When do you guys start wearing dry suits? I read a Kayak hand book and they said 65*. Water here on the south shore of Long Island will be there shortly. Now it is about 67*

What is a good dry suit, gloves, under garments & head gear? I will be fairly close to shore in bay areas for the winter may be 800 feet off land at most. I was looking at Kokatat at my local dealer. Is their number of layer or other differences in suits? Also that handy front zipper or any other advantaged?

thanks

Winter paddling, with its frigid water, does require a good drysuit with plenty of insulating undergarments worn inside it, good gloves, a neoprene helmet, etc. But until/unless a paddler has a flawless roll and great rough-water boat handling skills, you are wise to stay very close to shore, in relatively calm and shallow water. That's where you'll find me. I salute your common sense--if only more paddlers had it.

You can transition to the drysuit as autumn waters cool, by wearing a wetsuit, maybe through November, but after that, it's the drysuit for sure. The NRS catalog and website has plenty of good stuff.

yea I won't be experimenting and going way of in the cold just want to relax and get the exercise. Last lesson for safety & escape was today and I could not make it. I did have training to get out of offshore boats with enclosed cockpits. That was a while ago and it is good to keep things fresh. Thanks for your input!

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a Kokatat Goretex (not Tropos) drysuit over any other make out there.

Maybe someday another fabric will come along to challenge Goretex for waterproof breathability (Event, Toray, etc) but so far G'tex is the reigning champion.

Kokatat is the only drysuit maker that Goretex allows to use their fabric - due to Kokatat's rigorous testing and QC.

All Kokatat drysuits are made in the U.S. Warranty issues are easily resolved and the company has longtime fantastic record for customer service above and beyond. Their Goretex suits carry a lifetime warranty against delamination, and they will, for a reasonable fee, do repairs, additions, custom features and sizing.

I like the front zip because it is much easier to operate it myself. The back zip usually requires a helper unless you are a yoga master.

Get the drysuit booties (Goretex). Cold feet kill a lot of the joy of winter paddling.

A pee zip is also very nice and the vast majority of drysuit users I see (and I see lots in Michigan) have them.

Don't forget appropriate underlayers. A drysuit keeps you dry, not warm. Dress for how YOU feel in cold water. A test immersion (not just a test paddle) will tell the tale.


As for how to dress for temps, nrsweb.com has great info. So does the site for Atlantic Kayak Tours.

Tried one on yesterday Kokatat Goretex. I think I'll get the Meridian model when I order. Checked out gloves, fleece liner, and balaclava that goes down your back by the brain stem. I have a set of neoprene shoes I bought. thanks for the help!

I was dying to see the waterproof zipper and how it worked.

The waterproof zipper will work best (be easiest to open and close) if you run a small piece of paraffin wax up & down its teeth as needed. I do it before & after each use. I tried the suggested lubricating gloop, and found the paraffin to be much more effective.

thanks good idea

some great tips from Kokatat rep Suzanne Hutchinson:

Store your drysuit w. the zipper half open. Don't store it completely unzipped as that will over time loosen up the end fastener.

Don't store it zipped completely as whatever wax you may use to maintain it can attract dirt and harden up, making operation less easy.

Obviously, don't store w. the zipper folded.

Put a little Vasoline over the end of the zipper as an extra little bit of assurance that the zipper will stay completely waterproof. They do flex over time.

Lastly, she advised using a product like MaxWax or, in a pinch, Chapstick or similiar lip balm. I use both and my drysuit zip operation is smooth and easy.

In the Marine Corps, we always had to wash our gore-tex gear heavily after salt-water exposure. Supposedly it degrades very rapidly from salt water? Any thoughts on this?

Gore-Tex Fabric and Salt Water

Salt water does not contaminate, clog the pores, decrease the breathability, alter or harm Gore-Tex® fabric. So sail, paddle and cruise with confidence!

Years ago, salt water was suspected of causing poor performance in some early Gore-Tex outerwear used near the ocean. Later testing proved that poor design and construction of a few very early Gore-Tex garments were actually to blame.

Today's Gore-Tex apparel provides the ultimate in waterproof, breathable, windproof protection no matter where your watersports take you. To get the best possible performance, simply take care of your garments correctly, as directed on the sewn-in care tag.

Salt is a desiccant, meaning it attracts moisture. To keep salt from accumulating on your outerwear and attracting water, simply rinse it occasionally in fresh water. If you have limited fresh water supplies, even a rinse in sea water will reduce heavy salt accumulations (sea water is approximately 3% salt).
For More Help

If you have additional questions about washing or maintaining any Gore-Tex® product, just call Gore Customer Service at 1-800-431-GORE.

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I know from my diving past that one should use bee's wax on the waterproof zippers of dry suits. Paraffin in an oil based product and may have some long term negative effects on the zipper (not the metal teeth). Same goes with vasoline. Maybe a silicone based lube. I am out of the diving biz a couple of decades, but you might call a diving store or check out a manufacturer for zipper maintenance tips.
Just a thought.

good perspective.

Really, MaxWax - you cannot go wrong. Sold by many dive and scuba shops. Also recommended and sold by the Kayak Academy - George Gronseth and his wife Barb have sold Kokatat drysuits for ~ 20 years and put many hundreds of student and customers in them... and that is what he uses and recommends. Good recommendation!

