drysuit advice needed

[yakscientist]

So my parents said that they'll put in money towards a drysuit for me, so I'm looking to get one in the next couple of months. I was leaning towards the kokatat 3L hydrus, but they're about $100 more than I want to spend, but it might be worth it. Are people happy with this suit? FYI I'm fairly average in terms of size, I'm 5'10, about 170 pounds, but my feet are size 12's, so idk if that'll be a major issue or not. I've also heard some good things about the stohlquist EZ, but I like the kokatat warranty/customer service better. Has anyone bought a used kokatat drysuit, and had any experience with repairs from the factory? I know they might not honor the lifetime warranty for a second owner. Any advice is great, I also posted a separate thread looking for black Friday deals, or deals in general, on drysuits and other fishing gear. So if you could point me in the direction of those, that would be great also. Thanks everyone.

[On the fly]

I have the hydra 3l supernova angler paddling suit going on year 3 with no complaints. It has a neoprene neck gasket which I find far more comfortable than latex, and the suit has extra reinforcement in areas needed while fishing in kayak. Because of the neoprene neck gasket it actually is considered a semi dry suit because if submerged some water may leak in around neck. However with the Pfd your neck should remain above water so I did not see it as an issue. https://kokatat.com/product/hydrus-3...ng-suit-dsuhsa

[brianisoutside]

Man those things are expensive


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hemingway]

+1 on the supernova. I have had mine for four years, no quality issues. Relief zipper is a must have. I have turtled twice in mine and the suit was a godsend, just jumped back on and keep on fishing. I doubt the foot size will be and issue, the boot socks are very roomy, I layer up with two wool socks in cool weather, and just buy larger water sandals that my normal size. Kokatat will custom make your suit if you really need more room anywhere, just talk with their customer service. My only reservation on the one piece is in the shoulder seasons when there is a small temperature window where it would be nice to have a two piece. I manage by only wearing a thin nylon shirt and fishing pants under the suit. The suit breaths fairly well.

[EMSer]

Super nova is a winner! I love mine

[Slobber Bob]

I too have the Kokatat hydrus 3L supernova and like it. My only criticism of the suit is I wish the reinforced areas around the legs and waist area extended all the way into the crotch area more. If you just swing fish into your lap like I do, you have to be mindful of putting a hook point into an area that it could potentially puncture the suit. And like Hemigway said, if you where it during the "in between" season, layer very light under it or you'll get too warm.

You asked about the foot size. I wear a size 13 shoe and the feet have more than enough room to layer socks underneath.

And the customer service at Kokatat is excellent. When I first bought my suit it leaked at the seams. I sent it back for repair at no charge. Upon return, I could see where they fixed leaks, but unfortunately it still had leaks. I sent it back again and received word from them that the suit was defective and I would be receiving a brand new suit as a replacement - at no charge again! Leak free ever since!

[yakscientist]

Yeah I hear their customer service is second to none, that's why I'm leaning towards them when I get the suit. Thanks for the advice everyone! Also I think the newest version of the suit has the reinforced materials all the way up to the crotch fyi.

[AbuMasgouf]

+1 on Supernova. I bought mine from outdoorplay.com they seem to have sales more often. I think I got 20% off on mine IIRC

[Gary G]

I am planning on buying a dry suit, but have a couple questions. I’m looking at the Stohlquist EZ and the Kokatat Super Nova Angler.

• Is anyone familiar with both of them enough to be able to contrast them? The Super Nova Angler is significantly more expensive than the EZ. The EZ consistently is offered for $399 on Austin Kayak, but the Super Nova Angler is more like $615, and does not seem to be offered at significant discounts anywhere. Is it worth the extra cost?
• I’m concerned about being too hot in a dry suit (a warm day in December or January, want to go out fishing, air temp maybe 50 degrees or something like that, but water temp 40 degrees). You still need to dress for the water temp. How much of a problem is that? To stay comfortable wearing a dry suit on a day like this do you have to dress light under the dry suit, and “chance it” on water temp insulation?
• Are you able to get in and out of them by yourself, or do you need a second person to help zip up and make watertight?

Thanks,

Gary

[AbuMasgouf]

I am planning on buying a dry suit, but have a couple questions. I’m looking at the Stohlquist EZ and the Kokatat Super Nova Angler.

•Is anyone familiar with both of them enough to be able to contrast them? The Super Nova Angler is significantly more expensive than the EZ. The EZ consistently is offered for $399 on Austin Kayak, but the Super Nova Angler is more like $615, and does not seem to be offered at significant discounts anywhere. Is it worth the extra cost?
•I’m concerned about being too hot in a dry suit (a warm day in December or January, want to go out fishing, air temp maybe 50 degrees or something like that, but water temp 40 degrees). You still need to dress for the water temp. How much of a problem is that? To stay comfortable wearing a dry suit on a day like this do you have to dress light under the dry suit, and “chance it” on water temp insulation?
•Are you able to get in and out of them by yourself, or do you need a second person to help zip up and make watertight?

Thanks,

Gary

I can't speak about the EZ, but the Supernova breathes well. In fact so well that when it is windy I can feel it under the suit and have to dress appropriately. That being said, on "warmer" days you should have a light layer (perhaps single layer) underneath. I don't know what your preference is, but personally I love the LL Bean wool base layer. It's comfortable and soft and does well in cold and the occasional "warmer" days. For really cold days I put other layers on top of it, but for the days we are talking about, it does well by itself. I hope that helps

[Oldbayrunner]

There's another you could consider, Mythic Drysuits. http://www.mythicdrysuits.com/

[rwh]

Good price on the older 2 layer Supernova:
http://www.ems.com/kokatat-mens-supe...FUlNfgodyqIJcg
I wear mine on warmer days with less layers underneath and it's very comfortable. A little warm sometimes when paddling out to the fishing spots but once you are there and fishing, it's comfortable. Easy to get in and out of solo. One key thing is to have a layer of wicking material, polyester, nylon, polypropelyne, etc against your skin to draw sweat away from your body.

[DonV]

There's another you could consider, Mythic Drysuits. http://www.mythicdrysuits.com/

I wanted to offer that as an option but had forgot the name and couldn't find it on the web.

[Gary G]

Thanks for the link to Mystic dry suits, they look interesting.

[DonV]

Thanks for the link to Mystic dry suits, they look interesting.

They are a hell of a good price and there are a few reviews bouncing around if you Google. The main complaint seems to be they don't breathe quite as well as higher end suits but everybody seems happy especially in light of the cost.