Kokatat Dry Suit Sizing

I resisted trimming my Kokatat gaskets way too long. When fishing, I looked like I was about to tap out with some sort of horrible chocking maneuver in MMA. Not to mention it was not comfortable at all. I started small and trimmed off one ring (the guides on the gaskets) at a time until the gaskets were snug and comfortable. I now don't even notice the gaskets and they are plenty tight for a lengthy immersion.

Just my experience

The biggest issue with gaskets is their vulnerability taking them on and off. The only torn gaskets I've seen in 10+ years has been when someone with long nails tore a wrist gasket when taking it off.

Neck gaskets deteriorate due to sunlight, suntan lotion, and the grease from your skin.  First they develop many little surface cracks and cracks along their rim, they get weaker and flabbier, and eventually they tear when you're taking the gasket on or off.  I've been kayaking and snorkeling in drysuits since the late 1980s, using them large numbers of days per year, and only expect to get about two years out of a neck gasket.  And due to the inherent cruelty of the universe, it seems like they usually tear when you're putting them on, not when you're taking them off. They seem particularly susceptible to tearing on the first day of a multi-day trip, but that may be because I remember those situations more vividly. For example, on the first day of a kayak fishing trip to Flaming Gorge Reservoir, my neck gasket tore, a long curving tear, and I had failed to bring a replacement gasket. Fortunately I was able to find tape at the hardware store in Manila, Utah (not a major metropolitan area and shopping magnet), and was able to improvise a repair which lasted for the trip.  See the pictures below. The second picture shows what the repair looked like at the end of the trip.

If your neck gasket tears, there may be an outdoor store in the area which will replace it.  But it's easy to replace them yourself, and I've replaced large numbers of gaskets for myself and friends.  Kokatat's website has instructions for replacing gaskets.  One of the pictures below shows a Kokatat-style gasket replacement tool I made out of masonite. On multi-day whitewater kayak and fishing trips I bring a replacement gasket and the supplies needed to install it.  I was inspired to do that by a friend whose neck gasket tore early on an 18-day Grand Canyon trip.  Every morning he would put on his dry suit, and then wrap duct tape around his neck and the torn gasket, and every evening he would rip the duct tape off so he could get out of the dry suit.  The skin on his neck was raw by the end of the trip.

I've only torn and replaced one wrist gasket. They don't seem to get as much abuse as neck gaskets.

Also the gaskets have trimming guides, even the wrists so they clearly are designed to be trimmed

I think that the ridges on the inside of neck and wrist gaskets are primarily intended to improve the water proofness of the gasket by digging into your skin, but they do provide guides for trimming the gasket. When you install a new neck gasket, be sure to install it with the ridges on the inside of the gasket. This can be tricky if you turn the drysuit inside out to install the gasket.

Good points Pete.

Kokatat says the neck gasket is designed to be trimmed but the wrists are not. My point is that they are not covered under warranty so why not trim to fit, especially if Kokatat specifically says they are designed to be trimmed!

Kokatat says the neck gasket is designed to be trimmed but the wrists are not. My point is that they are not covered under warranty so why not trim to fit, especially if Kokatat specifically says they are designed to be trimmed!

I have a scrawny skinny neck, which may be why I've been able to avoid having to trim any of my neck gaskets.  I've had some neck gaskets which were pretty dang tight the first time that I put them on, but was able to handle the problem with stretching. For those of you with more manly necks, trimming may be necessary.

If you have difficulty finding a neck gasket which is comfortable, or you prefer to avoid trimming your neck gasket, OS Systems sells neck gaskets in seven different sizes, see http://ossystems.com/?page_id=802, as does Immersion Research, see https://immersionresearch.com/products/latex-neck-gasket. NRS's neck gaskets come in four sizes, see https://www.nrs.com/product/2284/nrs-latex-neck-gasket, and Bare's neck gaskets come in three sizes, see https://www.amazon.com/Bare-Latex-Drysuit-Neck-Seal/dp/B07BNCBZHN, but Kokatat's neck gaskets only come in sizes large and small, see https://kokatat.com/latex-neck-gasket-zcufnek.

If you need to replace wrist gaskets, I found a seller on amazon that has various sizes. I went XL and am much happier. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BGWD3C2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For the neck I went XXl (17 inch) . They are not hard to replace.  I milled a template with my CNC machine, but I can post a PDF that could be cut with power tools if anyone needs it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BGVDZYB/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Kokatat charges $86 for its neck gasket replacement tool and the spring clamps which clamp it in place.  https://kokatat.com/neck-replacement-tool-acctoolnec.  I made the tool out of a scrap of 1/4" masonite I had lying around.  It didn't cost me anything.  it's just a 10.5" diameter disk with two 1" finger holes, and a 1.5" wide ring with a 10.5" outside diameter. Instead of using spring clamps, I use a bowl with a weight on it to put pressure on the gasket when gluing it, because it provides more even pressure. Because I had the right size bowl, it was also free.

Mine was free too.

Here is a link to the instruction for those without the tool. It basically tells you how to make one. https://assets.ctfassets.net/pe7xw34fs2z8/4J05BxMTNJzh3ujCToz414/56a8cf757876126018a1983a3e92d32a/kokatat-neck_gasket_repair_without_kokatats_neck_gasket_replacement_kit-INSERT-web.pdf

Well dang it, my neck gasket tore today.  The good news is that it tore as I was taking it off, rather than as I was putting it on.  Since the temperature was below freezing and snow squalls were blowing through, if the gasket had torn when I was putting it on, I probably would have packed up and gone home.

I put the neck gasket on the dry suit on May 22, 2019, so it only lasted a year and a half.  I used it for a lot of days during that time.  The closeup shows the cracks which were developing on the surface of the gasket due to deterioration of the latex.

This weekend is the opening day of Montana's rifle hunting season, but I'm going to replace the gasket tonight, so the dry suit will be ready when I want to take a break from hunting.

If you have difficulty finding a neck gasket which is comfortable, or you prefer to avoid trimming your neck gasket, OS Systems sells neck gaskets in seven different sizes, see http://ossystems.com/?page_id=802, as does Immersion Research, see https://immersionresearch.com/products/latex-neck-gasket. NRS's neck gaskets come in four sizes, see https://www.nrs.com/product/2284/nrs-latex-neck-gasket, and Bare's neck gaskets come in three sizes, see https://www.amazon.com/Bare-Latex-Drysuit-Neck-Seal/dp/B07BNCBZHN, but Kokatat's neck gaskets only come in sizes large and small, see https://kokatat.com/latex-neck-gasket-zcufnek.

NRS neck gaskets come with a coat of dry adhesive around the rim of their inside, probably to prepare that area for the application of glue, and thus appear to be designed for use on drysuits where the neck gasket is glued on the outside of the neck hole of the dry suit.  However, in Kokatat dry suits which have a neoprene collar which protects the neck gasket, the neck gasket is glued on the inside of the neck hole, so the adhesive which attaches the neck gasket goes on the outside of the neck gasket.  So before you buy a neck gasket, check to see if the neck gasket is glued on the inside or the outside of the fabric of the drysuit.  If it's glued on the inside, don't buy a NRS neck gasket, because the dry adhesive is on the wrong side of the neck gasket.  Sorry, I know that this explanation will be confusing to people who haven't installed a neck gasket before.