dry suit or wet suit?

Just remember a wetsuit is just that..... Wet!! and if the air temps drop below 60 you will be far from warm even when paddling/peddling. IMHO

thank you

Wetsuit only if you absolutely ran out of money and no way to get a dry suit. Wetsuit you have to put on nude body and you should get your body wet before putting it on or it will not work. Also wetsuit became hell uncomfortable after couple hours of paddling. If you will wear it regularly for a long trips like 5-6 hrs a day you can get your skin very sick. I have both wet and dry - it is difference like between hell and paradise. IMHO!

ok

+1 on the drysuit.  I waited too long to get my Kokatat.  If you know kayak fishing is your passion, it makes sense to get one.  Not just for the immersion insurance, but also you can fish on the nastiest of days and stay dry and cozy.  They have come down in price substantially.  Was $600 out the door.  A buddy of mine just picked one up at Goodwill today too.  So keep an eye out.

ok

I am not sure if waders is a good idea - if you drop yourself in waders to water you will sink fast almost without chances to survive, imho.

That's just a myth: water in the waders weighs the same as the water outside the waders.  Been in water too deep for my waders more than once and they don't drag you down.  They can, however, make it a lot more difficult to swim. 

No! You don't need to get wet to put on a wetsuit.

I guess it depends on type of wetsuit. I have 5 mm wetsuit for scuba diving - if you wear correct size - there is should be no air between neoprene and your skin then no way to put it on dry skin.

Eugene, come on.  It's a struggle to put on a wet wetsuit - heck, it's hard to get out of a wet wetsuit.  And no, you don't have to put a wetsuit on over your naked body anymore, you put it on over a lycra body suit.

I used a farmer john wetsuit with a .5mm NRS neoprene jacket for a year.  It was comfortable enough in 90% of the conditions I was in.  The problem I had was evaporative cooling: wet neoprene in a stiff breeze stops being warm very quickly and takes a long time to dry.  Adding nylon kayaking pants and jacket reduced that cooling effect significantly, but by the time I was feeling warm and snug, I'd invested as much as a "like new" drysuit would have cost.

I prefer my drysuit for it's adaptability more than anything else.  Wearing layers lets me tailor it to the day's conditions.

No! You don't need to get wet to put on a wetsuit.

I guess it depends on type of wetsuit. I have 5 mm wetsuit for scuba diving - if you wear correct size - there is should be no air between neoprene and your skin then no way to put it on dry skin.

Use talcom powder on the skin or sprinkle inside the wetsuit.   The suit will glide on easily.

There is a reason that I have never heard of someone going from a dry suit to a wet suit and plenty of people go from wet suits to dry suits.
If you want to wear a wet suit because you feel a dry suit is too expensive ... fine. But don't go kidding yourself and trying to talk others into why a wet suit is better for kayaking than a dry suit.

Wet suits are designed and made to keep you warm WHILE IN THE WATER. They are not intended to keep you warm while out of the water.

There is a reason that I have never heard of someone going from a dry suit to a wet suit and plenty of people go from wet suits to dry suits.
If you want to wear a wet suit because you feel a dry suit is too expensive ... fine. But don't go kidding yourself and trying to talk others into why a wet suit is better for kayaking than a dry suit.

Wet suits are designed and made to keep you warm WHILE IN THE WATER. They are not intended to keep you warm while out of the water.

I'm going to go in shorts so i can save money for a dry suit.

There is a reason that I have never heard of someone going from a dry suit to a wet suit and plenty of people go from wet suits to dry suits.
If you want to wear a wet suit because you feel a dry suit is too expensive ... fine. But don't go kidding yourself and trying to talk others into why a wet suit is better for kayaking than a dry suit.

Wet suits are designed and made to keep you warm WHILE IN THE WATER. They are not intended to keep you warm while out of the water.

I'm going to go in shorts so i can save money for a dry suit.

