I couldn’t wear it for three minutes let alone three hours, so I defaulted to their other suggestion, which is to use cans to stretch the gaskets in the neck and wrist for 12 hours. After some internet research, I discovered that Kokatat recommends you just put up with it for your first few paddles. When I first tried it on, the choking tightness of the latex neck was terrifying. You will be in and out of this in a jiffy. Believe me, it takes longer to put my NRS winter gloves on that it takes to get the Swift Entry suit on. When it takes just as long to gear up as you plan to spend on the water, putting gear on can be a bummer. The price point on the one I selected was $620 USD and is a Hydrus Swift Entry. Kokatat also has nice videos on how to maintain and repair your dry suit. Stohlquist does not offer a lifetime warranty and Kokatat does. I knew that for the freedom to move fully, to rotate through all of my paddling motions, less was going to be more. I finally rejected the idea of a drysuit with built in jacket, because I can always add layers. My fitness level remains high all year round. The great upshot of the dry suit investment is that the ocean sports do not come to a seasonal end. This means I submerge every time I go out, as a wipe out in surf is generally guaranteed. Not only has it held up with frequent winter use (December-April), I also took up SUP surf last winter. UPDATE: Winter of 2022 approaches, which will be winter three in the dry suit. But it is still sandy colored, so it would be impossible for a rescuer to pick you out of the waves or off the shore in bad conditions. And though I did not prefer blue, the body of the suit is light colored, which is a lot better than black. Ultimately I defaulted to a color that really is not a good idea in winter water gear - blue - because it was one of the only ones out there in my size and made by the brand I finally decided was my top choice, even beyond Stohlquist. As much as I looked and looked, I also was not able to find a high-visibility, preferably orange or partially orange suit in my size. Inventory is also scarce in this winter of 2020, and there seem to be a lot of newer brands out there I am not familiar with. Alas, there wasn’t one in my size available anywhere. After reading every seemingly real paddler’s review on storefront websites and watching the few videos out there, I really had my heart set on a Stohlquist with a built in jacket. I do not make the decision lightly, as paddling in cold water drastically increases risk in our sport.Įvery time I thought I was heading toward a bona fide review of winter paddling gear, I ended up on one of those websites that is really a shopping channel. This winter, as I stay at home due to the corona virus, I decided it was time to take the polar bear plunge and invest in gear good enough to carry me through a long, socially distant winter, in my local ocean. Each winter I have opted to spend money on travelling to the tropics instead, usually to downwind camp. I have been researching dry suits for the past two years.
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