Drysuit or not to Drysuit? That is

[summersoff]

How many of you guys are drysuiting, and how many are wadering with dry tops? The reason I ask, I, like so many have done the drysuit mental debate. Safe and easy but a ton of money. My question is is not whether a drysuit is safe, but are waders and solid drytop with normal seals Actually unsafe, I don't mean on paper, but have guys turtled in them and had a problem? I bought a used cheap drysuit and much to my surprise, it was an absolute PITA to get in and out. And honestly, it felt like a confining onesie, granted it was used, without the ability to compare fit, but overall, it sucked.
So, it's winter and we're board, To drysuit or not to drysuit? Nes pas

[yakscientist]

I did the drysuit/wader combo early this year, and even a few weeks ago. I just got a drysuit, basically since I couldn't think of what I wanted for Christmas, so I asked my parents for money to cover some of the cost. I love the relief zipper, as all my fishing locations are at least an hour drive away, and that means coffee, which means frequent pit stops on the water. The drytop and waders felt a bit too insulated for me, I felt like I was sweating a fair amount, probably because the waders weren't breathable, they were the insulated neoprene kind. The drysuit however feels perfect, and I only wear minimal stuff underneath (UA, lightweight shirt and pants, wool socks). I don't feel like I need the nice liners, but I know some people use them as well. I was out on 2 mornings that were well below freezing at dawn, and often the winds were blowing in excess of 15-20 mph, and I never got chilly. Actually my hands did, but I just need to get some better gloves. I haven't fallen overboard yet, thankfully, so in that regard, I cant compare the 2 methods. There was a video of a guy testing those methods though. Also for me, having a tightly sealed suit on is preferable since my kayak is a sit-in, which would be nearly impossible to rid completely of water after a spill, which would mean I'm going to be sitting in quite a lot of it as I'm pumping it out.

[scott taylor]

Take a deep breath, spend the money. Get a good drysuit that fits well and take good care of it. It's one of the best accessories that you can own for kayak fishing. You will never regret the expenditure and it may extend your fishing season and dare I say your life?

Over this past weekend more that 20 Laser Sailboats (small one-man boats) flipped when a wall of wind (about 40 knots) hit the sunday afternoon racing fleet. Some were in the water for more than 30 minutes...PFD's and Drysuits allowed all to survive with no one treated for hypothermia. How can you put a price tag on that level of protection?

ST

[bunnielab]

love the relief zipper

I tried waders+drytop and this is what sent me back to my drysuit. An early morning without coffee takes too much fun out of the day.

I do really need to spend the money and time to get my drysuit altered to fit better. I had to upsize to fit my fat neck and as a result the suit has a ton of extra space and it makes peddling and casting a pain. I have already set an alarm for april in my phone to remind me to start the process so I have it ready for next year.

[On the fly]

Dry suit or semi dry suit. Main difference is semi has neoprene collar and dry has latex. Semi is ALOT more comfortable to wear, for me anyway.

[hookmeup]

Once you get a drysuit, you wonder why you didn't do it earlier. Ya it's a chunk of change. So is all the other stuff. For the doubters, you only get to die once. It isn't perfect but I consider it somewhat cheap life insurance.

A dry suit with PFD gives you the best chance to survive a catastrophe. You might not realize it's happening until it's too late.

[reel-em-in]

The drysuit however feels perfect, and I only wear minimal stuff underneath (UA, lightweight shirt and pants, wool socks). I don't feel like I need the nice liners, but I know some people use them as well. I was out on 2 mornings that were well below freezing at dawn, and often the winds were blowing in excess of 15-20 mph, and I never got chilly.

Remember, dress to swim. You may be comfortable on the the kayak but if you go over the drysuit is there to keep you dry, that's it. It doesn't offer and thermal insulation. You need warm base layers to ward off hypothermia.

[D3NAL1]

Ive turtled with snowpants, in 40 some degree water. Does that count. I did not enjoy it one bit. Still dont own a drysuit.

[summersoff]

Totally appreciate the responses
Don't mean to ruffle feathers, just want to open it up a tad bit. Too often drysuit threads turn into, "Buy a drysuit or DIE" thread, I feel like a women at that auto shop who found out her catylitic converter is going and the mechanic says, "fix it for $2000 or your car will explode with your family in it."
kayaking for years in protected bays, for some stroke of luck, I haven't flipped ina area I could not touch bottom. But here's my question are guys in waders and solid drytop having troubles when they flip? There some guys on here arefishing for drum and stripers in some seriously snotty waters. What are you wearing? Or you CBBT tunnel guys, what are you wearing? Any issues?
I hope to do more open water in jersey and cape next year, so I am seriously thinking of a drysuit, but it is a hunk of change that I am trying to figure out if I really need?
Thanks

Pro's for drysuit
Safety
Easy to piss

Pro's for drytop
Cheaper
Replace only one part if it fails
Wear on boat and rocks ( if I show up in a drysuit onesie on the jetty with my buddies, I might as well put a Saltlife sticker on my truck and kick my own ass)

[reel-em-in]

I actually have a dry top and dry pants combo. Not quite as good as a full dry suit but they are separate pieces if I need to replace one half.

