Grip wrote:
After the trip, he told us "Those weren't real rapids,
there were too many rocks in there." LMAO!!!
Yup, classic comment. Personally I enjoy rocks -- they are
so much safer than down trees.
---
Review of MTI PalmOS Drysuit
I bought a blue Palm Sidewinder drysuit at the end of last season
when it became available with integral socks instead of ankle gaskets.
Regular price is only $379 at a nearby store.
http://www.theboatpeople.com/atr_riv....html#Drysuits
The reason I got it instead of another Goretex Kokatat is that my
relief zipper leaks, Kokatat says that's impossible, even though
I can see water seeping thru the zipper when I take it off. They
refuse to replace it, but it's an old drysuit, so I can't complain.
I saw no reason to pay $150 for another relief zipper option that
might not work. The Palm Sidewinder's entry zipper is positioned
so it can double as a relief zipper (for men).
I don't feel Palm's XP100 tri-laminate fabric breathes as well as
Goretex. That's really the only downside. A friend told me I'd
have to take off my PFD to use the relief zipper, but that's untrue,
all I have to do is unzip my PDF, then partly undo the entry zipper.
The head gasket feels a bit tight. When putting it on, I find it
easiest to first lower the protective collar, then the latex gasket
(reversing this procedure when taking it off).
I can stand in water for many minutes without getting my inner socks
or drysuit liner legs wet, as I could in my Kokatat. But with the
Sidewinder, I can stand in water deeper than my relief zipper!
Question about NRS Wetsuits
The $85 NRS Essentials has what I need (armored knees, full zipper,
ankle zippers) and I could live with 2.5mm neoprene because I use
a wetsuit only in warm weather, but would the lack of glued seams
be a problem, letting too much water thru? Maybe I should get the
$110 NRS Farmer John, though I don't need armored seat. For me,
the shins always wear out before the seat. The Camano of Austria
wetsuit has shin armor, but is no longer imported into the US.