Drysuit Question

My wife and I plan to get drysuits, but were wondering what you guys wear on bright, sunny days in the 70's?  I would sweat buckets in one of those things in that kind of weather.  Thanks!

Honestly, I still wear the drysuit, but make sure I have very breathable and light clothes on underneath. The outside temp might be warm, but that water temp can still kill you.

If your staying within a 1/4 from shore you might be okay without a drysuit, but I tend to go miles out and wouldn't recommend traveling out far without one

I dangle my legs in the water to keep cool and drinks lots of water. 

My go to attire for hot day/cold water is the Kokatat knappster goretex short sleeve semi dry top worn with kokatat tempest gortex dry pants.  Does a great job keeping me cool. 

If you need to stay cool, dangle your legs in the water, or just hop all the way in to cool off.  My dry suit is black and dark blue, and even wearing mid-weight fleece layers under it I haven't been cooked yet this year.  On memorial day weekend a kayaker was separated from his kayak and was in the water for four or five hours down at Anchor Point/WG.  Just because the sun's out, it doesn't mean we can be complacent about immersion safety if we're playing in the big water.

better to be hot than hypothermic

That water is COLD!  Even in the summer.  We recently had a kayaker that ended up in the water for hours.  The outcome may have been very different had he not had a drysuit.  But he did, so he lived to tell about it.  Carry an empty wide mouth bottle.  When you get hot, just pour the cold water on your drysuit.  It will cool you off in a hurry!

Dry suit definitely the safest, but if you want some flexibility for different bodies of water, you could get the goretex bibs that Kok sells and pair that with a dry top.  This is as effect as a dry suit per their web site, and also gives you the option to throw the short sleeve number on if you are at a small lake or something.  Lots of great immersion gear on the market these days.

thanks for all the good info! i may go with the two-piece deal rather than the full drysuit.  I think i stand a better chance of heat stroke than i do falling overboard.  We'll be in Miller's Landing this weekend if anyone's out.  Come say hi!  I'll be the guy in the Prowler Big Game.

Two piece is a good option if you have a boat you reasonably won't fall out of (Hobie Adventure Island or Tandem Island).  If you might go swimming on accident, a one-piece suit is the safe option. A boat can get away from you fast if the current and wind are going in opposite directions, and a quick dip can turn into a long swim if you don't have help near by.


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True, but you may be able to swim to your boat a little better in something less bulky than the full dry suit. 

Anyway, the bib/dry top when put on correctly is as good as a one piece.  There are some good videos/stories on the Kokatat web site.  If your body type requires a better fit between the top and bottom, this is also a good reason to consider this option.

Anyway, the bib/dry top when put on correctly is as good as a one piece.  There are some good videos/stories on the Kokatat web site.  If your body type requires a better fit between the top and bottom, this is also a good reason to consider this option.

I have used one-piece dry suits for whitewater kayaking, kayak fishing, and snorkeling and speargunning for many years, and I know that a one-piece drysuit with latex gaskets will keep me dry if I end up in the water.  For example, after five hours of snorkeling in a one-piece drysuit, I can drive home in the clothing I was wearing under the drysuit.

I have used dry pant/dry top gear on many long multi-day whitewater kayak trips, and for kayak fishing, and I know that a two-piece drysuit arrangement will keep me dry in the rain, it will keep me dry if I get splashed by waves, and it will keep my feet and legs dry when I turn sideways in a sit-on-top kayak and hang my feet in the water.  But I believe that a two-piece drysuit arrangement will not keep me dry if I end up in the water for more than a couple of seconds.  It's going to leak, my clothing is going to get wet, and it may take on enough water to make it difficult for me to climb back onto a sit-on-top kayak.

So I use two piece dry-suits when I want to stay comfortable in bad weather, cold water, wind, and waves, but I don't use two-piece drysuits if there is any significant chance that I could end up in the water.  If I think I might end up in cold water, I wear a one-piece drysuit.

thanks for all the good info! i may go with the two-piece deal rather than the full drysuit.  I think i stand a better chance of heat stroke than i do falling overboard.  We'll be in Miller's Landing this weekend if anyone's out.  Come say hi!  I'll be the guy in the Prowler Big Game.

Seward is a lot different than Cook Inlet.  A lot less current.  a lot more boat traffic...in a positive way.  I've been in the water for 30 minutes and I got out without getting hypothermia. I did have an issue with my soaked jacket weighing me down so I couldn't reboard.

if it's a nice day and you aren't alone. I think Seward can be done fairly safely without a drysuit.  NEVER would I recommend going solo without one though. Think it through from reboarding to the tine it takes to get to dry clothes (not just back to shore).

If I went without a drysuit, at minimum I would never wear cotton and I'd carry a dry bag with dry clothes so I didn't have to get all the way back to the vehicle but could change at the closest landing spot.

still makes me nervous to even say you don't need a drysuit but both pre kayak fishing and during, I've survived water entry.  It realky realky sucked and no guarantees  I'd survive the next time. 


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I don't get to hot in the kokatat hydrus suit. I wore mine on a float trip when it was raining a couple weeks back. The sun came out and i kept it on most of the time without getting warm. Great for whatever you want to do really.

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I am currently rocking the new NRS sidewinder bib and a kokatat paddling jacket but I'm also fishing out of an Adventure Island, usually in single outrigger mode.  If I were going to be sailing long distances in the salt on an expedition I would bust out a semi drysuit. If I were going out just with the hull alone I'd do a drysuit as well due to the width of the hull.


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My wife and I plan to get drysuits, but were wondering what you guys wear on bright, sunny days in the 70's?  I would sweat buckets in one of those things in that kind of weather.  Thanks!

You're just speculating and need to remember that you dress for the water, not the weather.

In practical terms, an adult in good physical condition can be incapacitated in less than 20 minutes in 50-degree water - shivering so hard that they lose muscle control and coordination.  If they are swimming, it drops to less than 15 minutes because their increased blood flow is more rapidly cooled.

If your 2-piece system allows water to enter - and they all will - you've lost the thermal barrier and the clock starts ticking.

If you're only going to be in a small lake or a river where you can reach shore quickly, go for it.  Otherwise, in the sea, it's not about your comfort it's about your survival.

http://www.coldwatersafety.org/WhatIsCold.html