ after wearing my drysuit because I stay dry.
 

Have you been out in the water in the farmer John yet? One thing I don’t like about wetsuits is they are tight all over and don’t breath well.  After a while you get hot and sweaty, some water gets inside and you get clammy and itchy. On a warm day, a wetsuit can be miserable.   And unless you can dry it completely before your next use, they are a mf’er to get on when even slightly damp.   Dry suits are way more comfortable and flexible for different outside temps.  Just my opinion.

And fishaddixt is right.  Dry top + dry bib does not = drysuit when it comes to immersion in cold water.

Have you been out in the water in the farmer John yet? One thing I don�t like about wetsuits is they are tight all over and don�t breath well.  After a while you get hot and sweaty, some water gets inside and you get clammy and itchy. On a warm day, a wetsuit can be miserable.   And unless you can dry it completely before your next use, they are a mf�er to get on when even slightly damp.   Dry suits are way more comfortable and flexible for different outside temps.  Just my opinion.

And fishaddixt is right.  Dry top + dry bib does not = drysuit when it comes to immersion in cold water.

I have been out with the fj and have been fine with it... maybe i need to stay out longer.
And yes, my apologies for misspeaking
... I do NOT own a dry suit. The whilrpool bibs mated with the drytop was marketed to me as a "virtual" drysuit. The guys at headwaters had a pretty convincing demo of the bibs mated with the jacket (though i did not choose the jacket but rather the nrs freeplay which had a seemingly better neck gasket for immersion.
I suppose I  need to get out there and just test it out. Thanks for your insight.


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I own a Kokatat Angler Gore-Tex SEMI-dry suit, then bought a Henderson full wetsuit (to save wear-and-tear on the drysuit when fishing in freshwater).  I rarely use the dry suit these days.  They aren't more comfortable.  The neck gasket squeezes your neck (if you have it properly adjusted to keep water out), I never ended the day dry because they can be like wearing a portable one-person sauna (even those made with Gore-Tex), and you need to be a contortionist to get out of it when the latex gaskets get wet.  All that, plus you need to guess right about the number or thickness of your insulating undergarments to be protected in the water.

Modern super-stretchy neoprene does not restrict my movements, it cools down and stays cooler longer if I pour water on it - and adding light colored clothing on top really works to keep you cool, it peels off easily, I can still use base layers under it for added insulation (and to make it easy to put the wetsuit on if it isn't completely dry), and it cost one third what the Gore-Tex dry suit cost (I bought a really good wetsuit).

Early- or late-season, when the water is colder and the winds stronger, I'll wear the dry suit.  For everything in between - and especially in freshwater - it's the wetsuit.

Just my observations.  I was a staunch, dyed-in-the-wool dry suit advocate for years.  Then I bought the wetsuit.  Now I'm a dedicated fence-sitter.

   Cut the top half of the farmer johns off,,   ( high up the waist )  that way you can still take a piss.       I've been using the same pair of  5 mil  pants with  Kokatat paddling jacket for years. 

my zipper on the farmer john zips up from the crotch as well as down from the neck, works for me to pee.

These discussions (there are many on this exact topic) almost always revolve around comfort instead of survival.

Dress for immersion.

Lots of guys don't dress for immersion because they don't think they'll ever end up in the cold water long enough to get hypothermia.

There are documented cases of people becoming hypothermic in drysuits without the proper insulation beneath - which is a wetsuit unless you have an extremely well maintained drysuit and beefy/pricey underlaying.

I wear a FJ under my drysuit and fold both at my ribs, pinning all of that material under my paddle jacket and PFD.  The wetsuit stays dry and silky, and the drysuit takes all the paddle splash, blood and slime.

Sooner or later the discussion will be about an incident where someone who was clearly not dressed for immersion ended up in the cold water long enough to get hypothermia.  Don't let it be you.