Dry suits

[Toxophilite]

Re: Dry suits

Thanks very much. I found a brand new HH Dr suit of the appropriate size on the local craigslist for a third of the retail price which is the only way I could afford this model.
Came with the zipper wax( tell that to the ladies!!) a whistle and a hydration bag.. Still have to trim the neck seal as you see from this red-headed picture of me, with my parents, my eldest sister and brother in law and the full body picture with the myheadisgoingtoexplode look. I had to adopt a super hero stance as these sorts of outfits usually have that look. Right now I get a red head and a cartoon voice. I am happy to say it fits well and I can wear my normal clothes under it if I want. It does have that, I-need-an-AK-47-and-a-bellaclava evil henchman look but it seems quite practical Easy to take on and off and the diagonal zipper will allow for outside the suit peeing.

[SKIP KILPATRICK]

Re: Dry suits

Good find!

[Dusty Yevsky]

Re: Dry suits

Trim the neck back very judicously. Upon donning the suit a proper fitting neck gasket feels restrictive and uncomfortable but gets comfortable fairly quickly. Trimming a small strip makes a big difference. It's very easy to trim too much resulting in a poor seal. DAMHIKT.

[Autonomous]

Re: Dry suits

can you just wear a pair of topsiders or the like over the booties?

Suspect I'd try sandals first. Beware of closed toe sandals which are in reality brilliant gravel traps.

[Toxophilite]

Re: Dry suits

When I put it on my voice becomes a cartoon voice and my head starts going red intantly, I stick my fingers into the gasket so I can breath. That's normal?

Thanks for the tip
So far I've been stretching it a little and I just trimmed down to the top of first trimming ring, about 3/16" total removed. I'm very wary of too much removal. Like a haircut you can't put it back on, unlike a haircut it doesn't grow in again.

I have some water shoes I can wear. I also have some sacrificial thin wool dress socks I can wear over the booties and still slip them into my blundstones.
Going o check out my footwear options.
Now if I could just get a windy non pouring day. (I don't like pouring because then I would feel obliged to bring the whole rig inside to dry out so it doesn't get moldy.)

[Dusty Yevsky]

Re: Dry suits

When I put it on my voice becomes a cartoon voice and my head starts going red intantly, I stick my fingers into the gasket so I can breath. That's normal?

Thanks for the tip
So far I've been stretching it a little and I just trimmed down to the top of first trimming ring, about 3/16" total removed. I'm very wary of too much removal. Like a haircut you can't put it back on, unlike a haircut it doesn't grow in again.

Getting a proper fit is tedious but you only have to do it once every few years. Trim and try. But wait before judging. Hang out in it for a few minutes and see if you adapt. It's very personal. If the suit allows it just try on the neck section and skip the rigamorale of donning the whole suit.

Also make sure you get some sort of protectant for the seals. They are very UV susceptible and can tear due to sun damage. This is the reason the more expensive suits have fabric cuffs over the seals.

I've used 303 protectant with success and I think it comes in different flavors.

[Toxophilite]

Re: Dry suits

Is it normal for your head to go red and your forehead veins to bulge??
Should the gasket be above or below the Adams apple?
My neck seems to measure around 15.5" or 394 mm
I'm not dying yet, is that the test? bahaha this is a whole new world

I can breathe, for the most part but I feel pressure in my head and my voice sounds like I'm on helium, it's a little hard to swallow. Instinct tells me this is too tight. However I don't know.
If I open the neck seal with my hand I feel better.
I'm not talking seconds. I've been wearing it for about 15-20 minutes

[Dusty Yevsky]

Re: Dry suits

Yes, that's sound tight. Take off a little (>1/8") at a time. You"ll get there. My suit seals above the adam's apple. You shouldn't be red in the face or have veins bulging. You're looking for the Goldilocks fit.

[Dusty Yevsky]

Re: Dry suits

For what it's worth my suit is a older Kokatat. I'm wondering if different manufacturers and designs have different seal parameters. (i.e. different angle of cone, parabolic shape, etc.)

