NorthWest Kayak Anglers
Kayak Fishing => Product Discussions => Topic started by: ZeeHawk on March 23, 2009, 02:44:21 PM
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It seems that the discussion about what we wear when we go out to fish is almost as big as what kayak we ride. I guess thats a good thing since our water temps can be downright freezing at times. Feel free to cut and paste what you think is best from other posts or throw in your own .02 and lets give them newbs a hand.
Z
Here's some threads to get it started:
http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,1527.0.html
http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,2097.0.html
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I am in the market for a drysuit so I thought I would revive this thread. I currently have a dry top that I combine with a farmerjohn wetsuit and booties(it's my surf kayaking outfit). I am interested in some of the kotatat products for a few different reasons--comfort, call of nature when you're out for several hours, among others. What are you using and where did you buy it?
T2
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Kokatat is where its at. I have the T3 meridian dry suit and love it. Put it to the test last winter and it did great ;)
I'd steer clear of the paddling suits as they are not real dry suits. They will pretty much do the job, but I have had problems with durability.
Lee let me know about a going out of business sale at a kayak shop in tacoma, and i got my t3 for $400. Just gotta keep your eyes peeled! Also watch craigslist for used ones.
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I have the stohlquist b-pod dry suit. I use the relief zipper a lot more than I thought I would. Glad I got it, I love it.
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I have a Stohlquist G-pod, with the latex neck gasket that I use in the salt and on the fresh during the winter. I have only had it a few months so I can say much about the durability, but the relief zipper has come in very useful.
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Kokatat is where its at. I have the T3 meridian dry suit and love it. Put it to the test last winter and it did great ;)
I'd steer clear of the paddling suits as they are not real dry suits. They will pretty much do the job, but I have had problems with durability.
Lee let me know about a going out of business sale at a kayak shop in tacoma, and i got my t3 for $400. Just gotta keep your eyes peeled! Also watch craigslist for used ones.
I love my kokatat supernova semi drysuit. But like tallman was syaing about reliability, I don't like the fact that this one has only a 2 year warranty. but so far it works great. With a pfd on, I will never have my neck underwater so neoprene gasket is fine. As often as I am adjusting my wrist gasket as it cuts off circulation to my hands, I wouldn't want to deal with a latex neck gasket for all day fishing.
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I just ordered the T3 Super Nova Angler Semi Drysuit from outdoorplay. $24 to ship here to Canada--not bad at all. With that comfort zipper I won't have to forego my morning coffee before heading out on the yak. :)
T2
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I love my Kokatat Gore-tex drysuit. It breathes well and is very comfortable. I have had it a couple years now and it seems very durable. I believe it has a life-time warranty. The one thing I do not like is the neck gasket, but resolved that with a neck ring that OS Systems makes to hold it away from your neck. It still seals up against the neck, it's just not strangling me anymore.
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Ditto on the Koke Goretex---I got the new one with the neoprene, less chokey neck gasket. Love it. Was motivated to buy the dry suit after my buddy's near miss in January:
http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,5770.0.html (http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,5770.0.html)
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Kayak Academy has a nice selection and very helpful! Its worth checking out their used selection!
I bought one of their lightly used (Kokatat KA Label T3 Swift Entry Dry Suit w/ Relief Zipper, Dry Socks, waterproof/breathable Tropos 3-Layer T3 KA T3SE-R) from their rental fleet. Looked brand new to me! After a little trimming back on the gaskets, I LOVE IT!
They currently are listing 25%-30% closeouts on select new 2010 Kokatats
Erik
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For those of us on a budget, I have been quite satisfied with Cadis, breathable waders and a splash jacket with jeans and a t-shirt. They are around $100 each piece and good for air temps from about 50 to 80.
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T2,
I just ordered the same suit two days ago :D I hope you're not having it sent UPS or you might get some nasty brokerage fees on this end - at least I have in the past. I didn't see that they were on sale at Outdoorplay so I hope you got a good deal. They're on for $478 at clavey.com and they said they would send it regular post to reduce the chance of higher brokerage. I've never ordered from them before though so we'll find out.
There's a good chance now that I may be in your neck of the woods mid August and would love to catch up with you to go chase some salmon. I can never tell for sure until I'm there as family life keeps me on my toes these days. I think I can forget about the AOTY so I just want to have fun :)
@WayneWhit
The waders and the splash top are suitable for many places, but you do have to place limits on them. The jeans don't have a place anywhere though in my opinion. Please just get a cheap fleece or something that is light, wicking, and will dry easily without being so restrictive. As the saying goes "Cotton Kills", and even if it doesn't it's total crap in the outdoors. I know what you mean about the budget, everything just keeps totalling up sometimes and just when you think you're done...