Nice way to describe this.  If you know you'll be wet and can deal with the 30-60 seconds of cold shock then a wet suit is fine.  When dry, most wet suits are ineffective -- to be warm, you need to get wet.   And wet suits must be tight on your skin to stay warm in the water  while layering isn't really an option.

Kayaks aren't jet skis (runabouts) going 70mph and threatening to dump you in 45 degree water at every turn.  Staying warm on a kayak in both air and water is simpler in a dry suit.

That doesn't mean a wet suit won't work, you just need a different plan.

There is a reason that I have never heard of someone going from a dry suit to a wet suit and plenty of people go from wet suits to dry suits.
If you want to wear a wet suit because you feel a dry suit is too expensive ... fine. But don't go kidding yourself and trying to talk others into why a wet suit is better for kayaking than a dry suit.

Wet suits are designed and made to keep you warm WHILE IN THE WATER. They are not intended to keep you warm while out of the water.

I'm going to go in shorts so i can save money for a dry suit.

Nice way to describe this.  If you know you'll be wet and can deal with the 30-60 seconds of cold shock then a wet suit is fine.  When dry, most wet suits are ineffective -- to be warm, you need to get wet.   And wet suits must be tight on your skin to stay warm in the water  while layering isn't really an option.

Kayaks aren't jet skis (runabouts) going 70mph and threatening to dump you in 45 degree water at every turn.  Staying warm on a kayak in both air and water is simpler in a dry suit.

That doesn't mean a wet suit won't work, you just need a different plan.

If the above is true, please tell me how much water I need to let into my breathable waders with the neoprene socks before they work.

There is a reason that I have never heard of someone going from a dry suit to a wet suit and plenty of people go from wet suits to dry suits.
If you want to wear a wet suit because you feel a dry suit is too expensive ... fine. But don't go kidding yourself and trying to talk others into why a wet suit is better for kayaking than a dry suit.

Wet suits are designed and made to keep you warm WHILE IN THE WATER. They are not intended to keep you warm while out of the water.

I'm going to go in shorts so i can save money for a dry suit.

Nice way to describe this.  If you know you'll be wet and can deal with the 30-60 seconds of cold shock then a wet suit is fine.  When dry, most wet suits are ineffective -- to be warm, you need to get wet.   And wet suits must be tight on your skin to stay warm in the water  while layering isn't really an option.

Kayaks aren't jet skis (runabouts) going 70mph and threatening to dump you in 45 degree water at every turn.  Staying warm on a kayak in both air and water is simpler in a dry suit.

That doesn't mean a wet suit won't work, you just need a different plan.

If the above is true, please tell me how much water I need to let into my breathable waders with the neoprene socks before they work.

I think you have a Q-tip stuck in your ear....

I said wet suits are designed to keep you warm while in the water. When you are wading in your breathable waders you are IN THE WATER. There is a reason that people don't use neoprene socks while hiking.... because they aren't IN THE WATER.
Additionally, most people I know don't rely solely on the neoprene of their stocking foot waders to keep them warm. They are worn with socks underneath and boots over the top.

Please tell me that your next well thought out counterpoint is that you once saw a horse standing in a river and the horse wasn't cold so now you are going to wear a horse suit while kayaking ......

Dry suits are a better option for cold water kayaking than wet suits .... period.

Took Bill's advice - still cold. Am I doing it wrong?

Wow, fishing must really suck right now if y'all are willing to invest so much into this arguement. 

Well, let me tell you, you're all right and you're all wrong (except for the guy who suggested that water is heavier when it's in waders than when it's outside waders and the guy who suggested that drysuits are prone to massive failure.  They're just wrong).

I've spent decades in wetsuits (a couple of years of that on a kayak) and half a decade in a drysuit.

Either one will work for kayak fishing.  Both will help you protect your core from losing body heat too quickly if you fall in.

