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drysuits
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drysuits [2021/05/11 12:14] preavley |
drysuits [2025/03/23 19:48] (current) |
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| - | Keep in mind that none of the following "suits" is insulated. They have varying degrees of waterproofness, but no insulating qualities other than from the air trapped inside (wherever your body touches the drysuit will allow rapid heat drain). To insure cold protection even in a drysuit, additional insulating clothing has to be worn inside. Pile, wool, or other wicking synthetics can also help to wick moisture from your skin surface and thereby reduce conductive heat loss. | + | Keep in mind that few if any of the following "suits" are insulated. They have varying degrees of waterproofness, but most have no insulating qualities other than from the air trapped inside (wherever your body touches the drysuit will allow rapid heat drain). To insure cold protection even in a drysuit, additional insulating clothing has to be worn inside or your drysuit needs to include an insulating liner. Pile, wool, or other wicking synthetics can also help to wick moisture from your skin surface and thereby reduce conductive heat loss. |
| The distinctions we make between the non-drysuit variations of water protection below are the best we can find, but we are not sure that all manufacturers follow exactly the same name and style conventions in their products. We do believe that there is a consistent understanding that a "drysuit", in good shape and properly fitted, should keep you completely dry during an extended swim (other than the moisture you accumulate from perspiration). But a drysuit is a bit like a balloon. If there is a hole anywhere, they will provide rapidly diminishing (easily to zero) protection in the water directly dependent on the rate of water leakage. Designed to be durable they still have to be cared for and inspected, particularly the latex closures which absorb wear over time. | The distinctions we make between the non-drysuit variations of water protection below are the best we can find, but we are not sure that all manufacturers follow exactly the same name and style conventions in their products. We do believe that there is a consistent understanding that a "drysuit", in good shape and properly fitted, should keep you completely dry during an extended swim (other than the moisture you accumulate from perspiration). But a drysuit is a bit like a balloon. If there is a hole anywhere, they will provide rapidly diminishing (easily to zero) protection in the water directly dependent on the rate of water leakage. Designed to be durable they still have to be cared for and inspected, particularly the latex closures which absorb wear over time. | ||
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| ===== Description ===== | ===== Description ===== | ||
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| * **Gaskets** - latex closures at the wrists and neck that need to be watertight. Suits may have latex gaskets at the ankles or have waterproof fabric or latex feet. | * **Gaskets** - latex closures at the wrists and neck that need to be watertight. Suits may have latex gaskets at the ankles or have waterproof fabric or latex feet. | ||
| * **Adjusting** - new gaskets are designed to tightly fit smaller bodies but allow adjustment for your size. There are rings in the latex to follow when cutting to make the apertures wider. Carefully follow a ring when cutting, but go to and cut wider rings only incrementally and test your fit as you go, so that you do not make the opening too wide and loose. You can always take a litttle more off, but you can't add any back on. | * **Adjusting** - new gaskets are designed to tightly fit smaller bodies but allow adjustment for your size. There are rings in the latex to follow when cutting to make the apertures wider. Carefully follow a ring when cutting, but go to and cut wider rings only incrementally and test your fit as you go, so that you do not make the opening too wide and loose. You can always take a litttle more off, but you can't add any back on. | ||
| - | * **Replacement** - fortunately these closures can be replaced without having to buy a whole new suit. You can buy replacement gaskets and glue them in yourself with some good instruction or you can have the replacement done by a reputable repair person. | + | * **Replacement** - fortunately these closures can be replaced without having to buy a whole new suit. You can buy replacement gaskets and glue them in yourself with some good instruction or you can have the replacement done by a [[:repair#drysuits|reputable repair person]]. |
| * **Relief Openings **- as you quickly learn from the time and effort it takes to get in and out of a drysuit, a relief opening for urination is quite valuable (and elevates the suit cost). Available for both men (front) and women (back) they use the same heavy waterproof zippers as the suit entry does. | * **Relief Openings **- as you quickly learn from the time and effort it takes to get in and out of a drysuit, a relief opening for urination is quite valuable (and elevates the suit cost). Available for both men (front) and women (back) they use the same heavy waterproof zippers as the suit entry does. | ||
| + | * … | ||
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| ===== Discussions ===== | ===== Discussions ===== | ||
| * [[:drysuits_11_2013|Drysuits 11/30/2013]] | * [[:drysuits_11_2013|Drysuits 11/30/2013]] | ||