Cheers :)
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For those of us on a budget, I have been quite satisfied with Cadis, breathable waders and a splash jacket with jeans and a t-shirt. They are around $100 each piece and good for air temps from about 50 to 80.
If you're in the salt and after immersion protection. The best "cheap" route you can go is a good surfing wetsuit. A 5/4/3 or 4/3 can you keep you comfortable in the water for hours and hours even on the Oregon coast. They can be had for about half to 1/3rd the price of a dry suit.
When I was younger and in better shape I would would hit PC in January and surf for 3-4 hours plus in my 5/4/3 with nothing more than cold hands. And when the water is warmer than the air just dip them to warm them up ;-)
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If you're in the salt and after immersion protection. The best "cheap" route you can go is a good surfing wetsuit. A 5/4/3 or 4/3 can you keep you comfortable in the water for hours and hours even on the Oregon coast. They can be had for about half to 1/3rd the price of a dry suit.
I'd second this. I've been using my surfing wetsuit in the salt for years. If something catastrophic happens a couple of miles offshore, I know that it's not hypothermia that's going to kill me. They're not as comfortable as a dry or semi-dry suit but I've had no problem paddling 15miles in search of mythical sea creatures to slay.
-Spot-
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I have two good surfing full wetsuits: a 4/3 Rip Curl hoodless backzip that is easier to get into, and a 5/4 O'Neil Mutant (with hood) that is way warmer and lighter and more flexible than my older Rip Curl 4/3, yet more difficult to get on. (Ya gotta climb in thru the neck hole, which is very stretchy, then pull the hood over one's head and zip a small horizontal zipper across one's chest). This newer system eliminates the stiff, sewn zipper seam traditionally found on full-zip suits, and makes them noticeably more flexible. But they're a PITA to get on and off, compared to the older style back-zip models.
These surfing wetsuits can get a bit warm on sunny days when the wind isn't blowing, and have no relief zipper, so I'm thinking of getting an NRS farmer john with a front-zip and one of those Hydroskin tops to layer underneath it for the colder days, or maybe even one of those Hydroskin jackets to wear over it. This will be for heading out in my Tarpon 140.
I already have a pullover Stohlquist splash top with velcro-closure neoprene cuffs and neck gasket that works great to break the wind chill. I've been wearing that with breathable waders, or else with shorts or surf trunks under cheap rain pants (work great as splash pants!).
I'm on a low budget right now, since I have to pay some medical bills out of pocket (got no insurance), and that is eating up most of my discretionary yak-fishing spending. A new drysuit is out of the question.
So.... I guess I'm soliciting for suggestions on the best farmer john for NW waters, and any reviews on Hydroskin tops. Thanks! This will be for next spring and summer, but I want to take advantage of sale prices which are happening now. I usually try to buy my winter stuff on sale in the late spring, and my summer stuff on sale late fall or early winter.
Anybody here have any experience with yak garb made with "Hydroskin?" I'm thinking a jersey or top of that would be better than fleece, layered with a farmer john. Thinking of summer warm days, but on cold water.
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Bump :D
OK, i had to go elsewhere to find reviews, but I found some good ones. You know how it is... seek and ye shall find. I'm going to get the NRS ultra john and the NRS HydroSkin longsleeve top.
This should be a better paddling wetsuit combo than my surfing wetsuits have been, since it has the front zip and the design offers better freedom of movement.
Viva Cyber Monday Sales! Going to give OutdoorPlay a call.
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Here's a quick review on the above wetsuit gear. I finally made a couple of go-outs along the South Jetty at the entrance to Grays Harbor recently. Water temp both times was in the 52-53 F range, and the air temp was also in the low 50's.
I layered up with polyester wrestling shorts, a short sleeve O'Neill surfing rashguard, the NRS longsleeve Hydroskin top, and the NRS 3mm Ultra John. Over that, I wore my Stohlquist splash jacket to fend off the wind-chill and drizzle.
I wear merino wool or synthetic thermal socks under my booties. I wore 5mm surf booties the first time, but the soles are too thin for the poor angle of the hard-edged footrests, so the next time I wore my 3mm side-zip yak booties with the hard soles (they were plenty warm enough).
