Essential Outerwear--Help Needed/Opinions Wanted

Picked up my new Rev13 from Next Adventure yesterday! With everything else going on, only got 10 minutes of water time, but at least it's christened!

I also got a Kokatat Angler semi-dry suit, as I'll spend 1/3+ of my time in the ocean. But, the fit isn't quite perfect (and it's unused so far). I'll try it on again to make sure. The issue is that I'm between sizes, 6'3", 200#:  the Large is just a bit short; the XL swims on me.

I've read the extensive posts pinned, and am wondering if others have found a good solution that includes pants and a jacket (latex neck gaskets need not apply) And a easy way to get of the morning's coffee overboard valued 

Thanks!
Dave

The XL is your size.  The waist has a cinch and when you burp the suit, it'll vacuum down around you.

When you put the suit on, hold the neck open, do a deep squat and push the air out.  When you stand up, you'll look like you've been vacuum packed.

I have an XL size loaner suit that works well even on my teenage sons, the smallest being 5'9 and about 135lbs.

-Mark-

Bigger is better. The last thing you want is to be restricted by your suit.

Thanks for the replies!

What the boyz said. That extra room is great when the temps drop and you have room for more layers underneath. I usually buy my water shoes 2 sizes too large to accommodate as well.

I've been using the Kokatat Angler Paddling Suit for about a year and a half.  It's nice to have the extra room inside. It also provide buoyancy should you ever go in the drink.  I have a big neck so I slid a round bowl inside the neoprene neck gasket for a couple of days to stretch it out a bit.

Too short in the torso can lead to some fairly impressive constriction when pedaling, DAMHIK....
Congrats on the new rig!

What do you guys usually wear under your Angler suits on a typical day? Say, 50-60 degree air temps, low 50s water temp?

I recently got an Angler suit, and have only tried it once so far. I wore a pair of midweight Smartwool long johns and a similar weight Smartwool top. I was trolling for halibut and the weather was sunny/70+ degrees by afternoon. I absolutely COOKED in the suit with the smartwool thermals. At the same time, I'm worried about freezing my ass off in cold water if I wore less insulation. I'm sure I'd be OK for a quick dip and self rescue, but if anything kept me in the water for long I'm sure I'd get cold.

There is a report of a fellow at Shelter Cove who reached hypothermia stage wearing a dry suit with just shorts and a tee shirt under it....

By the way, I'm in the same boat as you size wise. I'm about 6'3", 185 lbs.

I got the XL, and feel it fits just fine after burping. Yes it's baggy, but I'll take baggy over restrictive any day.

What do you guys usually wear under your Angler suits on a typical day? Say, 50-60 degree air temps, low 50s water temp?

It appears to me that different people have different metabolisms, and need or prefer different amounts of insulation under their dry suit.  Some people prefer to stay a bit cool, and other people like to be toasty warm.  So there is no one answer to your question which will suit everybody.  But I do have one suggestion:  Not all of your insulation needs to go under your dry suit.  It's often cool in the morning and much warmer in the middle of the day, and the weather often gets cold, windy, and rainy in the middle of the day.  However, it's really hard to take off layers or add layers under your dry suit when you're out in your kayak.  So I wear enough layers under my dry suit to keep me warm in the middle of the day, and in the morning I wear a layer or layers of insulation and a parka over my dry suit.  If I get hot as the day warms up, it's easy to peel off a layer or so from on top of my dry suit and stuff it inside my kayak.  If the weather turns ugly while I'm out on the water, I can pull a layer out of my kayak and put it on over my drysuit while I'm out on the water.

If you end up in the water, or you get hit by big waves while doing a surf launch, the layer(s) outside of your dry suit may get wet.  But the layers inside your drysuit will still be dry.

It goes without saying that all of your insulation layers, inside and outside of your drysuit, should be made of something which will retain little water, will keep you warm if it gets wet, and will dry out quickly from your body heat. Polypro underwear and pile is a great choice.  Acrylic sweaters are almost as good, they layer up well, and they can be purchased at low price in clothing stores, particularly at the end of the winter when winter clothing goes on sale.  Wool will keep you warm when it gets wet, but it stays soggy and wet for a long time.  Never, never, ever wear any cotton when kayaking.  It stays wet for a long time and sucks heat out of your body at a huge rate.

I have a breathable/waterproof parka which I use as my outer layer when ice fishing.  It's way oversized so it will fit over about five layers of clothing.  I use this when kayaking, because it fits over several layers of insulation and my dry suit, and I can even pull it on over my PFD if I want to.  Putting on a parka can really help you keep warm if it gets cold and windy during the day.