Drysuits

[mzamp]

What is everyone's opinion on getting a drysuit with feet or no feet?

Also - relief zipper or don't bother?

and along the lines of the relief zipper - anyone familiar with the drop seat for women?

Thanks for any suggestions/advice.

-Zamp

[dweaver2130]

I just got a pair of used for my wife and myself. They both are foot-less and without a relief zipper or drop seat. Haven't taken them out yet, but we are both going to freeze-fest. I will let you know what we think.

[Iceaxe]

Don't get feet as that is a place you will get holes.

I don't have a relief zipper in my dry suit. Its not a big deal, I just unzip the suit and slip it down one shoulder.... easy...

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[mzamp]

The guy I know at the local shop who teaches their canyoneering class and guides likes the feet since it keeps them warm. He uses the rental drysuits in the shop all of which have the feet. But yes, getting holes at the feet is a concern.

Any other opinions or first hand experience with the footed ones?

[Iceaxe]

FWIW- I have never met a serious CP canyoneer that has feet in their dry suit, and I have pretty much done canyons with all of them.... that should tell you something.

Relief zippers are split about 50/50.

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[mzamp]

Thanks IceAxe...Maybe I will have Kokatat make me a custom one with both the gasket and feet. That way once they get holes I will just cut them off.

[moab mark]

I do not have a dry suit but my fishing waders sure work well and I get a lot of pebbles in the shoes when fishing. I Have never got a hole in them, if I bought one I would get feet. I would think you would get a hole in the suit long before the feet. I would definitely look into a pair of coveralls like zacs give you when they rent their suits.
There kind of heavy and a pain but there tough.
Mark

[Iceaxe]

When its really cold icy water its not my feet that become an issue.... its my hands....


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[Brian in SLC]

Feet are an issue, but, you can compensate.

ARS, who you've canyoned with Ice, has a dry suit with feet attached but its a cold water diving suit (which he's used for canyoning very rarely, I seem to dimly recall).

I thought about the foot thing when I bought mine. Easy enough to punch a hole if you get a piece of gravel in a shoe. Shave your leg, warm hiking sock covered by a waterproof sock, tape it to your leg, pull the gasket on the dry suit down over your sock, add a neoprene sock over that to protect the waterproof sock, voila. Even if your feet don't stay totally dry (I use an antiperspirant on my feet, prescription strength, to keep them from sweating), they should stay warm enough.

Yeah, hands get c-c-c-cold.

No pee zip for me either. Easy enough to pull the suit down.

[2065toyota]

http://www.kokatat.com/products/dry-...-suit-men.html

Does anybody have any experience or know if these suits are any good? I was looking at buying a used one of these. Thanks in advance

[Brian in SLC]

Mines a Kokatat but with goretex. Very good suit. I like that when I forgot to zip it up, and, on the first pothole I swam water got in, that it was dry in a couple of hours.

Highly recommend protecting the gaskets from ozone with that aerospace stuff.

Also, if you get one and need to adjust the neck, recommend a coffee can or similar and let it stretch on that for a few days rather than cutting it.

[Iceaxe]

ARS, who you've canyoned with Ice, has a dry suit with feet attached but its a cold water diving suit (which he's used for canyoning very rarely, I seem to dimly recall).

Yeah, I remember that trip. That suit of his weighted a ton as it also had some type of fleece lining. His suit did look nice and warm, but no one would buy a suit like the one he used as a canyoneering dry suit.

Bill Bees used to use a fleece sock, covered with a gortex sock, covered with a neoprene sock. The gortex sock tucked inside the leg gasket and the neoprene sock went over.

I never tried that setup but he swore by it when things were really cold.

[Iceaxe]

http://www.kokatat.com/products/dry-...-suit-men.html

Does anybody have any experience or know if these suits are any good? I was looking at buying a used one of these. Thanks in advance

That is the dry suit I have and it works just great. Goretex is better but twice the cost. I really only use my dry suit once or twice a year. Sweating is not a big problem I just crack the zipper if I have a long walk between sections of water and the suit breathes good enough.

FYI: I keep my wetsuit inside a rubber drybag with the air removed to combat the OZ on rubber gasket problem. The suit is over 10 years old and the gaskets still look new.

[mzamp]

Does anyone have experience with using the footed dry suits or is it just assumed that the feet will get holes? If the rental drysuit feet are holding up (and rentals get beat to he$$) I would guess my personal one would hold up just fine. Especially if I am not a wimp and switch back to my wetsuit as soon as it is warranted.

[ratagonia]

In a wetsuit, yesterday's Black Hole, I went with light wool sock, then Sealskinz waterproof sock, then 5mm Argos Sock (in Canyoneers with the footbed removed - still a bit tight). Worked like a charm. Feet weren't warm, but they were definitely not cold ever, all day.

A tight wetsuit at the cuff held the Sealskinz seal well against my skin.

Canyoneering can involve hiking long distances in the suit. Ankle seals have always worked well for me. Shaving helps. I put the Sealskinz over the gasket when we did Imlay in February - worked well. Under the gasket seems like it would not be 100% smooth, would provide wrinkles for water to find its way inside.

YMMV.

High maintenance. I think dry suits are great, when someone else is doing the maintenance.

Tom

[ratagonia]

Does anyone have experience with using the footed dry suits or is it just assumed that the feet will get holes? If the rental drysuit feet are holding up (and rentals get beat to he$$) I would guess my personal one would hold up just fine. Especially if I am not a wimp and switch back to my wetsuit as soon as it is warranted.

Rental drysuit w feet - for what? Kayaking is not canyoneering. Rafting is not canyoneering. Diving is not canyoneering.

Tom

[mzamp]

Rental drysuit w feet - for what? Kayaking is not canyoneering. Rafting is not canyoneering. Diving is not canyoneering.

Tom

I wouldn't have posted on here if I was wanting a drysuit for kayaking. I may not have your wealth of experience, but I am experience. I'm sorry, but sometimes you guys can come accross a bit condescending.

Yes, they are renting out the drysuits (with the feet) to canyoneers. I am going to stop into the store today and talk to the guy that does the repairs on them and get more details.

It doesn't sound like anybody has tried the footed ones or maybe they have but are too intimidated to post.

[Iceaxe]

I may not have your wealth of experience, but I am experience. I'm sorry, but sometimes you guys can come accross a bit condescending.

Sometimes we can be condescending... but in this case you asked a question involving our wealth of experience. We have tried to tell you in a nice way, based on our wealth of experience, that we believe only a dumbass would buy feet in a dry suit used for canyoneering.

You have not been happy with the answers we have given you and want someone with experience to tell you feet are a good idea... good luck with that.... I'm sure if you look hard enough you will find someone to endorse feet in a canyon dry suit. I hope it works out for you.

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[mzamp]

I don't think my friend who owns the store or his guide are dumbasses and value their wealth of experience as well as yours and Tom's. I originally talked to them before Christmas and they had me sold on the footed ones. But the anal person I am, I decided to get the opionion of this forum. Sorry if I kept probing for more details or the hopes others would chime in.

[Iceaxe]

Just curious... who is the guide service? Where do they guide?

To the best of my knowledge all the Zion guides do not have feet in there suits, which should be anther red flag for you.

As I said... you are not going to be happy until we say feet are a good idea. I think they are a bad idea for a number of reasons... but what do I know...

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