Fortunately for me, all this stuff fits me well, and was very comfortable to paddle in. It was warm enough for air and water in the low 50's, although on the first go-out, after 4 hours paddling and fishing with only sips of water and no snacks in the wind and drizzle, I started running low on energy and feeling a bit cool. The other go-out was only 3 hours, and I was comfortable the whole time.
I waded out to waist deep, and didn't feel any sudden coldwater intrusion. Next time I might bring along a wetsuit hood so that I can submerge myself for a better test. I don't like to dunk my head without earplugs or a wetsuit hood, especially not until the water temp hits the upper 50's.
It all goes on and strips off easier than my surfing wetsuit, and was more comfortable to paddle in. I'm lucky that its all a good fit, since that's important with wetsuits. You want a snug fit, but don't want it to be restrictive in any way. On the other hand, you never want a wetsuit to be too loose a fit, since they don't work as well if they let a flood of water in.
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For lake fishing in my Ultimate 12, since I'm NOT going to fall out of it, I'll wear jeans or shorts and longjohns, with cheap rain pants and yak booties. A light thermal top under med fleece (or just a longsleeve UPF T-shirt on a warm day), and either a windbreaker or rain jacket.
Sometimes I'll wear my breathable waders (belted) and a splash jacket or wading jacket, like I do when I wade rivers. This is when paddling the slower rivers, estuaries and tidal creeks, when I sometimes stand to cast or paddle, or park the yak and get out and wade or hike upstream.
When its really warm out, just shorts under rain pants (for sun and bug protection), and a longsleeve UPF top. Yak booties to protect my feet if I have to get out and wade.
Salt or Fresh, I always wear my wide-brimmed yakker's hat when its not cold enough for a wool or poly stocking cap.
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I purchased a Kokatat GFER from KayakPro.com at a reasonble price for the 2011 version.
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Stohlquist Trekker PFD, OS Systems Pecos semi-dry top, Frogg Togg breathable waders, off-brand river shoes, wide brim hat (ventilated for warm, breathable boonie hat for wet/cold), polypro liner gloves if needed.
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Would the O'neal Boost be a reasonable starter suit?
http://www.activewake.com/oneill-boost-drysuit.html (http://www.activewake.com/oneill-boost-drysuit.html)
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Would the O'neal Boost be a reasonable starter suit?
http://www.activewake.com/oneill-boost-drysuit.html (http://www.activewake.com/oneill-boost-drysuit.html)
Most prefer ones with a relief zipper and attached booties. For the extra 100 bucks the zipper is well worth when spending a long day on the water.
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Would the O'neal Boost be a reasonable starter suit?
http://www.activewake.com/oneill-boost-drysuit.html (http://www.activewake.com/oneill-boost-drysuit.html)
Most prefer ones with a relief zipper and attached booties. For the extra 100 bucks the zipper is well worth when spending a long day on the water.
Thanks.
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REALLY like Kokatat Hydrus 3L Tempest Pants With Socks in better weather. They breath, I wear them with a light paddle jacket, they have a tight velcro mid-belly belt and some knee high paddle boots. I've used long-johns under them and have been dry after several hours of taking spray.
http://www.campsaver.com/hydrus-3l-tempest-pants-with-socks (http://www.campsaver.com/hydrus-3l-tempest-pants-with-socks)
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REALLY like Kokatat Hydrus 3L Tempest Pants With Socks in better weather. They breath, I wear them with a light paddle jacket, they have a tight velcro mid-belly belt and some knee high paddle boots. I've used long-johns under them and have been dry after several hours of taking spray.
http://www.campsaver.com/hydrus-3l-tempest-pants-with-socks (http://www.campsaver.com/hydrus-3l-tempest-pants-with-socks)
$150.00 for those is a pretty good price! 50 bucks off.
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They aren't what you want if there's any chance you might end up in the ocean. They are not immersion gear.
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You see the comment "better weather (should have included water). I use a Kok Gore-Tex in the cold or inclement weather/water. I accept the risk of lighter paddle pants (with socks), knee high boots and a paddle jacket in the summer and freshwater until winter months. There are lots of factors to consider.
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The factors to consider are "How cold is the water?" and "How long might I be in it until I recover or am rescued?"
Nothing wrong with living on the wild side, and I'm not criticizing since you said "I accept the risk" - but if a person doesn't know what they're doing, water temperature and how long you might be in it are the only two factors that count.
