dry on my terms

So I put all the good info from this and other sites together and went to see Dave at Annapolis Canoe and Kayak. He didn't have a jumbo (2xl) dry suit to try, but did have a kokatat dry top. What the heck, armed with the recent water test video and posts from a few here I figured dry top and a good pair of waders. OK so here I go trying to squeeze my fat head thru a virgin latex neck gasket. By the time I finally got it between my forehead and eyes I was thinking about a fair price to put on the Cobra. After some coaching from Dave and words of encouragement from my wife I had the neck gasket firmly wrapped around my neck. I can vouch for it being waterproof. I had a hell of a time even getting a breath thru it. Not for me.... Of course getting it back off was even worse because by now my face was beet red and all the veins above my adams apple were bulging don't know the proper way to remove a dry top. What finally worked for me was pulling it inside out above my head combined with pure panic.
In all fairness to Dave and Kokatat it was brand new virgin latex. There are lines marked on the neck opening for trimming to a larger size, and Dave suggested stretching the opening over a football or orange traffic cone (in my case a basketball).

There was a possible solution. Dave said he would call Kokatat for a sizing suit, the T3 Supernova angler paddling suit. Comes standard with integral socks, a relief zipper with a flap over the zipper to keep the fishies from sliming it, and best of all the only latex to fight was around the wrists. The neck opening is neoprene. Still tight enough to keep the river out, but much easier to push this melon thru.

Long story short, suit arrived in Annapolis yesterday and it's hanging in my closet tonight. Thanks to both Daves at Annapolis Canoe and Kayak, great guys to do business with.

[ronaultmtd]

I am looking at the same setup and sounds about like the same sizes, too- I am hesitant to put on waders in a kayak- rather have something I could actually swim in if I had to. I know some folks wear the waders but they are experienced Kayakers- I am not- the dry suits seem pretty pricey- I have scoured the sites and compared prices- tops seem to run about $160- bottoms about $100- anyone know of less expensive options?

[ictalurus]

Bob--I'm glad you found something that worked for you. Kokatat makes good stuff, but I don't understand why everything is so trim. My Stohlquist drysuit is cut crazily trim. My shoulders are pretty flexible and not that wide, and it still takes a lot of effort. I guess the whitewater guys wear them in the summer with no layers underneath? Or perhaps super models are whitewater enthusiasts. I don't get it.

ron--keep an eye on sierratradingpost.com and the closeout section on outdoorplay.com. That's where I got most of my stuff for less than $100. Also, ems.com and rei.com often have 20-40% off coupons if you sign up for their mailing list.

[Memory Maker]

Almost bought a used one on SOL yesterday ....... XXL ...... checked the website for a sizing chart and it wouldn't come up so I called the company ..... won't fit and they don't make an xxxl. Spoke w/the former owner and explained that the companies might want to check on the marketplace because it has shifted from the 20-35 beachbum whitewater yaker to the fat ole guys with money and noone make a decent product for us ........ the guy said he should have something designed in about 2 years ......... I told him he would have missed the market by then ..... the idiot didn't care ........ he builds a good product but there's no wonder why he's lost his company twice ......... I don't get it ........ fastest growing segment of Yaking is fat ole saftey conscience farts like me with money to spend and no one tappin it ........ maybe I need to go into business .....

[MetroMan]

I'll sell you a 3 ply contractor trash bag with drawstring for a waist seal. Included are 3 rubber bands...one for each arm hole, and one for the neck gasket. $40 obo

[Redfish12]

Bob - Great to hear you found a suit that works for you! My dry top that I won in J-Bay has the latex gasket on the neck and cuffs, it's miserable. I feel like a sausage being made. I put the neck around a few large glass bottles for about 2 weeks stretched way beyond my neck... that helped a little. One night I said heck with it and I cut one of the rings around the neck off. It's a lot better now but I still feel like I'm being strangled...

So does this mean we'll see more of you at the bridges this year?

[Capt C-Hawk]

So does this mean we'll see more of you at the bridges this year?

Dry doesn't automatically translate to balls. I will say Ictalurus might see me at Allen's Fresh or St Mary's Lake.

[surfdog]

throw in some spray foam and its a deal

[ictalurus]

I will say Ictalurus might see me at Allen's Fresh or St Mary's Lake.

Sounds good. If you see me out there, give me a holler.

[fishinbear]

Try looking at kayakacademy.com. They have a larger size XL king. It's bigger than a standard 2xl. take a look at the sizing chart, if it's big enough they have rentals and the rental fees are applicable towards purchase.

