Kokatat is AWESOME!

I'll take pictures of the zipper when I get the suit back. The black, rubbery material around the front zipper is breaking down and doesn't keep water out of the suit.

That's really odd for that to break down.  Only thing that could break that down is excess UV or chemicals, perhaps dry rot.

I've owned the suit for almost three years. I'm aware of the two year warranty of tropos products. It didn't sound like they wanted to repair the suit.
I'll be upgrading to the new Hydrus 3L. It's just disappointing to not have the same experience that others have had.
I didn't notice the issues until I took a swim after my kayak on a recent trip to the lake. The suit took on a lot of water. I thought the water came in through the neck gasket but further inspection lead me to the faulty zipper.

That's really odd for that to break down.  Only thing that could break that down is excess UV or chemicals, perhaps dry rot.

definitely wasn't UV. It was always stored inside. I would either rinse the suit with fresh water and hang to dry,  or do as suggested by Kokatat and wash on a gentle cycle with a cap full of that recommended suit cleaner. If I didn't have that, I'd just wash without the cleaner.

Any chance you could rebuild that area with some rubber glue type product?  You'll enjoy the hydrus 3L a lot IMO, I'm not sure if your old suit had the new black plastic zipper, but that thing is 10 times easier to put on than the old metal zippers.

Any chance you could rebuild that area with some rubber glue type product?  You'll enjoy the hydrus 3L a lot IMO, I'm not sure if your old suit had the new black plastic zipper, but that thing is 10 times easier to put on than the old metal zippers.

I'm going to try and salvage the suit. It would be nice to use it as a back up or extra suit for someone else to use.
It has the plastic teeth that you're talking about. I thought about switching to the Gortex Whirlpool bibs but I didn't like the metal relief zipper.

Here are some pictures of the zipper. The zipper is "toast" according to the tag left on my suit. I saved a little cash when I first bought this suit because it was made of Kokatat's Tropos material. I knew it had a limited warranty but now I wish I would have spent a little more money on a newer suit. Three years later I'm left with no choice but to purchase a new drysuit because this one isn't worth fixing and is no longer under warranty.
I still stand behind their products and their customer service is top notch. I guess I won't have to worry this time around, my new suit is made of the Hydrus 3L material and has a lifetime warranty