Dry Suits
Printed From: ProfessorPaddle.com
Category: General
Forum Name: Whitewater Forum
Forum Discription: Open Discussion Forum. Whitewater related subjects only
URL: http://www.professorpaddle.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5604
Printed Date: 05 Oct 2025 at 12:39am
Topic: Dry Suits
Posted By: Ryan
Subject: Dry Suits
Date Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 2:04pm
|
I'm on the market for a Dry Suit and am curious to get opinions of others. I've seen the Kokotat, Palm, and IR in person and there is a big price difference between the $1000 Kokotat and the Palm and IR at around $650. Any suggestions/opinions? |
Replies:
Posted By: justin
Date Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 2:21pm
| Whichever one you decide on getting, make sure that it has a relief zipper, and booties. |
Posted By: Ryan
Date Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 2:40pm
|
For sure. Both are requirements. I guess I'm trying to figure out if shelling out $1000 for the Kokatat Gore Tex is the way to go or if the Palm,IR,etc. are worth the cheaper price tag. |
Posted By: ashleygoesdisco
Date Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 2:47pm
|
Jonathan (jblum) is selling his Kokatat drysuit. If you don't mind buying used. http://www.professorpaddle.com/fsbo/fsbo.asp?fsboid=107 Personally, I think Kokatat is the best option, if you are willing to spend the money, for a new one. They are a fantastic company, and they make gear that lasts longer than you. They are good about custom fitting also, you can have them tailor the drysuit so that its not too long, big, etc. Good stuff. Palm is a close second, they make a darn good drysuit as well, but they arent Kokatat. IR's drysuit hasn't been out that long, and while I like IR, Palm is a much better choice. Buy IR layers, stick to Gore-Tex for the dry stuff. ------------- Ashley Duffus Well behaved women rarely make history. www.naiyadays.blogspot.com |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 2:47pm
|
I know that the entry system is a big difference. I have tried on the Palm suit and I much prefer the front zip over shoulder zip. There is only one benefit I see to the Shoulder Zip. In the case of a shoulder dislocation there is a better chance that they could get access to your arm with the shoulder zip. The front zip is notorious as a cutaway dry suit for rescue folks dealing with dislocations... Of course that should hardly be a factor in the purchase just the only real benny I see to the shoulder zip. As for material. Tom keeps talking up other Fabrics but as for what is out on the market for drysuits ... i would stick to GorTex. J ------------- |
Posted By: ashleygoesdisco
Date Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 2:53pm
|
Totally. You can actually get the front zip undone yourself!
------------- Ashley Duffus Well behaved women rarely make history. www.naiyadays.blogspot.com |
Posted By: water wacko
Date Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 3:00pm
|
Kokatat cust. service is the best. Pressure tests, patching, warranty stuff, they really want to keep people coming back. Palm is stock and a good choice when money is the priority. IR looks like a great suit. The material is bomber. But again with the back zip. Not a fan. ------------- "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ~Howard Thurman |
Posted By: franzhorner
Date Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 3:14pm
|
I would also recommend Kokatat. I am now on my 2nd Kokatat
drysuit. My old one lasted me about 4 full-on seasons of over 80
days each. I beat the crap out of that suit and generally didn't
take good care of it. From letting it wet and bunched up in
my car all week after a weekend on the river to wearing through briar
patches and devils club I gave that thing quite a life. Every
year I sent it to Kokatat and they pressure tested and spot pressed all
pinhole leaks. After my 4th year they told me I should get a new
suit, that they found 130 places that needed a patch. I
asked them to patch it anyway and they said that will cost me
more. They charged me an extra $10.... I think the customer service alone makes Kokatat the better suit. I've worn a Palm Stikine and liked it very much but I hear they are hard to come by and the customer service is tough being that Palm is a English company... Get the relief zip and booties for sure and if you are in between sizes by the larger size, unless, you get the custom cuts... Be sure to take good care of it!! clean zippers, wash and hang dry it after use, rinse sand off at the river... horner ------------- MORE RAIN PLEASE |
Posted By: justin
Date Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 3:40pm
| Once you have one make sure to use some bee's wax on the zipper for some added waterproofness. |
Posted By: Jeff
Date Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 3:47pm
|
Ok, and now for the cheap skate to comment...
As anyone who has paddled with me knows, I like to buy cheap gear good! Wait, I mean good gear for cheap! My dry suit is evidence of that. I got a used OS Systems suit last fall and it has served me well (and the hot pink/neon green color scheme really gets the ladies..haha!). I only paid $100 for it and it works great. Ok, it doeasn't have booties or a relief zipper, but I manage just fine. This suit has stood up to a lot of abuse considering it has better the 50 days on the river and was in storage for sometime before I bought it. The neck gasket will probably need to be replaced before next season, but all other gaskets are in great shape. Did I mention that I only paid $100! If money is no option and you are just looking for what suit to buy, lucky you, but if you are cost conscious, check out craigslist. There are always a variety of them on there due to all the coldwater activities around here, as well as students from DIT trying to unload gear. And a final word, I give OS Systems drysuits two thumbs up! ![]("http://www.professorpaddle.com/forum/smileys/smiley20.gif") ------------- "What could possibly go wrong?" www.flickr.com/photos/jeffdwyer/ |
Posted By: Tobin
Date Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 5:47pm
|
I have used and abused my Palm for a year now, it has developed a few drips in the butt and booties ( high wear areas) but as far as wear on the outter fabric it is in great shape.
