I am in the market for a drysuit and have narrowed it down to the stohlquist EZ and the kokatat supernova angler. Both look like nice suits, the EZ is about 100 cheaper and the guys at next adventure said they think they are more durable than the kokatat, based on experience from their rental suits. Essentially they look about the same, with the kokatat warranty the big reason that I can see to go with the Supernova.  Curious if anyone has any feedback if they have compared the two. Thanks!

this may not help much, never had a stohlquist, i got the new kokatat gore tex supernova angler, all i can say is, i love it.worth every penny.

I don't know anyone who owns or owned both who can give you the kind of head-to-head comparison you're asking for.  I own a Supernova.  I have a friend who owns an EZ.  We don't swap suits.

I've been in the water several times in the Kokatat and have stayed dry.  They've been in the water at least once (in my presence) and they stayed dry.

We've had a couple of comments about Stohlquist's warranty - it's a good warranty and they honor it.  A search in the "Product Discussion" forum would return a lot of positive comments (see: http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=18650.msg199450#msg199450).

The way Kokatat honors their warranties is superb and a search would return a lot of accolades.

I own a number of different waterproof garments - rain jacket, rain coats, paddling pants, rain pants...  I can tell a difference only when comparing them to Gore-Tex products, and the breathability of all the other materials feels equal to me, regardless of the name the manufacturer gives their membrane.  I believe Kokatat's Hydrus 3L material breathes at the same rate as Columbia's Omni-Dry which doesn't seem to be any different than Patagonia's H2No fabric...  I only see a clear winner when comparing any of those to an Arc'teryx Gore-Tex jacket.

If you can find someone who owns and uses both the Stohlquist EZ and the Kokatat Supernova, you may get an opinion on their relative moisture transfer efficiency but until and unless, all we'll get is an opinion about whatever product the person owns.  In my personal experience with membranes in products other than drysuits, if it isn't Gore-Tex, they all perform about the same.

Hope that's some help.

I have a lot of experience with both from the retail side, the Ezs have been bomber as a rental suit, the kokatat has been a standby for a while. I personally wear an IR so these are just my observations from working with both suits and companies for quite a while

Kokatat is a great company and I feel like it's a hair more breathable but maybe a little less durable, pretty comparable on both fronts though, both companies have a great warranty and stand by the product. The ez feels a little stiff when it's new but feels much more suplex after a few uses

If I were you I would try them both on, while not extreme they do have different cuts which may or may not fit your body type better, as well as giving you an idea of general comfort, you'll probably have a favorite after walking around the shop, sitting in a boat in each for a while.

TP thanks for the feedback!

Outdoorplay is running 20% off the Kokatat suits this weekend so under 500 shipped! I pulled the trigger. Quite stoked!

I saw today that Outdoor Play is having the 20% off sale active for Memorial Day.  I was wondering what you thought of the Kokatat before I pulled the trigger.


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I purchased the Supernova in a recent Outdoor Play 20% sale without the ability to try one on first.  I liked the reviews and decided to chance it.  The salesperson at OP when through all the measurements and the XL was my size but I forgot to check the feet.  I'm tall and somewhat slender but have size 14 feet.  The XL has size 9-12 socks.  The neck is also a bit too tight for me.  I called Kokatat and they're going to upsize the socks for free and upsize the neck for $70.  Body types vary so much that this customization is helpful and Kokatat even offers custom made suits.  If I had it to do over, I probably would have waited to try them on first, sale or no sale, but I do like the Supernova and the fact that Kokatat will work with you.  The breathability of Gore Tex was a big selling point for me.