How much are you spending on a Dry Suit?

[justeric]

Seems that having a Dry Suit is the way to fish in the colder months. How much should I expect to pay for a Dry Suit that would be appropriate for kayak fishing? Are there any features that are must haves? I'm thinking that you need to be able to survive if you get dumped in the water long enough to be rescued. Are their any Dry Suits you would recommend?

Thanks,
Eric

[Yak Fish]

Relief zipper...def a relief zipper is a must have.
I wear Kokatat's Expedition Suit. It's the top of the line Gore Tex suit, which is just awesome. That'll set you back a G, but if you fish a lot it may be worth it. The breathability of the gore tex makes it extremely comfortable in all weather. That said, for safety, you can buy a much lower level suit like the Hydrus for half the price. It depends on how much you'll use it.

https://kokatat.com/shop/mens/dry-suits

[zditmars]

I’ve been wearing the kokatat hydrus meridian for several seasons and it’s holding up well. I think you can get them in the $600-700 range. Latex neck gasket takes some getting used to but found if you dab a little baby powder on your wrists and neck makes little more comfortable. I jump in and test every season and this suit is bone dry. Also make sure to lube the tzips from time to time.


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[Yak67]

I use the Stolquist EZ dry-suit. $300-400 range. Lower end dry suit. Comfortable, but the neck gasket puts a "Sleeper-Hold" on you like Jake-the Snake. Wrist gaskets are too tight also. Comfort of suit matters. Tried stretching them to no avail.

My friend uses the Typhoon Men's PS330 Extreme KAYAK/OCEAN Dry-suit. He raves about it. I plan to upgrade to this dry suit later this year.

Yak67
2019 Hobie Outback
2017 Hobie PA-12 Camo

[yakscientist]

I've got the kokatat hydrus 3L supernova suit, it's still got the lifetime warranty but like Alan said, is the step down from goretex. It feels pretty breathable to me, but def keeps me warm and dry. I can get away with just my normal summer attire (lightweight long sleeve shirt and pants) underneath on days down to about 35-40F, any lower and I might add a second long sleeve or a pair of wool sleep pants under my regular pants. It has the relief zipper, neoprene neck gasket (more comfortable than latex but not as sealed), and latex wrist gaskets, and I got it on sale for $500 from outdoorplay I believe. I really recommend it to people looking for a good suit that don't want to splurge on the full gore-tex. With any suit, you definitely want to plan out what you normally would grab out of your pockets, and tuck it into your pfd if possible. I usually only keep my car keys in one of my shirt pockets inside the suit, everything else like my chapstick, inhaler, knife, they all go into the pfd when I'm wearing the suit.

[Slobber Bob]

I've got the kokatat hydrus 3L supernova suit, it's still got the lifetime warranty but like Alan said, is the step down from goretex. It feels pretty breathable to me, but def keeps me warm and dry.

I've been using the same suit for about 4 years and would recommend it. Like Pat mentioned, the neck is neoprene however and not latex, so it's considered a semi-dry suit. The neoprene still make s a pretty good seal though and it has the ability to cinch down so you can adjust the comfort level of the neck gasket to your liking. However, I feel it is not that breathable. I really have to pay attention to my layers so I don't start sweating in it.

I'll also add that Kokatat's customer service department has been very good to me in past experiences. I originally purchased an older, but still new Super Nova suit at going out of business sale. I twice had to sent it back for leaking seams in the legs. Each time they repaired the suit at no charge to me. The third time this happened, they deemed my suit defective and upgraded me to the suit I presently have at no additional charge. Although I was annoyed at the shotty seams, the company treated me well.

I'm not sure what the life expectancy of the latex wrist gaskets are, but I've had to replace both of mine after about four years of use. It's an easy repair you can do on your own though.

[justeric]

A big thanks to everyone for your responses! I have a follow up question. Is the purpose of the dry suit to protect you if you fall in the water? I envision being hit by a wave and capsizing. Will the dry suit keep me dry and safe? What if I forgot to put my drain plug in and figure out 30 minutes later when my boat is sinking 1 mile from land? Will the dry suit hold out water or at least keep me warm/safe until I can be rescued? I suspect if you go out on cold water a radio and gps devices are mandatory to have on board. Someone told me about a 120 rule for wearing a dry suit. That is, the combination of the water temp and the air temp should be 120 before going out without a dry suit. Does that sound about right?

I noticed the kokatat hydrus 3L supernova is a Semi-Dry suit. Does this mean it just keeps you dry while sitting on top of the kayak but won't keep you dry if you fall in the water?

Thanks,
Eric

[ronaultmtd]

Best not to get wet no matter what you are wearing...I can tell you that turtling a kayak is not something you want to do...broaching your boat on the face of a big wave is not the most common “turtle” among kayakers...it is improper placement of your body inside the kayak...reaching behind you in the Tank well is the number one culprit...leaning out is the other...if you keep your head in the centerline of your kayak your chances of turtling your kayak are greatly reduced...many of my friends refuse the drysuit entirely...uncomfortable, hard to get into and out of are more of their reasons than the expense of buying a drysuit...they smply avoid dangerously cold water and only kayak in warmer waters...I have a dry suit (older model) but rarely use it due to both main reasons...if I choose to fish in cold water I wear a pair of breathable waders and a dry top...and I am very careful not to do any risky maneuvers that could result in a turtle...plus having a very stable kayak with the seat in its lowest position is a help as well...

