How do you wear your dry top + dry pant?

This may sound dumb;-) but a question for you guys/pros.  How do you wear your dry top + dry pant?

I mean do you keep top of your dry pant outside/over bottom of your dry top? Or the over way around: The bottom of your dry top would cover the top portion of your dry pant (keeping the bottom of your dry top as out most layer)?

(I am looking at better keeping water out if I do end up in the drink:-)

Thanks!

Maybe I didn't make it clearly enough (me bad in English:-) I meant I am not sure if bottom of dry top shall be under/covered by top of dry pant, or top of dry pant shall be under/covered by bottom of dry top?

I don't wear two-piece immersion gear.  Not many of us do.  From what I've seen in the catalogs it's the top outside the pants - #2 in your question.  Where did you buy them?  They could give you the absolute and definitive answer.

I don't wear two-piece immersion gear.  Not many of us do.  From what I've seen in the catalogs it's the top outside the pants - #2 in your question.  Where did you buy them?  They could give you the absolute and definitive answer.

Thanks for the reply and info. I bought separate Kokatat dry top and dray pants online here in Canada. Didn't find the answer to my question on the website from which I made the purchase. I guess my question is more on the right way or preference in general...

I wear the top of dry pant under/covered by bottom of dry top.  Movement is easier and the elastic waist band of the pants fits better (tighter) on my waist.  The top works better layered above the pants. 

Dan E

+1 Dan_E
I have both, top+bottom and complete kokatat gortex. Just switching to the complete suit now.   Puget Sound is different than the ocean, not all agree and that’s fine.
I put on bottoms first and since the Velcro tight. Them I put the top on and tighten the waist. I’ve not done a surf launch but over years of sea and fishing kayaking have never been over. When it’s warm and the site feels good I wear an inflatable pdf. Alone or in more exciting wind/ weather I wear a good fitting kayaking/fishing pdf. That makes the tone of the two piece fit better. Also carry a waterproof cell and vhf and someone who cares knows where I’m going. There are lots of issues for folks to consider and not all agree. It’s your call, I’m comfortable with mine.

Thanks for the reply and info. I bought separate Kokatat dry top and dray pants online here in Canada. Didn't find the answer to my question on the website from which I made the purchase. I guess my question is more on the right way or preference in general...

Ask Kokatat.  They have great customer support.  707.822.7621 or https://kokatat.com/support/contact-us.  They can tell you how the pants/top were designed to be worn.  After that, it's your preference...

The short answer is that when using a dry top-dry pant combination, you always want to put the dry top on top, so rainwater or splash water can't run down inside the dry pants.  Putting the dry pants on top would be like shingling a roof with the loose edges of the shingles pointing towards the peak of the roof.

Most dry tops have a light nylon tube which goes from the user's chest down to their waist underneath the heavy nylon or breathable nylon outside shell of the dry top.  The light nylon tube goes underneath a kayak spray skirt, and the shell goes on top of the spray skirt. If you use a dry top and dry pants when paddling a sit-on-top kayak, put the waistband of the dry pants on top of the light nylon tube, and under the outside shell of the dry top.

I have used dry top-dry pant combinations on a number of long self-contained whitewater kayak trips, including some which were two weeks long. However, I have a reliable roll, and on those trips I felt pretty confident that I was not going to get in a situation where I would take a swim out of my kayak.  And if I did, in river situations you can expect to get to shore and out of the water within a minute or so.

However, dry top-dry pant combinations are not waterproof.  If you are in the water for more than a short time, they will leak, the water in the dry suit will make it harder for you to get back onto a sit-on-top kayak, and your clothing will be wet, which can create hypothermia risks.  As a result, I don't use dry top-dry pant combinations in any situation where I might end up in the water for an extended period of time.  In particular, I don't use them when paddling on large lakes or on the ocean. I use a full dry suit in those situations.

If you do use a dry top-dry pant combination when paddling a sit-on-top kayak, practice flipping your kayak, righting it, and climbing back on top of it until you can reliably do it within about 20 seconds.  You need to spend as little time in the water as possible when wearing a dry top-dry pant combination.

Thanks again everyone for your reply and info.

The short answer is that when using a dry top-dry pant combination, you always want to put the dry top on top, so rainwater or splash water can't run down inside the dry pants.  Putting the dry pants on top would be like shingling a roof with the loose edges of the shingles pointing towards the peak of the roof.

Most dry tops have a light nylon tube which goes from the user's chest down to their waist underneath the heavy nylon or breathable nylon outside shell of the dry top.  The light nylon tube goes underneath a kayak spray skirt, and the shell goes on top of the spray skirt. If you use a dry top and dry pants when paddling a sit-on-top kayak, put the waistband of the dry pants on top of the light nylon tube, and under the outside shell of the dry top.

I have used dry top-dry pant combinations on a number of long self-contained whitewater kayak trips, including some which were two weeks long. However, I have a reliable role, and on those trips I felt pretty confident that I was not going to get in a situation where I would take a swim out of my kayak.  And if I did, in river situations you can expect to get to shore and out of the water within a minute or so.

However, dry top-dry pant combinations are not waterproof.  if you are in the water for more than a short time, they will leak, the water in the dry suit will make it harder for you to get back onto a sit-on-top kayak, and your clothing will be wet, which can create hypothermia risks.  As a result, I don't use dry top-dry pant combinations in any situation where I might end up in the water for an extended period of time.  In particular, I don't use them when paddling on large lakes or on the ocean. I use a full dry suit in those situations.

If you do use a dry top-dry pant combination when paddling a sit-on-top kayak, practice flipping your kayak, righting it, and climbing back on top of it until you can reliably do it within about 20 seconds.  You need to spend as little time in the water as possible when wearing a dry top-dry pant combination.