If I had it to over again I would purchase the Stekine model. It uses a much heavier fabric for a base and the reinforcements. The zipper is a heavier gauge also,
I have been totally happy with my Palm, and would purchase another. I looked at the Kokatats, and couldn't justify the cost difference for the features.
My train of thought was that it was going to only last 3 years if it was a $1000 or $600. Kayakers seem to wear out dry suits pretty fast. Especially in the knees and foot areas!
I have looked at the IR suits, and my huge problem is with the material they make the booties out of, it is a very soft and I am am sure comfortable material, however the booties take allot of abuse and it seems that the material should be reinforced?
As far as the zipper location, once you get used to it, its a nonissue, I mean do you ever boat alone? There is always someone to give you a zip, or should be!
James commented on the rear zipper being a possibility in a should dislocation, having been down that road, I can tell ya it doesn't matter. If you dislocate your shoulder, its getting cut off. Well unless you are totally unconcious and then it doesn't matter where it is.
Ryan, go try a few of them on, fit is important and the cut matching your body! You know you'll kill it in 3-4 years so it's not a life long investment! ------------- Sure? |
Posted By: dave
Date Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 10:13pm
|
Kokatat is the bees knees!
------------- Nomad |
Posted By: skim
Date Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 10:33pm
|
i gots a blue palm and my vote goes to them. whats not to like about em? good bang for the buck, and they make ya look good.
------------- boof it for crying out loud |
Posted By: joshcrossman
Date Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 11:06pm
|
you can also find kokatat sometimes online for some good deals-- much as i love supporting the local dealers, i got mine for something like 40% off at outdoorplay. relief zipper, booties, the whole nine yards
------------- i like it when it rains |
Posted By: slickhorn
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2007 at 7:52am
|
you get what you pay for -- with a drysuit, the issue is less initial build quality and more service of the suit over the life of the suit. If you hike in.out, portage, swim like I do, you are going to be putting loads of holes in your drysuit. Kokatat is the only company who services their own suits and they do so for 10% or less of the cost of having the suit pressure tested and patched locally. In my opinion, most of the major manufacturers make great suits. NOBODY provides better, cheaper, or faster repair serice. I send my suit in 2x per year, and it usually has 20+ patches put in it. < 2 week turnaround, and never cost me more than $25. That's why I'll always buy Kokatat. ------------- |
Posted By: Ryan
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2007 at 9:07am
| Great info everyone. I'm still on the fence about which way to go but this really helps! |
Posted By: justin
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2007 at 9:48am
| Oh yeah, I just remembered. You also want a tunnel, which makes it a whitewater specific drytop. I got my drytop on sale from NRS for like 250 bucks and it is pretty damn basic. No relief zipper, no tunnel, no booties. Heather payed like 800 and got all that plus they altered it to fit her better. (I'm jealous of people with good jobs) Good luck with your decision. I |
Posted By: justasec
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2007 at 10:38am
