Drysuit - recommendations for a noob

I have a GFER kokatat and while the gaskets are a little tight... It is awesome
I love it

Having owned both Tropos and Hydrus suits, I can honestly say that the Hydrus material is a huge improvement.  It really breathes well but doesn't let any water in.  The zippers are bullet proof and even the neck seal stayed water tight during a recent swim in Alaska.  Yeah, it's a chunk of change but not near the chunk that Gortex is.

-Spot-

 

+1 on the Hydrus. Just checked out the Supernova when I was at the Kayak Shed, great product for the price. This will be my next purchase.

I appreciate all the information.  This site is very helpful for those just getting into the sport.  It is a huge chunk of change.  I will probably have to go with the Neoprene waders and a dry top for this year while I save my money and furiously scan craigslist.  I have to get some new waders for duck hunting anyway.

I usually get boot foot waders because I tend to get cold feet in the stocking foot ones.  However, I can see that having that lug boot might not be the best thing to try and get back in a kayak with.  I will have to put on my old ones and head out to the warm lake and see what difference it makes.

I used the wader/dry top setup on my first salt outing at Depoe Bay. I did not feel safe at all and it added extra stress the whole time I was out.

Do you know anyone who rents them in the Gig Harbor area?

What about the Farmer John wetsuit option?  Sure seems a lot less expensive.  Anyone go that direction?

From all the feedback on this site I think drysuits are the way to go if you're a year-round fisher and/or you have issues keeping warm. I currently utilize a farmer john with separate boots and occasionally gloves. I wear a base layer, fleece, and raincoat on top depending on weather/conditions. (Most people mate a farmer john with a dry top.)  I've been fine, but I don't venture terribly far from shore, I've only fished in halfway decent/warm weather, I would definitely plan on calling it a day if I capsize offshore and have to recover, and I know that I'm pretty OK in the summer at the current water temps down here in Oregon.

All that said, I fully realize that I would probably not be OK past the breakers with this setup in the winter, so that'll be a decision I'll have to make.

I really feel like a lot of things with this sport each person is different: your capabilities, goals, and limits. There are HUGE differences in people's athletic ability and stamina that I think make for a very wide spectrum of safety concerns. If you're in decent shape and you are used to cold water I think you'd be fine a lot of mild days in a farmer john, and if that's what's keeping you off the water I'd say get a decent used one now and start fishing, then save up for something better for colder weather/water or longer trips.

But no matter what you get, suit up and go play in the surf (like swim out until you can't touch) for a half hour or longer and see how you feel. That's the only way you're going to know what your limits are.

Just my two cents - let us know what you land on and how it goes!

Thanks for posting this question again Widgeonmangh and for everyone who responded.  I think about a dry suit every year about this time.  Based on what I read here and some other research, and especially a couple of positive comments on Kokatat's new Hydrus material which runs about 1/2 the cost of Gore-Tex, finally bit the bullet and bought a Hydrus 3L angler suit  from Outdoor Play in Hood River this week.  (My wife bought a $1600 sewing machine at the state fair so $515 for a drysuit was looking pretty reasonable!!   

For anyone else who may be thinking about it.  Highly recommend Outdoor Play.  While they are apparently still working on getting their website to accept discount codes, I got the suit ordered by phone in two minutes with the 15% discount code for NWKA and had the dry suit at my house (Salem, OR) two days later with their standard free UPS shipping !!  Can't wait to try it out in October on Tillimook Bay!!

As to sizing, I agree with the other comments I saw that Kokatat's sizing is pretty accurate.  I am right between a medium and a large (5'9" & 180) so went with the large to make sure I had plenty of room for some warm layers underneath it during the winter.  While I suspect a medium might have been OK, the large feels very comfortable with plenty of room for multiple layers and full movement.  (but of course the first comment I got was asking how much my new Startrek uniform cost)

Again, thanks for all the info everyone posted.   

Sidebar question for those who deal with Kokotat; do their dealers take trade ins credited towards a new suit purchase?

To show that a dry suit can keep you warm, comfortable, and dry in quite cold and nasty conditions, here are some pictures I took on a four-day 116-mile early May self-contained kayak trip on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho.  We launched on Marsh Creek in four feet of snow, paddled through snow for the first day and a half, and had cool inclement weather during the entire trip.  But we stayed warm, and were able to wear the same clothing on and off the river, because our dry suits kept our clothing dry.

Here we are launching where the highway crosses Marsh Creek:



A snow squall on the river:



A block of snow at the bottom of an avalanche gully:



Lunch on the first day:



Our first camp:



Another pile of avalanche debris on the second day:



We didn't fish on that trip because the water was muddy, but I just got off a September 4-9 kayak trip on the Middle Fork on which we did a lot of fishing the first couple of days, and caught a lot of cutthroats and two bull trout.  Then thunderstorms blew out a couple of creeks in burned areas and turned the river black, which ended the fishing.

Awesome trip.  It deserves its own post! 

There is no doubt about the effectiveness of drysuits.  No need even for convincing, just a need for funds.

As soon as I can afford one, I will own one.

That looks like a sweet trip.