Thank you very much for the detailed info. And yes, I do fish on a Sit-On-Top (SOT) kayak, and I am planning tomorrow (Saturday) to try out an re-entry to my kayak with dry top-dry pant combination. I will fish in the morning on a large lake, and then before noon when I am ready to call it a day, I will paddle to around 10 feet fow water (about 500 feet from shore/launch), and jump into water, and then ... (by the way, I made a DIY kayak stirrup to help me get back onto kayak which I will try tomorrow)

Thanks again!

Thank you very much for the detailed info. And yes, I do fish on a Sit-On-Top (SOT) kayak, and I am planning tomorrow (Saturday) to try out an re-entry to my kayak with dry top-dry pant combination. I will fish in the morning on a large lake, and then before noon when I am ready to call it a day, I will paddle to around 10 feet fow water (about 500 feet from shore/launch), and jump into water, and then ... (by the way, I made a DIY kayak stirrup to help me get back onto kayak which I will try tomorrow)

Two suggestions about your practice session:

1. Some people have difficulty climbing back onto a sit-on-top kayak.  If you can't climb back onto your kayak, it would be rather difficult to push or pull your kayak 500 feet back to shore.  Particularly if your dry top-dry pants combination is filling up with water.  So if you're by yourself when practicing, rather than practicing 500 feet from shore, practice next to a dock which has water which is over your head.  Tie the kayak to the dock with perhaps 20 feet of rope.  Then if you can't get back onto your kayak, you can either swim to shore, and then go out on the dock to get your kayak, or if the dock has a swimmer's ladder, climb up the ladder onto the dock.

2. Learn how to climb back onto your kayak without a stirrup.  I find it way harder to climb onto a kayak with a stirrup than without one, because as soon as I step on the stirrup, my legs swing underneath the kayak, and because you usually try to climb vertically out of the water on a stirrup, you are likely to pull the kayak over on top of you.  Another disadvantage of using a stirrup is that you spend extra time in the water locating and deploying the strirrup.

I snorkel and spearfish from a sit-on-top kayak in Montana while wearing a drysuit, 13-16 pounds of weight on my body, and about 3 pounds on each ankle.  I'm a feeble old guy, and I climb back onto my kayak many times a day while wearing this gear.  Here's my suggestion for how to climb back onto a sit-on-top kayak after you have righted it:  Grab the gunwale of the kayak with both hands and kick your feet until you are lying horizontal on the surface of the water.  Then in one swift motion, pull the kayak under your chest, and then immediately push forward until your head is sticking over the far side of the kayak, and your chest is centered in the kayak.  Then roll over on your side, sit up, and slide into the seat of your kayak.  Once you learn the technique, this doesn't require a lot of upper body strength.  Make it a goal to be able to right your kayak and climb back onto it in 20 seconds.

Don't hang vertical in the water and try to chin yourself on the gunwale of the kayak.  You'll just pull the kayak over on top of yourself.

Thank you very much for the detailed info. And yes, I do fish on a Sit-On-Top (SOT) kayak, and I am planning tomorrow (Saturday) to try out an re-entry to my kayak with dry top-dry pant combination. I will fish in the morning on a large lake, and then before noon when I am ready to call it a day, I will paddle to around 10 feet fow water (about 500 feet from shore/launch), and jump into water, and then ... (by the way, I made a DIY kayak stirrup to help me get back onto kayak which I will try tomorrow)

Two suggestions about your practice session:

1. Some people have difficulty climbing back onto a sit-on-top kayak.  If you can't climb back onto your kayak, it would be rather difficult to push or pull your kayak 500 feet back to shore.  Particularly if your dry top-dry pants combination is filling up with water.  So if you're by yourself when practicing, rather than practicing 500 feet from shore, practice next to a dock which has water which is over your head.  Tie the kayak to the dock with perhaps 20 feet of rope.  Then if you can't get back onto your kayak, you can either swim to shore, and then go out on the dock to get your kayak, or if the dock has a swimmer's ladder, climb up the ladder onto the dock.

2. Learn how to climb back onto your kayak without a stirrup.  I find it way harder to climb onto a kayak with a stirrup than without one, because as soon as I step on the stirrup, my legs swing underneath the kayak, and because you usually try to climb vertically out of the water on a stirrup, you are likely to pull the kayak over on top of you.  Another disadvantage of using a stirrup is that you spend extra time in the water locating and deploying the strirrup.

I snorkel and spearfish from a sit-on-top kayak in Montana while wearing a drysuit, 13-16 pounds of weight on my body, and about 3 pounds on each ankle.  I'm a feeble old guy, and I climb back onto my kayak many times a day while wearing this gear.  Here's my suggestion for how to climb back onto a sit-on-top kayak after you have righted it:  Grab the gunwale of the kayak with both hands and kick your feet until you are lying horizontal on the surface of the water.  Then in one swift motion, pull the kayak under your chest, and then immediately push forward until your head is sticking over the far side of the kayak, and your chest is centered in the kayak.  Then roll over on your side, sit up, and slide into the seat of your kayak.  Once you learn the technique, this doesn't require a lot of upper body strength.  Make it a goal to be able to right your kayak and climb back onto it in 20 seconds.

Don't hang vertical in the water and try to chin yourself on the gunwale of the kayak.  You'll just pull the kayak over on top of yourself.

Thank you very very much for the great info and guide. I will try tomorrow first without use of stirrup.

I will report back after my trial tomorrow. Stay tuned:-)

How did it go?  Any leaks from the suit?  Inquiring minds want to know....

The [Search] function is your friend - or check xiaolu's other posts for his reports on self-recovery practice.

The [Search] function is your friend - or check xiaolu's other posts for his reports on self-recovery practice.

Thanks.  I was focused on the dry top / dry pants performance, so I didn't notice his self-recovery practice thread.


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