Dry Top or Dry Suit?

Some of you know that I bought a 2014 Hobie Adventure Island earlier this year. Today I took it out to the ocean with full rigging for the first time. It is a lot of fun except my upper body got wet and cold after 2 hours sailing in choppy condition. My lower body was fine since I'm wearing a NRS sidewonder bib. As I am coming in, I was looking at dry top from NRS, but later some folks suggesting just buy a dry suit. So which one do you recommend, dry top or dry suit? and why? I found there are many different kinds of dry tops from NRS with fairly large price range. Is there any particular model I should get? Thanks in advance! James

A dry pants/dry top combination can do a good job of keeping you dry in rainy weather and slashing from waves.  I've done a bunch of 1-2 week whitewater kayak trips in such combinations, and wore the same clothing on and off the river. However, on those trips I was quite confident that I wasn't going to take a swim.  The problem with dry pants/dry top combinations is that if you end up in the water for more than a few seconds, they are going to leak.  Your clothing will get wet, and if you get stuck in the water for a longer time you may eventually get enough water inside the combination that it will make it difficult to get back onto your kayak, or to get up onto the shore. 

Consequently, when kayak fishing in cold weather and/or cold water conditions on the ocean or in a large lake where there is any chance that I might end up in the water for more that a very short time, I wear a full dry suit.  A full dry suit with latex (not neoprene) gaskets will reliably keep your clothing dry even after extended time in the water, and you can layer up enough clothing to keep warm in bad weather when you're on your kayak, and cold water if you end up off your kayak.  For example, I snorkel and spearfish for pike in Montana in a drysuit, starting early in the spring when the water temperature is in the high 40s.  I typically spend 3-5 hours in the water, and can wear the clothing I was wearing under the drysuit on the drive home. And in the spring and the fall, I frequently kayak fish when it's snowing or there is ice on the water.

I recommend that you buy a full drysuit.  Get it big enough so you can layer up plenty of clothing under it.  Don't go for a sleek stylish look - it should look baggy unless you really pile on a lot of clothing under it.  If you get a drysuit without a relief zipper, you will be very very very very sorry.  Get a suit with a diagonal zipper; don't get a suit with a zipper across the back of your shoulders unless you try it on and are absolutely convinced that you can get the zipper open and closed by yourself, without help from a companion.  Breathable fabric is definitely worth having.  Get a drysuit with dry socks, not ankle gaskets.  You can save money by getting a drysuit which doesn't have ankle, wrist,and/or neck cuffs, but cuffs will protect the gaskets and dry socks from sun damage and physical damage.

I'm an AI owner (2014 model as well), and it's definitely a very wet ride under fun sailing conditions. I have Kokatat drysuit. Mine does not have the Star Trek style diagonal zipper across the front, but instead zips completely apart at the waist. And, mine is full Gore-Tex, so I don't need to baste in my own juices in warmer weather. They don't seem to sell the exact model that I have anymore, but I'm sure they have something similar. It's a great company and I highly recommend their products.

Technically, mine is a semi drysuit, since it has a comfy neoprene neck gasket, as opposed to a latex neck gasket. Although I seldom disagree with pmmpete, if you go the drysuit route, I'd strongly recommend a neoprene neck gasket. I have a hard time imagining a scenario where a kayak fisherman would actually need the latex neck gasket and (for me, at least) the comfort level would be way, way less if I'm being semi-strangulated all day.

Another vote for the semi-dry suit. I have the Kokatat Gore-Tex Supernova Angler and have been very pleased. I have taken two surf zone classes with it and I had just a little dampness around the collar after 4-5 hours tumbling in the waves each time. Outdoorplay has 20% off sales a few times a year.


https://www.outdoorplay.com/Kokatat-GORE-TEX-Supernova-Angler-Paddling-Suit

The dry suit is only as good as how you use it (i.e. zip it all the way).  I do have some concern for a dry suit, what if it leaks and it starts taking on water (becoming like a wader).  But I think the benefits outweigh the negatives.  Just make sure you zip it completely.
Stohlquist Shift. 

Also, no knock on Hobies, but I never really get wet until I am on a Hobbie 

If using a drysuit, you can "burp" it.  Trapped air inside balloons you up once in the water. I use the technique of donning the suit, then crouching down to compress the suit and let the air out the neck

 

I frequently kayak fish when it's snowing or there is ice on the water.

balls of steel

https://www.nrs.com/product/15040.02/nrs-mens-hydroskin-15-pant

https://www.nrs.com/product/20015.05/nrs-mens-endurance-splash-pant

I do a combo like this, with a similar combo on top. It allows for super easy draining, all day comfort, and provides surprisingly good protection from water intrusion, assuming the user is using it properly

Aloha,

Isao

P.s. - I frequently fish in the Bay Area year round and it is comfortable for that weather, I would not consider this setup adequate for snow on the ground fishing.

Cool gearing HapaIK.  Thanks for the post.. it reminded me to pull out some old wool cycling knickers that might be useful for the kayakfishings. Has the padding sewn in which might work for tush comfort   

Thank you everyone for the helpful suggestions! I scroll through the NRS website and found there is a close out sale on the splash jacket for 50% off. I ordered one today and going to see if that can solve the problem. Again, appreciated all your helps!

Thank you everyone for the helpful suggestions! I scroll through the NRS website and found there is a close out sale on the splash jacket for 50% off. I ordered one today and going to see if that can solve the problem. Again, appreciated all your helps!

Good to see you yesterday!
I was on Drysuit and felt like in the sauna suit. I was dying...
I have NRS bibs too. They're really nice but just like the waders so be careful.
Which jacket you get?

Naoaki

I think it all depends on conditions you expect to sail, and whether you think you will be pushing hard enough to capsize, or planning to hike on tramps (i.e. literally sitting in the water).

I've been sailing and fishing in both wetsuit (FarmerJohn)+drytop and semi-drysuit. I usually go with drysuit.

I never capsized (though was very close to it). I also have HAKA so I don't sit in the water when hike anymore. Otherwise I'd be using wetsuit(+dry top) more often.

For me perfect combo would be dry-separates, more versatile. My drysuit (Level6) is very breathable and comfortable, but sometime I'd like to take layer off and OTW is pretty much impossible (i.e. when it's cold in the morning and hot later on).

Commando.   

Jk James...looks like you already got some good recommendations here.