Kokatat done me right!

Thought I'd take a second and give a public thanks to Kokatat. I bought a dry suit, used but like new. I loaned it to my bro in law and got it back with the main zipper torn. Called Kokatat and they quoted me 150 I think, took my credit card info but to my surprise I got it back today repaired under warranty! Sweet. I'll admit I don't know much about their warranty so maybe it's transferable, and they know when the suit was made. Either way I told them that it was user error but they still fixed it!

I don't believe that the warranty is trasferable but if they think that there is even a possiblity that workmanship may have played into the problem, they'll fix at no cost.  I've heard the same sort of praise from lots of Kokatat owners.  I'd be surprised if they didn't take the opportunity to pressure test it and fix any micro-leaks also.

Yeah yeah, I'm sponsored by them but they're the only company I've asked for sponsorship from and that's because of the legendary quality of their goods and service.

-Spot-

I'm not sponsored, and agree with everything Mark said.  Kick ass company.

Awsome! I needed to hear that right now. I can only hope I'm so lucky! Mine is in the shop now for delamination issues of the fabric. Some of the stuff I'm reading on their site and others about Tropos (T3) warranty has me nervous. I'm waiting to find out what they say, but I sure would have expected more than 3 years out of a dry suit.

What should the normal life expectancy (with proper care and maintenance) of a dry suit be anyway? Other than the difference in comfort and breathability should there be a difference in type of fabric its made of: Tropos, Hydrus or Goretex?

I sent mine in for hole repairs and they sent me a new suit because the suit was delaminating.

What should the normal life expectancy (with proper care and maintenance) of a dry suit be anyway? Other than the difference in comfort and breathability should there be a difference in type of fabric its made of: Tropos, Hydrus or Goretex?

My OS Systems drysuit, non-breathable suit bought in the early 1990's, finally failed two months ago with zipper tooth loss and delamination.  Used for whitewater and saltwater both, fishing, crabbing, clamming, and paddling.  Never replaced the wrist seals, replaced the feet three times, replaced the neck seal twice.

I sent my Gortex drytop to them in early 2013 to see if it could be repaired, it had over 10 years of heavy use on it at the time. Turns out the fabric was defective and I got a brand new one.

In 2014 I was asked to joined their Pro-staff and really learned how down-to-earth this company really is. They are still manufacturing out of Nor Cal in a solar powered facility, employing many of the same people that have worked with them for over 20 years. The company founder started sewing gear for his kayak friends from home and worked it into a business. They could have taken production overseas to make more money, but making great gear for friends was far more valuable. 

Your right spot. They did a Courtesy pressure test as well. I'm not for sure but it seems in the tag that they might have found a leak in a sock and the arm. So those might have been repaired also

yeah, I had the exact same story!
http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=9816.msg108086#msg108086

When you're accustomed to dealing with soulless megaturds like United or Comcast, it's SO NICE to interact with a quality company that sells quality products.

another great one in this sphere is Austin Canoe and Kayak.  They do it right. 

Awsome! I needed to hear that right now. I can only hope I'm so lucky! Mine is in the shop now for delamination issues of the fabric. Some of the stuff I'm reading on their site and others about Tropos (T3) warranty has me nervous. I'm waiting to find out what they say, but I sure would have expected more than 3 years out of a dry suit.

What should the normal life expectancy (with proper care and maintenance) of a dry suit be anyway? Other than the difference in comfort and breathability should there be a difference in type of fabric its made of: Tropos, Hydrus or Goretex?

Update-

New drysuit is shipping today. They would have replaced it but they allowed me to upgrade to an Angler version for $50 more! But I did get charged for the factory water test, tax and shipping too though. Did I mention Kayak Academy sent me a free loaner drysuit in the mean time? Got me through a couple of trips in the salt including ORC. Anyway, count me as another stoked fan of Kayak Academy and Kokatat!

There is a 50% delta between Hydrus and Gore-tex. Expect Gore-tex to last about twice as long. Like any fabric it will break down at the wear points over time. My Hydrus 3L angler suit is doing the job after 100+ days but using it in a SINK is wearing it across the back area and it's not designed for heavy use in a SINK. The solution: Kokatat built me a Gore-tex suit that is better for the SINK fishing and long trips that I do. In a week I'll be off the grid in Alaska fishing and doing 30 mile days and the forecast is for rain. I'll be living in this Gore-tex suit for the better part of August. I'm grateful the folks at Kokatat know a lot more than I do about these thing.

Awsome! I needed to hear that right now. I can only hope I'm so lucky! Mine is in the shop now for delamination issues of the fabric. Some of the stuff I'm reading on their site and others about Tropos (T3) warranty has me nervous. I'm waiting to find out what they say, but I sure would have expected more than 3 years out of a dry suit.

What should the normal life expectancy (with proper care and maintenance) of a dry suit be anyway? Other than the difference in comfort and breathability should there be a difference in type of fabric its made of: Tropos, Hydrus or Goretex?

Update-

New drysuit is shipping today. They would have replaced it but they allowed me to upgrade to an Angler version for $50 more! But I did get charged for the factory water test, tax and shipping too though. Did I mention Kayak Academy sent me a free loaner drysuit in the mean time? Got me through a couple of trips in the salt including ORC. Anyway, count me as another stoked fan of Kayak Academy and Kokatat!

Ok. Gotta bump this thread.

So I decide I need a new drysuit. After some research and help from a few NWKA veterans,  I get hooked up to kokatat customer service. They walk me through their models and get me set up. Completely different suit. Completely different pfd. Crazy thing, the suit they recommended was less in cost than the suit  I initially said I wanted!!  Gave me details on the fitting and such.

I ordered the suit they recommended right away!  I can't wait!!!  My initial kokatat tropos worked awesome for nearly 4 years of super heavy use and virtually zero maintenance.  Still works awesome!!!   And that's their lightweight model!!!

A few cosmetic issues of late...my fault. So I'm happy to try a new drysuit.

Huge kudos to their customer service!!! I'm a fan!!!