C-Forum

What is the best dry outfit for OC & C1 paddling?

Full drysuit?
Drytop and drypant?

What are the must have features?

What is (are) the best model(s) and company(ies)?

I was using an old full drysuit which has leaking gaskets and a now nonfunctional zipper. Thinking it is time to update the dry gear.

I playboat OC1 and C1. I also do multi-day spring river C1 trip.

What say thee?

I have a Kokatat gore-tex with relief zipper (ahhhhh) and gore-tex socks. Love it. I bought it last year for $650... considering my first suit lasted 6 years that's not bad. They last a long time if you take care of them.

Good luck

Make sure that you get a breathable material (expensive , but worth every penny). I have a Gore-Tex Stohlquist. It's a full suit. Mine has ankle gaskets (which are the toughest part to get on & off ). A buddy bought one last year with Gore-Tex booties & they look like a good idea. If you're paddling a decked boat, consider the spray-skirt-tunnel. I think this helps keep some water out of the boat, plus it's one more layer. I like the velcro cover over the zipper to keep trash out of the teeth. My suit is back at the factory now getting a releif zipper installed .
If you're hessitant to splurge for a suit, remember that it's SAFETY GEAR.
Mike W.
OH, beware of the placement of any pockets. The zipper for the leg pocket on my suit is pinched between the cockpit rim & my leg on one of my boats .

Attached gore-tex socks are DEFINITELY the way to go. Warm, dry feet are happy feet . In a perfect world we'd all have a dry top, shorty dry top, and full dry suit. But, it's not a perfect world for most of us! I've gone to using a dry top (gore-tex) and bib dry bottoms (with the aforementioned socks). For mild weather up here I use the dry top with my squirt boats (hot weather I use a shorty splash top), with just shorts and a poly-pro type t-shirt under it, when it's cold I toss on the entire suit with expedition weight fleece under it.

My one regret? No relief zipper. yeah, they aren't cheap. But the first 10 times you're struggling with your suit for 5 minutes or more to take a leak you'll be wishing you had splurged for it. When this season ends around here I may very well send mine in (unless Santa decides a full drysuit is in order ...I DO guide a raft too...)

Definitely go for a full drysuit and go breathable (e.g. Goretex). I got a full Stohlquist Goretex suit for under $300 from Sierratradingpost at the start of the year, so it is possible to get good deals.

As to options, a relief zipper might be nice, but it's a pretty expensive option. I find that with the main zipper fully open I can get enough access to take a leak - OK you've got to take your pfd off and get the main zipper open (which can be a pain on your own), but atleast you don't have to get out of the gaskets.

I would definitely get Goretex booties in a future suit. I'm thinking about getting them added as my feet are always the coldest part of me (loss of circulation due to kneeling plus wet and cold). Also, those gaskets can be a right pain to get off.

My 3c (1 for each pararaph )

Hej,

I have bought a Stohlquist Gore Tex Tsunami in 98 with Latex Socks attached. It is still usable for playboating but needed a lot of fixing (new gaskets and lots of Aquaseal). I also have a Kokatat Gore Tex Dura. Both have advantages. To me, Kokatat seems to have the more "Athletic" design. The Stohlquist has pretty wide legs. Kokatat also has a waist drawcord what I like very much.

A relief Zipper is one of the extras that is really worth the money.
Also, you should get a suit with Neoprene covered Gaskets.
Gore Tex socks are superior to attached latex socks. I use thin socks over the Gore tex socks to protect them from sand in the shoes.

Kokatat is making nice pockets, too. If you walk around with the suit a lot, Suspenders are nice to have. Some people install them themselves and seal the seams with Aquaseal.

My experience: Kokatat Nr 1!

The full drysuit is definitely the way to go. The breathable ones are worth it, and can be re-treated. I spent an evening washing and resealing mine and swims are now a much warmer event.

I would avoid ankle gaskets. My lower body circulation is poor enough already, I think the combination of kneeling, cold and gaskets can really cut off foot circulation, leading to cold, numb feet.

The relief zipper is nice, especially if your suit zips up over the shoulders, as I think is the case with the Helly Hansens and some of the non-breathables.

I've replaced all the gaskets on mine (and had them done professionally), so old gaskets shouldn't be an issue.

Good luck getting a suit.

Martyn

You guys must be short, and using high seats. I'm 6' 5" and use seats of 5.5" and 6". In winter, I cannot wear a full dry suit or anything else which will bunch behind the knee. I just ordered a Stohlquist GoreTex drytop, and will mate it to neoprene shorts (Patagonia) as best I can. Footwear can also be a problem. In my Zealot, I have to wear neoprene socks, improved a bit with extra neoprene on the soles. In my Wide Ride I can wear somewhat more substantial booties and still extract my feet.

Hey g2d,

That's quite an image of short boaters on tall seats ...

I wear a full dry suit as I paddle OC exclusively. I think the dry top is a good option for C-boaters, or if you can paddle an OC dry but I like to stick my boat in a hole and see how quickly I can fill it with water. So, there are two advantages to full drysuits:

(i) warmer for OC hole play
(ii) warmer for swimming