Bill Tuthill wrote:

doug m wrote:

I own both and have used both for a number of years. My question is:
"Was the drysuit necessary, or did I fall for the 'sports marketing' hype?"

You fell for sports marketing hype.

Baloney.

Note how the drysuit costs more,

This seems to be the crux of the issue for wetsuit proponents. From what I've
seen, most of them are simply looking for justification for NOT spending the
money for a dry suit. If you want to be cheap, be cheap, that's your perogative.
However, that doesn't mean that you're getting equivalent protection

is less durable, and more prone to catastrophic failure.

This is largely a red herring. Sure, the potential for failures is there, but as
a practical matter, it's not an issue. The only gasket failures I've seen have
occured when the paddler was donning or removing the suit, which is when the
gaskets can be stretched pretty hard. They don't fail in use, since they're not
under any appreciable stress.

The only problem with a wetsuit is that, in heavy cold rain, the layer
of warm water next to your skin gets replaced too quickly to rewarm.

No, the real problem with wetsuits is that in order to get the same level of
immersion protection as a drysuit/fleece combination, you'd need a wetsuit so
thick that you couldn't paddle in it, as was mentioned in a previous post.

However this problem can be mitigated by wearing drypants, at much
lower cost than a drysuit.

Dry pants + a wet suit is going to come quite close in price to the cost of a dry
suit.

What baffles me is the number of drysuits that come with ankle gaskets
instead of integral booties. Unless it keeps your feet dry and warm,
the drysuit's only advantage is that, after boating, you can drive away
without changing clothes.

"Only advantage"? Hardly, though it sure is nice not to have to expose damp skin
to a biting winter breeze after paddling. With ankle gaskets, your feet can still
be warm with the proper footwear, though if you end up swimming, they won't stay
dry. Every dry suit manufacturer offers latex or Gore-Tex boots as an option.
They can easily be added to a suit with ankle gaskets by the consumer.

One thing you forgot to mention was the versatility of dry suits. They can be
used with a wide variety of underlayers so they can function well in water/air
temps from below freezing to the low 70's.

In a waterproof/breathable drysuit, you don't have to spend the day "stewing in
your own juices" like you do in a wetsuit. While you may become damp when
exerting yourself, you'll dry off when you reduce your activity level. In a
wetsuit, you start dry, but quickly get damp and it can only get worse as the day
wears on.

Wetsuits have one REAL advantage over dry suits and that is price. If that's what
matters most to you, your decision is simple. Just don't try to delude yourself
into thinking that you're getting the same protection, versatility or comfort for
a bargain basement price. You aren't; you're getting what you paid for.

--
Regards

Brian