[Russell Brown]

Re: Dry suits

I like drysuits very much and my experience with them may be of value, but I have stuck with one brand and type for a long time, so can't comment on other brands.
I started with a gore-tex Kokatat kayaking suit that is still going strong after about 28 years. I sent it back for new gaskets (and gore-tex booties) after about 15 years and it has received new gaskets once since. I can replace wrist gaskets, but the neck gasket is better done by the pro's.
The neck gasket can seem impossibly tight when the suit first goes on, but I tend to forget about it afterwards.
Drysuits offer comfort and safety that wasn't possible before, but there are prices to pay (besides the high cost of a good one). Maintenance is super important: Washing the gaskets after every use in a mild soap and warm water to remove the body oils, rinsing the whole suit and hanging it to dry (by the toes if you have gore-tex booties), treating the gaskets with 3-M 303 when dry, waxing the zippers with beeswax every so often, and storing the suit folded loosely in an airtight container. Keeping the gaskets really clean is important.
The benefits seem worth it to me. You can leave all your clothes on (even your socks) and when you come out of the water and remove your suit, all your clothes are still dry and you are still warm. The gore-tex seems important for sailing as you can have it on all day and still be dry and not smell bad when you take it off.
I bought a new Kokatat suit 5 years ago, but the old one is still going strong thanks to good customer service. I have worn the new one for 2 R2AK races, but wish I had ordered a size larger for ease of putting it on, especially with lots of clothes on underneath. I bought a large and am 6' and about 180 lbs.

[Toxophilite]

Re: Dry suits

THanks. I'm beginning to wonder if for a sail and oar boat if a kayak type suit wouldn't have been better. This one came up and they have a good reputation. Perhaps their high retail price made the deal seem better than it was.

Good to have the room for undergarmets but it would also be nice to have a slimmer fit and maybe some elbow padding too. Word is HH oversizes to enable you to wear warm colthes, which is good. I fell bang in to the medium sizing though and this is a medium. I'll take another ring off the neck and see how it goes. Maybe if my head is bright red I''ll be more visible.

Part of my reason for purchasing this one was my intermittently generous GF's comment. "Buy one soon while I'm feeling generous"
She helped fund the purchase which bodes well for the future.

[John Meachen]

Re: Dry suits

Are you aware of the benefit of squatting while holding the neck seal open with a couple of fingers?It allows the excess air to escape and gives a slightly slimmer profile as well as removing the risk of that air encouraging a body immersed in water to float at an inconvenient attitude.

[Yeadon]

Re: Dry suits

You might be able to stretch that neck gasket out a touch. Maybe shove a kid’s size basketball in there for a few days, or whatever you can find that is round and the approx size of your neck.

[Toxophilite]

Re: Dry suits

THanks I learned about burping the suit and also thanks I have a road pylon/cone I've been stretching it on. There seems to be some differing opinion in this online. Stretched overnight a couple times. Stillgives me a headache shortly after putting it on. Now if there could just some saiiing weather that combines clearish skys with wind. Lately it's been clear and dead calm, or stormy . Maybe I should go jump in the water and test the suit. The Winslets next door do it every morning in bathing suits. Crazy #@%^&$^%$ English people!

[Toxophilite]

Re: Dry suits

Did a 3 hour cold weather 'sail'(actually floating, rowing and ghosting wind has been fickle and non existent on decent days) have carefully trimmed 3 rings off the suit's neck seal, Probably a total of 1/2"
I tested it each time after some stretching (overnight) It felt a little better each time but only actually tolerable this last time.

I managed to survive and almost enjoy myself despite some larynx crushing and or helium voice depending on whether the seal was above or below my adam's apple. Going to try a longer bout of stretching to see if that does the trick.

It was mostly my extremities that were cold. I had thick wool socks inside the latex booties with thin wool dress socks overtop to make it easier to put on my everyday boots and protect the booties. Feet got cold, Usually I wear 2 pairs of wool socks and boots
Made tea after a couple hours as it felt colder today.

I could basically wear my normal clothes under the suit. Might buy one of those undergarmets eventually.
Probably pick up some neoprene boots tonight, I have gloves already.