(PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per Brian Nystrom:
- Warnings about seal failures are largely a red herring. Yes, they
definitely do happen, but I have never seen a seal fail while the suit
was being worn. They invariably fail when donning or doffing the suit,
so you KNOW that the seal has failed before you try to use the suit.
Yes, it can stop a trip in it's tracks, but so can a lot of other
things. Seal replacement is a pretty simple DIY job if you're reasonably
handy.

Never thought of it before, but that seems tb a further justification for
getting a convenience zipper on the dry suit. I got one on my Kokatat and was
regretting it - since it's so easy to just take the top off. But now that
you've mentioned it, it sure would be a bummer to pull into a little beach
somewhere 5 miles into a workout and rip the neck seal.

I agree and I have a relief zipper in my dry suit. IMO, that and either
latex or Gore-tex socks are must-have items.

OTOH, one dry suit maker (I *think* it was Ocean Rodeo - but their web site is
almost as bad as O'Neil's and I can't find the product right now) is or was
making a bag suit with the diagonal zipper long enough to serve the same
function as a convenience zipper.

I've seen that claim, too. IIRC, I think it was for one of the cheaper
Kokatat suits with the plastic zipper. Regardless, I have my doubts
about whether it will actually work well. The last time I checked, my
penis was not located on my hip. ;-)

- Ditto the warnings about leaving zippers open. I don't know anyone
who's done that more than once. ;-) And no, it's not because they died.
It's simply a matter of getting into a routine of donning the suit and
closing the zippers, then checking again before you hit the water.

I've read one first-hand account by somebody far more competent than I am. Like
you say, he didn't die... but it sound like it was a looooong paddle home since
he couldn't operate the shoulder zipper from inside the kayak. Score one for
diagonal zippers.

I don't have any experience with shoulder zippers, but I wonder why
people don't use a simple snap-on pull strap to operate them, similar to
what's used on back-zip wetsuits.

We did, however lose a guy in southern New Jersey some years back. He had gone
out in a bag dry suit with virtually nothing underneath. Fell in the water,
went hypothermic, and drowned without being able to re-mount the boat.

Well, duh! He should have known that a dry suit doesn't insulate by
itself. I take it he wasn't wearing a PFD, either?