Wetsuits

johnniet

johnniet

Gold Member
Joined
Jul 12, 1999
Messages
4,660
I'm looking at different wetsuits to get. I paddle in the San Francisco bay area and may be in river or ocean (was around 52 deg. the other day; probably colder in winter).
Full or Farmer Johns?
What should I be looking for in the seam?
Any other little tidbits that a newbie might miss?
 
I just bought a new wet suit this last year for abalone diving in the Pacific North coast area (very cold). I would definitely get a 7mm suit farmer john with a step in jacket. Although I have not seen any 7mm suits that are one piece. I elected not to get the Titanium suit, as I could not warrant the price difference. The suit that I have is plenty warm but the Titanium does make it easier to get on and off.
 
Hi johnniet,
I hungup my wetsuit years ago for paddling, I use a Kokatat Drysuit now. Back in the days of rubber I preferred a 3mm farmer john with a synthetic fleece sweater and paddling jacket for river paddling. Found this setup to be less binding and restrictive than a thicker, full suit. Course the 3mm setup is more appropriate for limited time in the water. Keep the open end up!
SYOTR-Clyde
 
Agree with the above. A dry suit is a much better option, in fact the two do not compare for kayaking! I am on my second http://Stohlquist.com dry suit. This one is in GoreTex with integral neoprene booties and relief zipper. With a suitable liner which you can tailor to water conditions, the modern drysuit is close to a survival suit with good mobility. -Dick
 
I both scuba dive and whitewater kayak and the wet suites for each sport are not suitable for both. Dive suites don't allow for arm movement or result in chafing and abrasion under the arms while paddling. Go for the dry suite or dry top approach for paddling. I like Stolquist also, but I use a dry top instead of a complete dry suite http://Stohlquist.com/jacketfrm.html.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. It's always good to know I can come here for real experience with this kind of thing.
For now I am renting kayaks and wetsuits together, and I think I will continue doing so until I save up enough for a drysuit or drytop.
 
A polartech suit is an awesome accessory. You can use it by itself in wram water in place of an 1/8" suit or wear it under part or all of your 1/4" (makes it easier to get on too). Also it adds no extra buoyancy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top