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If you're in the salt and after immersion protection. The best "cheap" route you can go is a good surfing wetsuit. A 5/4/3 or 4/3 can you keep you comfortable in the water for hours and hours even on the Oregon coast. They can be had for about half to 1/3rd the price of a dry suit.
I'd second this. I've been using my surfing wetsuit in the salt for years. If something catastrophic happens a couple of miles offshore, I know that it's not hypothermia that's going to kill me. They're not as comfortable as a dry or semi-dry suit but I've had no problem paddling 15miles in search of mythical sea creatures to slay.
-Spot-
Ordered my first dry suit earlier this year & just received it; the Kokatat HOW NWKA ANGLER Paddling Suit. Still haven't used it but I'm looking forward to it. The last 6 years I've been getting by just fine using my surfing wetsuit I bought in Half Moon Bay over a decade ago, with a stohlquist dry top. As a paddler the initial hinderance of a wetsuit can be tedious but rapidly diminishes in the pursuit of Feesh.
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If you're in the salt and after immersion protection. The best "cheap" route you can go is a good surfing wetsuit. A 5/4/3 or 4/3 can you keep you comfortable in the water for hours and hours even on the Oregon coast. They can be had for about half to 1/3rd the price of a dry suit.
I'd second this. I've been using my surfing wetsuit in the salt for years. If something catastrophic happens a couple of miles offshore, I know that it's not hypothermia that's going to kill me. They're not as comfortable as a dry or semi-dry suit but I've had no problem paddling 15miles in search of mythical sea creatures to slay.
-Spot-
Thank you, both for this information. My Granddaughter just got back to Oregon and wants to go out with me when she's down this way. A dry suit is ridiculously expensive for two or three trips a year, but I didn't know what thickness of neoprene would be adequate. Good to know.
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I picked up an NRS Extreme SAR Dry suit from Feldfire.com for around $700 after coupon. About $300 less than other places. Haven’t used it yet but it fits really nice.
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Hi Guys! A small question for those who have a suit with no hood. How do you protect head from cold and rain? It is normal to wear some extra jacket over the dry suit?
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How do you protect head from cold and rain? It is normal to wear some extra jacket over the dry suit?
Seattle sombrero for rain, sleet and wet snow. Throw a fleece beanie on underneath if it's cold.
All my layers are worn under the suit. Never thought of wearing them over.
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Hi Guys! A small question for those who have a suit with no hood. How do you protect head from cold and rain? It is normal to wear some extra jacket over the dry suit?
Rain hat from Outdoor Research (like a boonie). For cold a regular merino wool cap. If extremes I may wear a thin neoprene dive hoodie and a straw hat. A thicker (not cotton) buff.
If snowing I stay home.
I wear glasses and rain on the lenses is a real PIA though after a while I guess my brain adjusts and I just see through the distortions.
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Good suggestions above. I have definitely battled getting cold on Nov/Dec days. I like a heavy fleece neck gaiter, a close-fitting fleece hat that covers the ears, and then a GoreTex wide-brim hat. Also don't forget that the warmer your core is the warmer everything else will stay. I've found synthetic or wool heavy (but not tight!) layers help keep my core warm and give me more time before my feet and hands get numb.
Additionally, one of our resident cold water kayakers (pmmpete) does recommend putting a large coat (with hood?) over the drysuit top in extreme conditions. My only concern would be an immersion scenario - you're going to have to get that thing off and ditch it once it's soaked.
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Wow, looks like I got myself into another outdoor activity that requires some deep pockets. I'll have to get back to donating plasma. Add to this, I am 5'5" and like Dual Sport / Off Road riding, t he gear is probably mad efor 5'10" and up. ??? ;D
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Wow, looks like I got myself into another outdoor activity that requires some deep pockets. I'll have to get back to donating plasma. Add to this, I am 5'5" and like Dual Sport / Off Road riding, t he gear is probably mad efor 5'10" and up. ??? ;D
It's true, but, FWIW, if you take care of dry suits and the other gear they can last a long time. I think I'm on my 7th year with my drysuit. I wear it 15-20 times/yr. I think I paid something like $600 for it. Round up to $700 for misc. repairs, and that's $100/yr. Divide by the number of days I use it, and it comes out to well under $10 per use. If you asked me if I would pay $10 to have a dry suit on a given day when I needed one, I would say yes. Just food for thought.
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I wear a surfing wetsuit always in the ocean……..Tillamook Bay, and lakes , and rivers I wear dry fit clothes all non cotton. Now I don’t fish the colder months because of arthritis.