Wetsuits don't need to be wet to be warm. It's a thick layer of foam over your body. When used underwater, trapped water is warmed by your constant motion .  If you stop moving, you loose heat faster than you can create it. 
Above the surface; after you have a layer of water or sweat in them, you will need to keep moving to offset heat loss with new body heat.  Windy conditions can tip this equation to the point of shivering while paddling.  To combat this heat transfer, wear a paddle top or windbreaker. 
The peak temps in a wetsuit tend to be much higher than in a drysuit.  This will make even small drops in temperature feel profound and make you shiver.     

Drysuits keep you dry.  They offer no thermal insulation and, like wetsuits, will allow any contained water to cool rapidly if you're not adding supplemental heat.  ie If your sweat doesn't leave the suit, it will efficiently transfer your heat to the air, making you cold.
What makes a drysuit a better option is that the sweat you create is allowed to evaporate, thus lowering the heat transfrer efficiency.  Wearing wicking underlayers moves the moisture away from your body, further slowing the transfer of heat to the outside air.

Both are solid choices though you'll tend to get colder quicker in a wetsuit.

Now go fishing! 

-Mark-

Wow, fishing must really suck right now if y'all are willing to invest so much into this arguement. 

Well, let me tell you, you're all right and you're all wrong (except for the guy who suggested that water is heavier when it's in waders than when it's outside waders and the guy who suggested that drysuits are prone to massive failure.  They're just wrong).

I've spent decades in wetsuits (a couple of years of that on a kayak) and half a decade in a drysuit.

Either one will work for kayak fishing.  Both will help you protect your core from losing body heat too quickly if you fall in.

Wetsuits don't need to be wet to be warm. It's a thick layer of foam over your body. When used underwater, trapped water is warmed by your constant motion .  If you stop moving, you loose heat faster than you can create it. 
Above the surface; after you have a layer of water or sweat in them, you will need to keep moving to offset heat loss with new body heat.  Windy conditions can tip this equation to the point of shivering while paddling.  To combat this heat transfer, wear a paddle top or windbreaker. 
The peak temps in a wetsuit tend to be much higher than in a drysuit.  This will make even small drops in temperature feel profound and make you shiver.     

Drysuits keep you dry.  They offer no thermal insulation and, like wetsuits, will allow any contained water to cool rapidly if you're not adding supplemental heat.  ie If your sweat doesn't leave the suit, it will efficiently transfer your heat to the air, making you cold.
What makes a drysuit a better option is that the sweat you create is allowed to evaporate, thus lowering the heat transfrer efficiency.  Wearing wicking underlayers moves the moisture away from your body, further slowing the transfer of heat to the outside air.

Both are solid choices though you'll tend to get colder quicker in a wetsuit.

Now go fishing! 

-Mark-

What's your opinion on the horse suit?

Neoprene is very warm when it's dry - it's a layer of foam insulation.  When it's wet and you're not in the water and the wind blows against it, the moisture begins to evaporate and it gets mighty chilly mighty fast.  You're not necessarily cold in neoprene if you're in the water for a short time, but you'll never be as warm in the water in a wetsuit as you are wearing a drysuit.

I switched because I paddle and drips from the paddle got my wetsuit wet, and then it was chilly and uncomfortable and just yucky.

bubbafisher, lots of folks here started out in neoprene of some kind and survived quite well before moving to a dry/semi-dry suit.  Lots of folks here still use wetsuits/neoprene combinations and are quite satisfied with their choice(s).

The process I went through was "Wetsuits are (relatively) inexpensive" to "Hmm, there's a problem here, I need to add a layer on top" to "Bummer, my toes are still cold, I should have bought the drysuit to begin with..."

I'm a wuss.  I didn't switch for safety reasons, I switched for my personal comfort.

Figure out what feels good to you and what feels safe to you and you'll be okay in an emergency.  Unless, like me, you're a bit of a wuss when you're chilly...

(Horse hair is used for furniture padding, not as insulation - but I'd be willing to try it if it kept my tush comfortable and my toes warm).