[nhunter344]

Any suit with a neoprene gasket is considered semi-dry. Like others have mentioned, the neoprene gasket will let water in. Not a rushing torrent, but water will get in. Dry suits are not for extended cold water immersion. They increase your survival chances should you turtle but they don't offer an infinite survival window. I've completely forgotten how much time you can spend in the water no suit vs. drysuit, but it does give you a nice window to self rescue or be rescued.

As for tight neck and wrist latex gaskets, they can be trimmed to be more comfortable. I think I took a good 3in off my neck gasket before it was loose enough to provide blood flow to my brain. It takes a steady hand with a razor blade to make sure you make a cut with no nicks that can easily turn into tears. I was talking to a Kokatat rep a while back and he told me if your neck and wrist gaskets aren't a little uncomfortable, they're too loose.

As for your iriginal question, a good suit will normally set you back about 500, but you can find really good deals on cheap and steep, outdoor play and the manufacturer sites (NRS, stolquist, kokatat, immersion specialist) on last years models. I got my goretex meridian ($1100) for around 600 when they were trying to get rid of the previous years inventory.

[Mark]

Eric,

I think the questions you need to ask yourself is where are you going to kayak fish in cold water and what are you going to be fishing for. Are you really going to be one mile from shore in our present weather? If so, what fish will you be trying to catch from a kayak in the DELMARVA area in winter? There's no fish here in the Bay Region that would tempt me that far from shore in my kayak in January. Other kayak anglers will, and I admire their tenacity but not me. If you're in that group I wish you luck and look forward to your reports on Snaggedline.

I don’t have a dry suit but I do not fish big water far from shore in the winter, late fall or early spring.

I do fish cold water creeks and ponds – no deep water, no waves, no fast currents, no significant boat traffic. I don’t fish alone. I’m mindful of the weather forecast. I always wear a PFD and dry pants. I keep my seat low and my body weight (butt) centered in the kayak. And I’m never far from shore should the unthinkable happen. Is that risk free? No. But neither is the drive to the launch. I don’t mean to sound cavalier but as Ron said, I believe we can manage our risk on the water in ways more than what we wear. A dry or wet suit is no substitute for making wise decisions as to where we launch and when.

A dry or wet suit may give you extra time before the shock of the cold hinders your breathing and disables your limbs. But neither suit will guarantee unlimited time in cold water should you capsize. Regardless of what you wear, floatation is critical.

There are plenty of charts available online (each with reasonably close conclusions) that relate the debilitating effects of hypothermia to the temperature of the water and your time in it. Not every human reacts the same but there are generalities worth noting. You should probably familiarize yourself with that information and then make an assessment of need based on where you plan to be kayak fishing in cold water.

[Oldbayrunner]

Any suit with a neoprene gasket is considered semi-dry. Like others have mentioned, the neoprene gasket will let water in. .

Not necessarily, it depends on the neoprene. Divers and kayakers have been using Glideskin neoprene gaskets for years before latex or silicon. Glideskin is considered 100% waterproof. My Gul Taw drysuit has these gaskets and it is completely dry and a lot more comfortable then my previous latex ones. As with any gasket if it is not fitted correctly they can seap from the openings.

[nhunter344]

Not necessarily, it depends on the neoprene. Divers and kayakers have been using Glideskin neoprene gaskets for years before latex or silicon. Glideskin is considered 100% waterproof. My Gul Taw drysuit has these gaskets and it is completely dry and a lot more comfortable then my previous latex ones. As with any gasket if it is not fitted correctly they can seap from the openings.

Good to know! That's what I like about this place, with the combined knowledge here, I'm always learning new things.

[thedutchtouch]

After seeing multiple YouTube videos on the subject, I decided to go with NRS sidewinder bibs and a kokatat rogue dry top. My brother (whitewater rsft guide) was able to get me a slightly below MSRP deal on the bibs, and I just today found/purchased my dry top for about half retail on Facebook marketplace (with tags still on it). Not bragging, but including this because deals are out there -theres another used rogue dry top on Facebook marketplace right now (used). I'm all in for significantly less than 1k.

[Yak Fish]

A big thanks to everyone for your responses! I have a follow up question. Is the purpose of the dry suit to protect you if you fall in the water? I envision being hit by a wave and capsizing. Will the dry suit keep me dry and safe? What if I forgot to put my drain plug in and figure out 30 minutes later when my boat is sinking 1 mile from land? Will the dry suit hold out water or at least keep me warm/safe until I can be rescued? I suspect if you go out on cold water a radio and gps devices are mandatory to have on board. Someone told me about a 120 rule for wearing a dry suit. That is, the combination of the water temp and the air temp should be 120 before going out without a dry suit. Does that sound about right?

I noticed the kokatat hydrus 3L supernova is a Semi-Dry suit. Does this mean it just keeps you dry while sitting on top of the kayak but won't keep you dry if you fall in the water?

Thanks,
Eric

If you go full dry suit with latex gaskets, it'll keep the water out. You'll survive for awhile as long as you're insulated. If you go the bibs and dry top route, you'll take in water. I've tested it out as well. If you can get back in quickly you'll be ok. Your day of fishing will be over, but you'll survive. If you can't get back in your yak, it'll be a bad day. I did that for awhile, but then I opted for the dry suit and feel much better out there.