16 replies to this topic

[samc99us]

Yeap, its time for another one of these threads. My last suit finally bit the dust (delamination) after 6 years and the manufacturer doesn't offer a lifetime warranty.

Fortunately the original dealer is fantastic and is offering me a steep discount on a new Stohlquist drysuit: http://www.stohlquis...d=108&Itemid=97

This is the only review I've managed to find (very positive I might add): http://hudsonriverpa...-stohlquist-ez/

Does anyone have experience using this suit on a beach cat?

My concern is its not a Gore Tex fabric. The price however makes it very tempting. Ignoring cost, would I be better served by buying a Kokatat suit like the rest of my sailing buddies use? Would you trust the Stohlquist suit 15+ miles offshore in remote waters at night on a 18' boat?

[the-river-connection.com]

Hi Sam

Thanks for plugging my review. The hardware on the Stohlquist is the same as on the Kokatat Light Weight GTX Paddling Suit.

You know what your environment is going to present to you so only you can make the best judgement as to the two brands.

There are some specials that might help in the decision process. Details are on the blog where you found my review.

Drop me a line if you want more info on either brand. I live gear daily and can go on, and sometimes on & on.

See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.hudsonriverpaddler.org
www.the-river-connection.com

[glowmaster]

Hi Sam

I have a Stohlquist drysuit I use for my tri and standup paddling. I have had it for 3 years and would trust it.

I have mixed feelings on the neoprene collar. It has to fit exactly unlike the rubber ones. The first year I had it the collar was too small and very uncomfortable. I called Stohlquist 18 months later and they replaced the collar with a bigger size, free of charge. Much nicer now.

No hesitation recommending it. Make sure the neck, sleeves, and feet fit.

ed

[pin head]

I'm fond of my Gore-tex Kokatat Drysuit. The "relief" zipper and Gore-tex booties are a must.

the laytex neck and wrist seals need replacement. Guessing they'll eventually be replaced by neoprene.

[krash]

+1000 on the Kokatat Goretex with relief zipper and booties.

[the-river-connection.com]

As to the seals on the Stohlquist EZ Drysuit they are much more civilized (stretchy out of the box, which a fair number of users find less constrictive than the traditional latex neck gasket) than the wrist seals on it's predecessor, the Body Pod. The neck gasket is more pliable to boot. On my 15" circumference neck the Large EZ neck gasket stays dry for the occasional plunge off one of my SUP Boards if I'm goofing around on it or for rolling either a sea kayak or whitewater kayak.

I do have a Kokatat Expedition Drysuit and have played in larger surf and CL III-IV whitewater play boating with it and in these higher forced immersion instances the latex neck gaskets are drier. Another note is the zipper difference between the Stohlquist suit and the Kokatat (Expedition or Meridian models) The T-Zip (Stohlquist) is an easier zipper to manipulate than the brass toothed Opti-seal Zipper of the Kokatat. The later is proofed to higher water pressure resistance but I have not noticed a difference in waterproofness in the environments I usually play in.

I'll leave it to you's as to how that translates into more of a sailing world

See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.hudsonriverpaddler.org
www.the-river-connection.com

[samc99us]

At this point I'm inclined to go with the Stohlquist. It sounds like a good suit, better than my last, and the price for me is right (over half off compared with a Kokatat). Buying new I would probably go for the Kokatat because the pricing is very similar between the two.

My last suit did have a neoprene neck seal as well and if you jumped into the water you might get a little bit of leakage. Working in the water for extended periods wasn't an issue, just a hard submersion. In my experience the amount of leakage wasn't worth worrying about and the increased comfort level vs. latex was really nice.

[kbcH20]

Sam, Sam, Sam... You know what the official cat sailing uniform is in Galesville... ;-)

[SoAPieceOfStringWalksIntoABar...]

Cold water noob, looking at options. Sportboat and non-aggro dinghy sailing, not planning to swim more than briefly nor more than once...

Saw a Kokotat, nice kit for sure. Also saw an Oneill Boost which looked alright- downsides are no relief zipper and it's not Goretex but a nylon/pvc construction that they call "breathable". The Boost is about half the price, which is appealing. Anybody use one?

[samc99us]

Sam, Sam, Sam... You know what the official cat sailing uniform is in Galesville... ;-)

Being "official" is boring. Unless the official rules require drinking 3 dark n' stormies before every race! I went with the Stohlquist, so far so good, fingers crossed.

[the-river-connection.com]

I've no experience directly with the O'Neil suit but design wise I've forgone the gasket ankle style suits for the booted models as they allow warm dry sock to keep your feet warm. While some have no issues with the back zipper entry it's just never clicked with me. The front zip design always seems comfortable and simple entrance/egress. Lastly the photos I found showed that neck collar is really tall and no reinforcements at the knees or seat. Yeah I'm biased but I spend a lot of time in/on the water so I've come to prefer the Kokatat and Stohlquist options.

YMMV

See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park , NY
www.the-river-connection.com
www.hudsonriverpaddler.org

[Kraftwerk]

I am dingy racing this winter and occasional capsizing occurs. In fact I took a dunking yesterday in LI sound ( Jan 1st ) The "dry suit" leaked... it's an older-hand-me-down-repaired/patched-free-OTHER brand. While swimming New Years day was a great way to ring in 2013, I am currently in the market for something which can handle total immersion in very chilly water.

[the-river-connection.com]

Brrrrr!

Definitely a different January to take a dip compared to last year.

Well, I do have a New Year's Recovery Special running. Drop me a line if you want details and what's available.

See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
www.hudsonriverpaddler.org

[WHL]

I luuurve my Kokatat Expedition and have had it since 2006. When new, I visited them and had them add another shoulder pocket, thigh pockets, and more reflective tape to make it more useful offshore. They wouldn't add a higher storm collar to protect the face in nasty weather which to me, is the only issue with the suit when using it for other than kayaking. I like the Gortex boots which allow wearing warm socks. I see they now offer some of the additional pockets and reflective tape as options.

[the-river-connection.com]

I think the hood on the Kokatat Expedition has been redesigned since 2006. The neck portion of the hood will extend up to nose level and has fleece lining for the lower face and a stretchy mesh which makes breathing through the collar easy minimizing condensation. Lots of adjustments to snug the hood close. You might want to touch base with Kokatat to see if they'll put on a new hood for you.

See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
www.hudsonriverpaddler.org

[Readie1]

I cannot complain too much about my Musto MPX Gore-Tex Drysuit... Had it for three seasons dinghy racing in the UK, replaced the seals for this winter but the rest of the suit is as good as new. http://www.musto.com...black-dark grey

[TornadoCAN99]

I've used a Kokatat Super Nova DS for 6+ years and it's going strong. This is made with a lighter grade fabric than full goretex...which makes it better for cat sailing IMHO. And, you get the full kokatat factory support (free repairs for a year or two; then a flat rate $120 full re-furb rate forever). Can't go wrong.



Available many places, but check with REI and others for on-line specials. Here a quick link to one site:
http://www.nrsweb.co...CFQ_hQgodNh0AyQ