Drysuit or wetsuit

[jw7]

When paddling in cold water do you use a wetsuit or drysuit, and why did you make that choice?

If you use a wet suit, would you have bought a drysuit if they were not so expensive?

[jw7]

I ended up buying a wet suite.

I did some scuba diving a while back and liked swimming in the wetsuit better. We had to do some long swims out to our diving spots many times and they are faster to swim in they have much less friction in the water than dry suits. I found my 8mm as warm as needed even when diving under Ice covered lakes in Bend, Oregon. I bought a 3mm for kayaking it only cost $125.

The wet suites can take much more rough handling, and don't have the possibility of failing if ripped, but the cost was the biggest factor for me.

[Mats Bengtsson]

When paddling in cold water do you use a wetsuit or drysuit, and why did you make that choice?

If you use a wet suit, would you have bought a drysuit if they were not so expensive?

I can turn that question around a little. I bought a dry suit although it is very expensive (I first bought a wet suit for 40$, used that a couple of months, and it was good enough for the temperatures I used it in at that time, unexpectedly good).

The price for the dry suit was so high that that was one of the major factors waying against it. In fact, if you have not had a dry suit before, the need to have something beneath it, like rash guards, add to the cost, since you nomally do not have that kind of clothes if this is your first dry suit.

But I thought I had a special need for extremely low water temperatures, passed what the wet suit is good for, and thus bought a dry suit rather than going for a thicker wet suit. Then, when having the dry suit, it turns out that it became the favorite choice for a very large range of the climate we have. Only case when dry suit is no longer comfortable is from 23 degrees without wind and up. At those temperatures, very little is comfortable, and it turns out that the rash guards I normally have under the dry suit is the most comfortable choice, at least if I am paddling long enough to risk seeing the weather change or the sun set.

There is so much to think about when comparing dry suit to wet suit that I summarized my thoughts on my gor-tex dry suit (http://www.mibnet.se/Kayak/ExperienceFromKokatatGoretexDrySuit.html) to make available more of the information that I looked for when trying to decide what route to take myself.

--- Mats ---

[jillklein]

I use a wet suit. I've only done big lake paddling and ocean paddling and I love my wet suit! It's actually got full length in the legs but short cut off sleeves. Makes for very comfortable movement when paddling. I then wear gloves and stay very warm bc my arms which are partially uncovered are always moving. My wetsuit was on sale at rei for like $50 and the fact that it was inexpensive really makes it that much better!
I'm a wetsuit fan and it's pretty cold in the ocean when kayaking already in April but. I love my wetsuit.

[Mats Bengtsson]

I use a wet suit. I've only done big lake paddling and ocean paddling and I love my wet suit! It's actually got full length in the legs but short cut off sleeves. Makes for very comfortable movement when paddling. I then wear gloves and stay very warm bc my arms which are partially uncovered are always moving. My wetsuit was on sale at rei for like $50 and the fact that it was inexpensive really makes it that much better!
I'm a wetsuit fan and it's pretty cold in the ocean when kayaking already in April but. I love my wetsuit.

Yes, a wet suite can keep you warm, even down to relatively low temperatures. Problem I see with the wet suite, which made me change to dry suit is two parts:
1. The wet suit is often too warm and moist. I have tried 0.5 mm neoprene, and that kind of clothing is not near the wicking materials in comfort.
2. When the water is cold, and you get into the water, which is what the protection is all about, the wet suit does not keep you as warm and comfortable as a dry suit.

So basically, it is cheap and it works within its zone, but: It keeps you too warm and moist compared to a dry suit, until you fall in, at which time it does not keep you as warm and dry as a dry suit.

If that is what you can afford, use it. If you can afford more, and want to be comfortable when it is cold, the dry suit is a lot more comfortable.

In warmer weather, for example a pair of dry pans without socks is a lot more comfortable to sit in than a dry suit, or thin neoprene pants.

--- Mats ---