[ronaultmtd]

Bob--I'm glad you found something that worked for you. Kokatat makes good stuff, but I don't understand why everything is so trim. My Stohlquist drysuit is cut crazily trim. My shoulders are pretty flexible and not that wide, and it still takes a lot of effort. I guess the whitewater guys wear them in the summer with no layers underneath? Or perhaps super models are whitewater enthusiasts. I don't get it.

ron--keep an eye on sierratradingpost.com and the closeout section on outdoorplay.com. That's where I got most of my stuff for less than $100. Also, ems.com and rei.com often have 20-40% off coupons if you sign up for their mailing list.

Picked up a dry top for $75 in 3XL- so that was a good call- paddlesports clothes aren't designed for us big guys- biggest size for the pants (in stock) only goes to 42 waist- I have a 44 waist and 52 chest-

[Memory Maker]

Picked up a dry top for $75 in 3XL- so that was a good call- paddlesports clothes aren't designed for us big guys- biggest size for the pants (in stock) only goes to 42 waist- I have a 44 waist and 52 chest-

Hey guy ......... sounds like we are the same size .......... I need the same Drytop you got ........ where did you get the 3xl for $75 cause I need one too

[Memory Maker]

Bob--I'm glad you found something that worked for you. Kokatat makes good stuff, but I don't understand why everything is so trim. My Stohlquist drysuit is cut crazily trim. My shoulders are pretty flexible and not that wide, and it still takes a lot of effort. I guess the whitewater guys wear them in the summer with no layers underneath? Or perhaps super models are whitewater enthusiasts. I don't get it.

ron--keep an eye on sierratradingpost.com and the closeout section on outdoorplay.com. That's where I got most of my stuff for less than $100. Also, ems.com and rei.com often have 20-40% off coupons if you sign up for their mailing list.

Hey Icky ........ thanks for the heads up on the deal sites ......... just bought a drysuit for $292 ........ sure hope it fits? ...... but for a $360 savings I'll lose the weight .......... http://www.outdoorplay.com/Stohlquis...Kayak-Dry-Suit

Sorry about the last URL ........ it was the 1 for the add w/the closeout price ....... guess I got the last one because they removed the url .... the one above is correct ......

Does anyone else have 1 of these ........

[ictalurus]

Glad I could help out. I got most of my big ticket items at various discount places.

I have a b-pod in XXL. It's cut really trim, I think, but that might just be because of the elastic around the waist. I'm 6'5", 190-200. I've got some wiggle room for several layers, but if I was 230-250, I probably wouldn't have enough leg room. Getting into it can be tricky. I haven't figured out a method yet for getting it right the first time. Lastly, the feet are kind of small. If you have wide feet that are 12 or bigger, your feet might not fit. I have 10.5-11's with a high arch and instep. Two pairs of wool socks doesn't leave me much room left.

On the upside, the zippers are flawless, and the neck gasket is really comfortable. Though, I wish the fly was vertical instead of horizontal. I haven't figured out the logic behind that yet. I also find that the fabric is really breathable. I sweat a lot, and I've never had it damp on the inside yet. My layering system might be well suited for the fabric.

I actually have to send mine back for a warranty repair. The fabric on the heel delaminated. We'll see how long it takes them to fix or replace it. I wish the feet were neoprene instead of the breathable fabric. That's a high wear area, and the material needs to be robust.

[Memory Maker]

Glad I could help out. I got most of my big ticket items at various discount places.

I have a b-pod in XXL. It's cut really trim, I think, but that might just be because of the elastic around the waist. I'm 6'5", 190-200. I've got some wiggle room for several layers, but if I was 230-250, I probably wouldn't have enough leg room. Getting into it can be tricky. I haven't figured out a method yet for getting it right the first time. Lastly, the feet are kind of small. If you have wide feet that are 12 or bigger, your feet might not fit. I have 10.5-11's with a high arch and instep. Two pairs of wool socks doesn't leave me much room left.

On the upside, the zippers are flawless, and the neck gasket is really comfortable. Though, I wish the fly was vertical instead of horizontal. I haven't figured out the logic behind that yet. I also find that the fabric is really breathable. I sweat a lot, and I've never had it damp on the inside yet. My layering system might be well suited for the fabric.

I actually have to send mine back for a warranty repair. The fabric on the heel delaminated. We'll see how long it takes them to fix or replace it. I wish the feet were neoprene instead of the breathable fabric. That's a high wear area, and the material needs to be robust.

Hey ...... thanks for the info ....... sure hope it fits ...... may have to lose some weight though ...........