kokatat Hydrus vs. Gortex

More ?'s how does the Hydrus breath and hold up compared to the goretex? Is the extre 500.00 worth it
What size for size 14 feet? Can I special order bigger footies?
Does any one wear raingear over your drysuit to keep it slime free if so does it chafe it?
What ?'s am I forgetting to ask?

I have Goretex and love it. I have basically lived in my suit for 5 days in a row with no discomfort. I too have large feet, size 14, and make due with stock socks but just barely.
Rain gear is not necessary over your suit. If you get slime on it just wash it off.

More ?'s how does the Hydrus breath and hold up compared to the goretex? Is the extre 500.00 worth it
What size for size 14 feet? Can I special order bigger footies?
Does any one wear raingear over your drysuit to keep it slime free if so does it chafe it?
What ?'s am I forgetting to ask?

I have both the Hydrus and the Goretex.  Normally I run to the hot side and sweat a bit, so goretex has always been good to me for outdoor wear.  This year I ran with the Hydrus, and honest, didn't notice a discernable difference in comfort.  The Hydrus feels like the material is heavier (or maybe that is just the stiffness of a newer suit compared to my older Goretex one).  Regardless, it didn't make it feel any worse.

If you do decide to get a Goretex one, you do have the option of having one custom made in Kokatat's custom project ... http://kokatat.com/products/custom.html

What are you forgetting to ask?  Opinions on latex gasket neck vs. neoprene neck!  It's an age old argument pitting the better "seal" of latex vs. the better comfort of neoprene.

-Allen

I have a Hydrus suit and a Goretex one from another manufacture. I prefer Hydrus 3L over Gortex hands down. The hydrus 3L in my opinion breaths better and is much lighter than Goretex. The lifetime warranty is a testament of Kokatat's faith in this material as well.  As for wear, only time will tell.

Wobbler

Ok I dive and know latex holds  a seal I didn't even think about neoprene. Any input I figure it's gonna be a quick dunk in and out so does the neoprene make a significant difference in comfort also when in water your pfd should keep your neck out of the drink. Any thoughts?

There is a lengthy discussion of the latex seal versus neoprene seal issue in http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=12341.0 .

O one more is the wrist gaskets better suited as latex or is neoprene a good application there as well?

O one more is the wrist gaskets better suited as latex or is neoprene a good application there as well?

Not sure you can even get wrist gaskets in neoprene.  Mine are latex, and I think that is worthwhile as your hands will be going into the water frequently to yard out fish, wash slime off, grab the rod before it sinks, etc.  The better seal of latex in that case would be prefereable to the better comfort of neoprene, at least to my mind.  That's also partly because the wrist is also less critical of a comfort location when it comes to the type of seal.  Just make sure the latex isn't so tight that it cuts off blood flow.

I haven't seen neoprene wrist gaskets, they're all latex and most have a neoprene cuff over that to protect the latex and keep your sleeves out of the way

I use these waders with a Kokatat Dry Top.  It's not as easy to pee as a dry suit but I can still get it done on the water.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Footwear/Mens-Footwear/Mens-Waders/Mens-Fishing-Waders%7C/pc/104797980/c/104747580/sc/104674680/i/103926780/Cabelas-Premium-Dry-Plus-Breathable-Zipper-Stockingfoot-Waders-Regular/1327102.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fmens-fishing-waders%2F_%2FN-1101197%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_103926780%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BBRprd1243761%253Bcat104674680&WTz_l=SBC%3BBRprd1243761%3Bcat104674680%3Bcat103926780

With latex gaskets, don't forget to keep them lubricated. IIRC, Kokatat reccomends using 303 protectant every 4-6 weeks to prevent them from drying out and cracking. I didn't do this with my first dry suit and the latex wrist gaskets dried out and needed replacement.   

Thanks Pmmpete I did a search on dry suits didn't see that one. I only post when most the info is a couple years old as we all know newer bigger better is always happening

Quote from a Kokatat rep, Hydrus 3L has 80% of the breathability of Gore-Tex at 60% of the cost.

I am a fan of Goretex.  In the past 11 years, I have been issued a number of different brands of rain gear.  The very first (2003) was a Blauer jacket utilizing Goretex along with the matching Goretex pants. The gear still breaths the best and is the only set that keeps me dry.  I have stood out in the mountains of southern Oregon for 8 days (about 10-12 hrs per day) of constant rain, and was never wet once.  This was seven years after I originally was provided that gear.  I have been issued other jackets with various propriety brands of waterproof and breathable fabrics.  Neither has been anywhere near as waterproof or breathable as the older Goretex gear.  They wanted me to turn in my old Blauer Goretex gear a few years ago.  I refused and am the only one happy and dry that I work with.  I also love my Kokatat Goretex suit.

That being said, I have never tried the Hydrus garments made by Kokatat.  If I were buying a new dry suit today, for $500 less, I would probably go with the Hydrus if other people I personally know were to recommend it (and reading this thread, I see people I know have recommended it).  The Goretex suit is awesome, but when I look at how little of the total time of my life I spend in it, I would now save the money. If Langcod is correct, 20 % more sweat won't be noticed.  Especially if I am in a car with any of Ndoggs gear.  At the time I bought my Goretex suit, I did not like the other fabrics nor did I trust their breath-ability claims.   

One thing I am absolutely certain about, Kokatat's gear is awesome and so is their customer service.

I've been in both, Gortex for 10 years (pre-sponsorship days) and Hydrus since last fall. I've paddled hard in both for extended periods. I agree with the 80%, Gortex does breath better by a slight margin. But 99% of the time that I'm fishing in cool weather I'm not breaking a sweat. I would go with the Hydrus for regular fishing every day of the week for the cost savings and save the Gortex for an extended trip or winter workout gear.