This is all great stuff as I'm on the fence about buying dry suit. Thanks to all above for the good info.

It probablyl should be noted that -
Dry suits are a pain, expensive, you should constantly inspect them test them for leaks, be extremely careful using them, and maintain them, etc. Also, my wrists hurt a lot after a while of wearing it, it can also get uncomfortable on those warm days ..

I bought one, used it a few times, have yet to really get the money's worth out of it. Mainly it allows me to creep up and down the river late into the fall and early spring, it extends the season, someone who's at all serious about Kayaking will eventually NEED one. The other advantage is that it's the ultimate wind breaker, I was in a hail storm with a dry suit and gortex top, aside from the ice hitting my face, it was no different than being out on a nicer day ... (though when telling the story I don't point that out ... ha ha)

I basically don't go far from land (i.e. on a river) so I just put my hand in and ask myself if I'd want to be in this for more than 10 minutes ...

So what do you wear on the river when it is cold? What are the temps you paddle in? thanks

Dog, a good guide to what to wear on cold water is to see what jet-skiers, windsurfers, surfers, parafoil kiters, etc. are wearing. They are in the water and spray a lot, and dress accordingly. I'll be wearing the wetsuit within the next week, and will likely wear it into December, until the usual Big Cooldown hits, usually mid to late December. Then it's the drysuit right around until maybe mid-March or early April; then back to the wetsuit until it's swimsuit time again. Not an exact science, as water depth and proximity to shore, and wind strength and windchill all play a role. I paddle conservatively all cold-water season long.

I agree I will be paddling conservatively by hanging near shore. I can go a ton of places near me and be really close to shore. I will be paddling out of Freeport actually Woodcleft canal. Many places I can go I could stand in the water and be knee deep. That said the canal is 30' deep, Tons of small canals with houses and docks 20-50 feet wide. I'll still be wearing my new clothing outfit I just bought . I started with a SOT and now I have a 6' dock box filled pretty good. The honey said she will get me a dry suit for the holidays and Dec birthday!

Water here is 64.6 tonight. The wet suit I got feels comfortable. I may practice this weekend getting in the boat in the empty boat slip behind the house. I hope the party boats don't dump the fish heads in as they go by. Sometimes there is a head and skin at the floaters. That will kill my appetite for jumping in.

Not sure how thick my wet suit is I'll have to measure it. I just added a Kokatat shark skin shirt to my collection but it is not in yet. Dealer said I should be good all winter with the stuff I got. I would feel better with the dry suit after Dec as you said when the water gets real cold. I guess I could find water temperatures for the year online for Freeport / Jones Inlet. The videos I got are teaching me a lot about temps as they discuss hypothermia. I said when I bought the two vids I just spent 70-80 bucks! Then you realize it may be your life if you lack some knowledge. They are worth every penny.

Disappointed with all the youtube vids and the videos I bought they never show the recoveries in even a close three foot chop like in a bay. Small by by me has the CG station just inside Jones Inlet I should paddle there all winter. . I have a few friends on the county police boats too.

I need to try to just jump on the back deck like I see in the video. They seem to go down and let the jacket buoyancy help pop themselves up. I would feel better if I could skip the paddle reentry. I want to try the entry from the rear too.
I have till 11-15 before I pull my 19 Montauk Boston Whaler. It would be nice to go out with someone on the boat and tow it to bay with some rough water to try all the recoveries. Better with a spotter in the boat than going myself and anchoring then jumping out of the boat.

Another three or four lessons would gain me great knowledge with the instructor but I don't think they are having any more classes this year. I think they have rolling in pools in the winter and that would be good also just for starts. Once the clocks go back I will only have the weekends to paddle as I am not keen paddling in the dark even in the canal. Then again the way my construction business looks I could be doing a lot of paddling and fishing for dinner!

he GF is going be laughing when I suit up this week end. I told her she really has about no time left to paddle without a good set of clothes. Form what I have read they say 65 is about the cut off without good gear. I don't want her in the water paddling under lower 60's* even real close to shore.

I don't see many or really any jet-skiers, windsurfers, surfers, para foil / kiters here in a few weeks. Empire kayaks is going to require suits on rentals very soon. I want the GF / Edith to try some boats this week to see what she likes before it is cold. She needs something faster and more sea worthy than the Hobie Quest although a fun boat. She needs lessons too. Hope she goes next time with me for instruction.

Only thing I need is some winter gloves and then the outer mitts I forgot what they called them something with a P_______?

keep you posted on my wet weekend.

If you fall out in a river you are just as cold if not dressed for immersion. I wear what I'd wear in open water.
It really goes back to the water temps, not whether or not it's a river, lake, ocean.

A slight advantage a river paddler *may* have is that the river will be shallow, or that it's only a few feet to a riverbank. Plenty of river paddlers (and canoeists) tote a drybag w. a complete change of clothes.

WW kayakers with a great roll wear a drytop, head covering under their helmets, gloves, etc. w. regular waterwear underneath, because they expect they will roll up and not come out of their boats. Their skirts are also tighter than most seakayakers use.

But in cold water areas more and more of them are singing the praises of drysuits.

My dealer Empire Kayak is having Kokatat rep come by and show his wares. Next Sunday he will have all the products and we can try them in the water and try them for fit.