[On the fly]

Totally appreciate the responses
Don't mean to ruffle feathers, just want to open it up a tad bit. Too often drysuit threads turn into, "Buy a drysuit or DIE" thread, I feel like a women at that auto shop who found out her catylitic converter is going and the mechanic says, "fix it for $2000 or your car will explode with your family in it."
kayaking for years in protected bays, for some stroke of luck, I haven't flipped ina area I could not touch bottom. But here's my question are guys in waders and solid drytop having troubles when they flip? There some guys on here arefishing for drum and stripers in some seriously snotty waters. What are you wearing? Or you CBBT tunnel guys, what are you wearing? Any issues?
I hope to do more open water in jersey and cape next year, so I am seriously thinking of a drysuit, but it is a hunk of change that I am trying to figure out if I really need?
Thanks

Pro's for drysuit
Safety
Easy to piss

Pro's for drytop
Cheaper
Replace only one part if it fails
Wear on boat and rocks ( if I show up in a drysuit onesie on the jetty with my buddies, I might as well put a Saltlife sticker on my truck and kick my own ass)

It is not about ruffling feathers here just different opioions on what works for specific people. I worked in the fire service for over 32 yrs and can tell you skimping on safety equipment is NEVER a good idea. As far as jetty fishing I can see the waders / drytop. Chances are you slip off and into shallow water and provide self rescue at shore vs kayak where you may be in the water a little bit to upright kayak, get in, and paddle back to shore ( hoping your kayak did not drift far from where you fell out with currents and such). ANd this is just my two cents.

Everyone have a happy and safe holiday!!!!!!!

[AbuMasgouf]

I started off with Waders and dry top and had no issues whatsoever with respect to my feeling of safety. You can see a few videos on YouTube where people test them out with very little leaking.

Last year I did however get a dry suit for one main reason... The relief zipper! It was a hassle undoing the Wading belt, etc etc. Which made being on the water not as much fun in the cold.

Of course for me spending that much money just to get a relief zipper was no computing in my head, but I was lucky to have a 20% off coupon and credit card points that I brought the price down to something my brain and pocket would accept.

Do I realize other benefits from it now? Sure! But I believe the original setup did the job well for the price I spent on it.

[yakscientist]

Also check online for sales, around this time of year Kokatat may have some of last years discontinued models for reduced prices, as might Outdoorplay (where I got mine), VA paddling, backcountry, etc. I would be rocking the waders/drytop combo if I hadn't had asked for money towards a drysuit from my parents. So you could go that route, if anyone needs VERY last minute Christmas gift ideas for you, just ask for cash. Also I think it also depends a lot on whether you're fishing close to shore, what style kayak you have, how easy is it to right if turtled, how long will you be in the water, all that stuff. A good wetsuit can also protect you down to about 40degree water temp, though at that thickness, it'll be tough to paddle, but you can get those with relief zippers. There was a great comparison online of a guy that said farmer john style (sleeveless) wetsuits are his pick down to a certain water temp, since they allow freedom of movement for paddling, and are relatively inexpensive. Also if a drysuit fails on you, he said it's basically like swimming in a leaky plastic bag, not good. But then again, it'd be bad if your waders sprung a leak too, or the drytop. There are guys that are prone to turtling (I never have), so I would say they should go with a drysuit, but if you're a very safe paddler, I would say drytop/waders would be best, and if you could somehow find a setup with a relief zipper, even better. I think they make drypants with relief zippers, but I assume they're costly.

[sega]

The only real reason to not use a dry suit is if you don't have the cheddar in my opinion.

I personally don't use one when I'm kayak fishing, but we have em for our water rescue team at my fire department. The consensus among rescuers is that the mustang suits are the way to go.

Among kayakers I've heard good stuff about kokotat and NRS.



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[On the fly]

The only real reason to not use a dry suit is if you don't have the cheddar in my opinion.

I personally don't use one when I'm kayak fishing, but we have em for our water rescue team at my fire department. The consensus among rescuers is that the mustang suits are the way to go.

Among kayakers I've heard good stuff about kokotat and NRS.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes the mustang is a preferred ice/ water rescue suit but I would certainly not use one for kayak fishing.