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| ===== Swimming ===== | ===== Swimming ===== | ||
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| ===== "Dry" Tops and Bottoms ===== | ===== "Dry" Tops and Bottoms ===== | ||
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| ===== Semi-Dry Suits ===== | ===== Semi-Dry Suits ===== | ||
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| </WRAP> | </WRAP> | ||
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| ===== Paddle Suits ===== | ===== Paddle Suits ===== | ||
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| ===== Brands/Sales ===== | ===== Brands/Sales ===== | ||
| - | * **Kayak Academy** | + | * **Kayak Academy **USA |
| * [[https://www.kayakacademy.com/pages/drysuit-guide|Drysuit Guide (including used forsale)]] | * [[https://www.kayakacademy.com/pages/drysuit-guide|Drysuit Guide (including used forsale)]] | ||
| * [[https://www.kayakacademy.com/pages/dry-tops-and-paddle-jacket-buyers-guide|Drytops, Pants, Splash Jackets]] | * [[https://www.kayakacademy.com/pages/dry-tops-and-paddle-jacket-buyers-guide|Drytops, Pants, Splash Jackets]] | ||
| * [[https://paddling.com/gear/paddling-clothing/kayak-clothing/kayak-dry-suits/?page=1&configure[hitsPerPage]=24&configure[filters]=productCategories.id:274775|Paddle.com Suit,Top,Pants List]] | * [[https://paddling.com/gear/paddling-clothing/kayak-clothing/kayak-dry-suits/?page=1&configure[hitsPerPage]=24&configure[filters]=productCategories.id:274775|Paddle.com Suit,Top,Pants List]] | ||
| - | + | * [[https://crewsaver.com/us/search-results/?searchTerm=drysuit|Crewsaver]] USA | |
| - | * [[https://crewsaver.com/us/search-results/?searchTerm=drysuit|Crewsaver]] | + | |
| * [[https://immersionresearch.com/|Immersion Research]] Shops in Confluence, PA. and White Salmon, WA.(in the Gorge). They make their gear locally so custom fitting might be an option, particularly for walk in customers. | * [[https://immersionresearch.com/|Immersion Research]] Shops in Confluence, PA. and White Salmon, WA.(in the Gorge). They make their gear locally so custom fitting might be an option, particularly for walk in customers. | ||
| - | * [[https://kokatat.com/|Kokatat]] | + | * [[https://kokatat.com/|Kokatat]] USA |
| - | * [[https://www.levelsix.com/collections/types?q=drysuits|Level 6]] | + | * [[https://www.levelsix.com/collections/types?q=drysuits|Level 6]] CA |
| - | * [[https://oceanrodeo.com/drywear/|Ocean Rodeo]] | + | * [[https://oceanrodeo.com/drywear/|Ocean Rodeo]] CA |
| - | * [[https://us.oneill.com/search?q=drysuits|O'Neill]] | + | * [[https://us.oneill.com/search?q=drysuits|O'Neill]] USA |
| - | * [[https://www.nrs.com/search/?q=drysuits|NRS]] | + | * [[https://www.nrs.com/search/?q=drysuits|NRS]] USA |
| - | * Stohlquist - we have been getting a security alert for their website, so no link here, but their gear is sold through many online retailers. [[https://paddling.com/gear/manufacturers/stohlquist|paddle.com list of stohlquist gear]] | + | * [[http://palmequipmenteurope.com|Palm]] UK, DE |
| - | * [[https://www.typhoon-int.co.uk/products/surface/drysuits/|Typhoon]] | + | * [[https://www.prolimit.com/drysuits/nordic/|Prolimit]] NL |
| + | * [[https://www.chillcheater.com/|Reed Chillcheater]] ([[https://www.chillcheater.com/en-us/products/aquatherm-full-paddle-suit|paddle suit]]) UK | ||
| + | * Stohlquist USA - we have been getting a security alert for their website, so no link here, but their gear is sold through many online retailers. [[https://paddling.com/gear/manufacturers/stohlquist|paddle.com list of stohlquist gear]] | ||
| + | * [[https://www.typhoon-int.co.uk/products/surface/drysuits/|Typhoon]] UK | ||
| + | * [[https://www.ursuit.com/en/paddling|Ursuit]] Fl | ||
| + | * … | ||
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| ===== Additional Maintenance And Repair ===== | ===== Additional Maintenance And Repair ===== | ||
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| + | ==== Gaskets ==== | ||
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| + | Latex will age and become more vulnerable to tears and failure over time. Depending on degree of use and how well they are cared for online guides recommend replacement somewhere between every 1 - 3 years. If you paddle in risky conditions you will probably want to err on the conservative side and replace them sooner rather than later on a regular schedule. Neoprene is generally considerably more durable than latex and should not have to be replaced as often. | ||
| There are different methods used to attach waterproof gaskets to drysuits. Some are hot glued on while others are stitched and taped. You may need to send your stuff to your manufacturer to get repaired. Some dive shops do drysuit repair and may have the capability of repairing/replacing your gaskets whichever way they have been connected to your dry clothing. | There are different methods used to attach waterproof gaskets to drysuits. Some are hot glued on while others are stitched and taped. You may need to send your stuff to your manufacturer to get repaired. Some dive shops do drysuit repair and may have the capability of repairing/replacing your gaskets whichever way they have been connected to your dry clothing. | ||
| * DIY - [[https://www.nrs.com/repair/drysuit_repair.asp|NRS advice]] | * DIY - [[https://www.nrs.com/repair/drysuit_repair.asp|NRS advice]] | ||
| - | * See [[:repair#drysuits|Repair]] | ||
| </WRAP> | </WRAP> | ||
| + | |||
| + | See [[:repair#drysuit|Repair]] | ||
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| + | </WRAP></WRAP> | ||
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