Tried on Kokatat Tropos Helix today....

Wow!  That's a new feeling to say the least. 
Those latex gaskets are like a choke hold on the neck. 

The jacket itself was light and unrestricted, and my new aSEA PFD fit over it comfortably as well.  Think this jacket and my chest waders should be aight for most adventures, especially in lakes?   

I still plan to look into farmer johns to replace the waders for the ocean going days.
  I'm really going to have to play in a bay with the waders and top before I sell myself on their ocean temperature security.

http://www.outdoorplay.com/store/Product.asp?DID=90&PDID=9&SKU=PDT_KTHML

Think this jacket and my chest waders should be aight for most adventures, especially in lakes? 

Worn right you shouldn't need anything else.  I believe Z uses a similar setup even in the ocean.  I still don't have a real dry top so I'm still in my wetsuit for the ocean.

Yep. I use the wader / drytop combo for most water conditions when it's cold or on the big blue. You'll need some good waterproof waders and a drytop that has a good seal at the waist. When done right you can be in the water, even smacked around by a few waves w/ almost no leakage.

Now the super tight neck seal can be taken care of. You can throw a coffee can in the neck overnight and it should stretch it out a bit. Thanks for the tip Alkasazi. Or you can use some tubing and make a collar like PolePole uses. Either way making a drytop comfy is pretty easy. And when you get it all dialed in... mega comfy!

Z

Yep. I use the wader / drytop combo for most water conditions when it's cold or on the big blue. You'll need some good waterproof waders and a drytop that has a good seal at the waist. When done right you can be in the water, even smacked around by a few waves w/ almost no leakage.

Now the super tight neck seal can be taken care of. You can throw a coffee can in the neck overnight and it should stretch it out a bit. Thanks for the tip Alkasazi. Or you can use some tubing and make a collar like PolePole uses. Either way making a drytop comfy is pretty easy. And when you get it all dialed in... mega comfy!

Z

'Splain the collar using tubing.  This sounds interesting. 

The Helix is actually the cheapest model Outdoorplay has, and just happened to be the one I tried on.  I kinda threw a price out there, but really didn't have my figures going as to what that meant in regards to a dry top. 

The waist has the lower flap for a sit-in style spray skirt to tuck up inside, and I figured a good wide belt applied over it and the waders would be a solid water lock.  Then the outer section has velcro sides that can be pulled down tight to snug up the waist even more.  I really couldn't say if it is any worse/equal/better than other tops, as I did not even look at them.  I mostly was trying it on with the aSEA PFD to make sure I got that sized right with room for a shirt and the top.

First, you can cut the neck gasket back to fit.  I cut 2 rings (or was it 3) off of the Koks and I have 16.5-17 inch neck.  You'll see the ring imprints on the gasket.

Still, sometimes its nice to breath a little more and cool off.  The Kayak Academy had a neat ring they sold me when I bought a drysuit.  It looks like 1" braid reinforced hose.  There is a plastic dowel that fits in one end and you can loop it around your neck and close the loop on the dowel.  The loop should be spaced away from your neck, still close but comfortable enough.  The gasket should be pulled over the ring about 1/2 to 3/4 way up.  In an emergency, it takes a slight tug to pull it off the ring and onto your neck.  I use the ring mainly to cool off a bit, otherwise I usually don't mind the gasket.

-Allen

Thanks Polepole.   

Can you (or others) tell me what the fit or seal qualities of a dry top that has Glideskin Ti-coat latex-free inner neck seal instead of the latex neck seal?   Just curious how this works?

At Next Adventure, I picked up a relatively breathable Extrasport splash top, on sale, to work with my chest waders. I've used this set up exclusively with no leakage when testing out deep water reentry. There was a huge clearance sale last week at NA and they had lots of these tops (orange) still available.

Jay

This is a type of neoprene gasket, instead of the latex gasket on your Helix. As far as what's better, a lot of it is personal preference, conditions you'll be paddling in, etc. Neoprene gaskets are a bit easier to get on & off, and more typically comfortable to wear, but you do trade a bit of dryness. The neoprene is a bit more durable than latex, but does stretch more over time, letting in even a bit more water. The size of your neck also affects how dry a neo gasket is, more so than latex. For most paddling, I think the comfort of the neoprene is worth the trade-off. The dunkings I've taken usually didn't let in more than a trickle or two. For more exposed conditions, the extra security of full dryness is nice, and plenty prefer always having that assurance.

You'll get a bit more used to the latex over time. It will stretch a bit after the first couple wearing. You can also trim or stretch as mentioned above. go slow so you don't overstretch or cut.

Brian