Immersion Gear Opinions

I've read a bunch about all of the immersion gear options for ocean fishing and tried some on in person.  The two I am considering are linked at the bottom.  For those that have used one on the ocean, is a wetsuit actually sufficient?  I've used shorties at Hagg Lake in the late/early season for waterskiing and long suits scuba diving in warm places, never used one paddling...  If it does work, it will get me out on the water sooner and make a good backup later on should I chose to switch.  It seems like full drysuit is the final destination for most folks.  With that logic, would I be better off going straight to the dry suit and putting the wetsuit money toward that?

-$165, Full Length 4/3 wetsuit (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CAHMFSG/) There is a 5/4 version, also.
-$660, Kokatat Supernova Angler Hydrus (https://kokatat.com/product/hydrus-3l-supernova-angler-paddling-suit-dsuhsa)

Paddling in a full wetsuit is pretty uncomfortable on a warm day; peddling a little less so.   On a colder day with some rain you'll get cold pretty fast without a rain jacket of some sort.  That said, it is appropriate immersion gear for the ocean just not optimal.

Get the dry suit!!

Get the Kokatat dry suit.  You'll wonder how you ever fished without it! If you go in, it will also help you float.  It's another layer that keeps you dry in the rain.  Kokatat has done a great job at reinforcing key areas that take abrasion for fisherman.  Get a good pair of neoprene booties too.  (there's a similar thread going on right now on the board)

Wetsuits suck. They are uncomfortable and clammy, and you'll have to pee into the suit when you're out on the water.  Get a drysuit.  It will keep you comfortable in a wide range of weather conditions.

X2...or is that x3 on the dry suit. I use an actual dry suit at work and own a Kokatat supernova Hydros for kayaking, the neoprene neck on the paddlers suit is soooo much more comfortable and keeps you plenty dry if you should get wet. I was practicing getting into my kayak the other day and got zero water down the neck. The Hydros has been very good for me as well, comfortable, no sweating.

Spend the money up front for the Drysuit.  You won't regret it.  Also, don't forget to grab the discount codes for some of the stores around here from the classifieds section.  👍

Folks come down hard on wetsuits, but they do work quite well and they add quite a bit of buoyancy (a dry suit shouldn't add much buoyancy if you've burped-out the air as recommended).  A wetsuit can (will) feel uncomfortably restrictive if you paddle.  Only a few have relief zippers, but you can have one added (for a price).  They have a single insulation factor and it's rarely "just right".

Most of us who started with a wetsuit moved to a dry suit for their far superior comfort, but if your budget only stretches so far, a wetsuit will do the job until you get tired of the downsides.

Thanks, everyone.  Sounds like the dry suit up front is the way to go.

Couldn't agree more with that statement.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks, everyone.  Sounds like the dry suit up front is the way to go.

     

and after you get one, do some immersion/self recovery practice in a nice cold lake, you will love it...

Folks come down hard on wetsuits, but they do work quite well and they add quite a bit of buoyancy (a dry suit shouldn't add much buoyancy if you've burped-out the air as recommended).

If you only wear a thin layer of polypro under your dry suit and you burp the air out of it thoroughly, the dry suit won't provide you with much flotation.  But if you are wearing several layers of insulating pile and/or sweaters under your dry suit, they will add a lot of flotation, even if you burp out the dry suit to the point where you feel like you've been vacuum packed.  You'll float like a cork.  When I snorkel and spear fish for pike in a dry suit in cold water, I have to wear 13-16 pounds of weight on my body and about 3.5 pounds on each ankle so my legs will be neutrally buoyant and my fins won't splash on the surface and scare the pike.  Even when wearing this much weight, I still can't dive underwater, as the dry suit provides too much flotation.

For what it's worth, I eventually ended up going with this one.  I love it.  I don't even find the neck gasket uncomfortable and I love knowing that I'm 100% dry so I can not worry about myself in the event of a buddy rescue.

http://www.outdoorplay.com/Level-Six-Emperor-Drysuit

Keep the zippers zipped!