| KOKATAT CUSTOM FIT IS THE WAY MAN! GO TO SRK AND TRY ON WRIST AND NECK SAMPLE GASKETS TO GET THE EXACT SIZE U NEED FOR YOUR BOD. GO FOR THE GORETEX BOOTIES...NO QUSTIONS ABOUT IT...JUST DO IT! U CAN EVEN CHOOSE A COLOR U WANT AND BE THE ONLY ONE ON THE RIVER WITH A SPECIFIC SUIT. U CAN EVEN GET EXTRA POCKETS PUT ON THE LEGS . I DID IT TOTALLY CUSTOM AND WISH I HAD DONE IT THAT WAY FROM THE BEGINNING INSTEAD OF SPENDING LOADS OF MONEY ON OTHER GEAR. IF U DON'T GO AHEAD AND SPEND THE EXTRA MONEY TO GET GORTEX BOOTIES U WILL SPEND THE MONEY ON OTHER STUFF TO KEEP YOUR FEET WARM AND DRY INSTEAD. I LIKE THE GORETEX BOOTIES IN THE WINTER BECAUSE EVERYTHING STAYS DRY AT THE FEET AND I CAN GO STRAIGHT FROM MY FLEESE SOCKS AND BUNNY SUIT TO STREET CLOTHES WITH NO COLD WET FEET. ALSO...AS MY SUIT IS CURRENTLY GETTING IT'S FIRST PATCH SESSION WITH KOKATAT........IT'S SUPER CHEAP TO GET THE HOLES PATCHED ANNUALLY, LIKE DURING AUGUST WHEN U DON'T NEED A DRY SUIT, AND THE TURN AROUND TIME IS QUICK ENOUGH TO GET IT BACK IN TIME TO HIT THE TIETON IN SEPTEMBER. U COULD SPEND LESS ON SOMETHING ELSE, BUT I GUARANTEE U THAT U WILL NEVER REGRET JUST GOING FOR THE FULL MEAL DEAL OF A KOKATAT CUSTOM, WITH BOOTIES AND THE COLOR U WANT. I DID IT AND IT SET ME BACK 1200 BONES BUT I'M SOOOOO GLAD I DID. TALK TO BILL AT SRK, HE'S THE MAN!......................IF U WANT EXTRA POCKETS MAKE SURE U MENTION IT WHEN U PLACE YOUR ORDER. IT COSTS A LITTLE EXTRA BUT IT'S WORTH IT. ..........................SYDNEY |
Posted By: justasec
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2007 at 5:24pm
|
ONE MORE THING.....THINK ABOUT THIS.....IF YOU GET GORTEX BOOTIES THAT'S JUST 2 LESS GASKETS TO BLOW OUT. AND THE GASKETS WILL TAKE A BEATING!THE PRICE OF JUST GETTING THE GORTEX BOOTIES FROM THE BEGINNING WILL IMMEDIATELY PAY FOR ITSELF 1-THE PRICE OF THE BOOTIES WILL BE THE SAME AS GETTING 2 GASKETS REPARED ONCE, AND YOU'LL NEVER HAVE TO SEND YOUR DRY SUIT AWAY TO HAVE ANKLE GASKETS REPLACED. NEED I SAY MORE?
SYDNEY
|
Posted By: Moon
Date Posted: 30 Aug 2007 at 4:18pm
|
The Kokatat GMER - they call it the meridian is the way to go if you want a "DRY" suit. As the testimonials read, their Customer Service rocks the house. And for all the thrifty folks out there.... Nikwax Tech Wash and TX-Direct is a great mid-season re-treatment for your suit in general and most importantly the high wear areas. |
Posted By: Will
Date Posted: 30 Aug 2007 at 5:35pm
|
Just buy Kokatat. It will last at least 2 times as long... 1 $500 Palm,IR,Stohli suit + 1 more $500 Palm,IR,Stohli once the first one dies = I should have just bought the Kokatat. Hey Chris, how do you know so much about Nikwax? ------------- What could possibly go wrong? |
Posted By: Moon
Date Posted: 30 Aug 2007 at 7:00pm
|
Because I live in the pacific northwest where dirt and water are the truths in life. |
Posted By: ashleygoesdisco
Date Posted: 30 Aug 2007 at 10:04pm
|
Because Nickwax is the shit.
------------- Ashley Duffus Well behaved women rarely make history. www.naiyadays.blogspot.com |
Posted By: justasec
Date Posted: 30 Aug 2007 at 10:11pm
ONE MORE THING............![]("http://professorpaddle.com/forum/smileys/smiley33.gif") I'M NOT A DUDE SO I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHICH ZIPPERS YOU WOULD PREFER TO HAVE PUT IN. BUT I THINK YOU WOULD PROBABLY NEED ONE IN THE FRONT! GET THE PROPER RELIEF ZIPPER PUT IN. DON'T TRY AND SAVE $$$$ BY NOT GETTING ONE. YOU'LL THRASH YOUR GASKETS EVERYTIME NATURE CALLS WHILE YOU'RE ON THE RIVER. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, U WILL HAVE TO KEEP THE BEER DRINKIN TO A MINIMUM........THIS IS THE LAST OF MY ADVICE.................HEART..........SYDNEY
|
Posted By: Chuck e fresh
Date Posted: 31 Aug 2007 at 12:00am
I say find some one too bartter with there's plenty of gear sitting in people's rubber maids with dust all over them. Just make sure too get a kokotat so you know it will last, leave the looking good to me. I know how hard people work making me look so pretty and it has nothing to do with gear !!![]("http://professorpaddle.com/forum/smileys/smiley1.gif") ------------- There's no such word as can't!so stop making excuses!!!! |
Posted By: oukr9965
Date Posted: 31 Aug 2007 at 7:33am
| Kokatat Tropos Drysuits are awesome. Not goretex, but still breathable. Think they run at $600. Comes standard with relief zipper and booties. Really like mine, except for the gasket covers, but you get used to them pretty quick. |
Posted By: jblum
Date Posted: 01 Sep 2007 at 7:02pm
|
Buy once, buy Kokatat. Don't waste your money on the other not as good brands. You get what you pay for. Mine is for sale for $350. Its 3 seasons old and works well. I had it water tested and sealed last season ($150 service w/ gaskets replaced). Its in good shape with a few small pin-holes. ------------- JHB |