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#1
posted to rec.boats.paddle
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Bag Dry Suit: How Dry?
I've been using a Kokatat GoreTex bag suit this year.
It's definitely got it's good points, but for my use dry doesn't seem tb one of them. After a typical hour of fairly hard flat water paddling, my shirt undergarment picks up about 400 grams of water. That's fairly wet - almost dripping. I layed the suit out on the ground, elevating the neck/wrist seals and puddled a few cups of water on the back - with some newspaper inside. *Seems* like it's not leaking through the material - at least on the back, and the back is definitely one of the wettest parts of the shirt when I take it off. I guess another possible entry point would be the neck seal. But I'm pretty sure I've picked up this kind of water even with the neck never getting immersed. It's nothing I can't live with for an hour or two of paddling... but everybody seems to rave so much about how dry their dry suits are that it's got me wondering. So: if you wear a bag suit, how much water do you typically wind up shipping? I'm thinking that GoreTex has it's limits for transmitting moisture and what I'm seeing is just plain old sweat.... But I've got to wonder why my legs aren't similarly affected. -- PeteCresswell |
#2
posted to rec.boats.paddle
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Bag Dry Suit: How Dry?
That does seem odd. I used to sweat buckets in my old non-breathable dry
top, I expected to, when I went to a newer Mountain Surf breathable (not sure what the breathable material is), I no longer have this problem. That said, I understand they need some type of special cleaning with age to unclog the pores? Wish I knew more "(PeteCresswell)" wrote in message ... I've been using a Kokatat GoreTex bag suit this year. It's definitely got it's good points, but for my use dry doesn't seem tb one of them. After a typical hour of fairly hard flat water paddling, my shirt undergarment picks up about 400 grams of water. That's fairly wet - almost dripping. I layed the suit out on the ground, elevating the neck/wrist seals and puddled a few cups of water on the back - with some newspaper inside. *Seems* like it's not leaking through the material - at least on the back, and the back is definitely one of the wettest parts of the shirt when I take it off. I guess another possible entry point would be the neck seal. But I'm pretty sure I've picked up this kind of water even with the neck never getting immersed. It's nothing I can't live with for an hour or two of paddling... but everybody seems to rave so much about how dry their dry suits are that it's got me wondering. So: if you wear a bag suit, how much water do you typically wind up shipping? I'm thinking that GoreTex has it's limits for transmitting moisture and what I'm seeing is just plain old sweat.... But I've got to wonder why my legs aren't similarly affected. -- PeteCresswell |
#3
posted to rec.boats.paddle
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Bag Dry Suit: How Dry?
(PeteCresswell) wrote:
I'm thinking that GoreTex has it's limits for transmitting moisture and what I'm seeing is just plain old sweat.... But I've got to wonder why my legs aren't similarly affected. I have the same thing happening - it is just sweat. You say you are paddling hard - your upper body is going to generate a lot of heat and therefore perspiration as a result. Like you, I get more sweat on my upper body than my legs. There are several factors that contribute to this. Your leg muscles are not working as hard as your upper body and don't generate as much heat. Your upper body may be covered more - spray skirt, PFD etc reduce the ability of the suit to breathe, while your legs are not so affected. You paddle a SOT, right?, so your legs are more likely to breathe than your torso - mind you, you don't have a skirt to add to the problem. If your paddling dry suit has a sprayskirt tunnel, that also reduces breathability (two layers of Gore Tex). As you say, there is a limit as to how fast the suit can remove water vapour. If you are producing sweat faster than it can evaporate off your skin and that in turn is faster than the Gore Tex can breathe, you're going to get wet. Gore Tex is great but it's not magic. Wearing two layers of wicking materials works for me at keeping the sweat off my skin and it tends to dry out during lunch breaks etc. However, that's a cold weather solution and if you're paddling in a warmer clime, two layers may be too hot. Drysuits have a harder time with salt water than fresh. You may need to touch up the DWR to keep the salt off. Make sure you rinse the suit out well after a paddle and keep it clean - follow the manufacturer's instructions. That will keep the Gore Tex at its best. Mike |
#4
posted to rec.boats.paddle
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Bag Dry Suit: How Dry?
(PeteCresswell) wrote:
I've been using a Kokatat GoreTex bag suit this year. After a typical hour of fairly hard flat water paddling, my shirt undergarment picks up about 400 grams of water. That's fairly wet - almost dripping. Are you wearing a PFD? Goretex doesn't breathe as well with 1" of foam strapped over it, in my experience. Steve |
#5
posted to rec.boats.paddle
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Bag Dry Suit: How Dry?
Per Steve Cramer:
Are you wearing a PFD? Goretex doesn't breathe as well with 1" of foam strapped over it, in my experience. I've done it both ways. Been wet both ways, but didn't bother to compare the shirt weights. Sweat's sounding like the explanation to me. Especially because of the smell of my inner layer - Whew!!!!!! I can usually get away with wearing a biking shirt a couple of times between washes, but the Capeline shirt/long johns that I wear next to my skin definitely have tb washed after every use. -- PeteCresswell |
#6
posted to rec.boats.paddle
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Bag Dry Suit: How Dry?
Especially because of the smell of my inner layer - Whew!!!!!! Switch to Icebreaker! It doesn't absorb odor, is all natural and breathes much better than synthetics. Plus, it can absorb some water without feeling wet against your skin. www.icebreaker.com check it out! Yes it is pricey but it is work every penny!! |
#7
posted to rec.boats.paddle
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Bag Dry Suit: How Dry?
wrote:
Especially because of the smell of my inner layer - Whew!!!!!! Switch to Icebreaker! It doesn't absorb odor, is all natural and breathes much better than synthetics. Plus, it can absorb some water without feeling wet against your skin. www.icebreaker.com check it out! Yes it is pricey but it is work every penny!! Smartwool is similar and readily available in the US. |
#8
posted to rec.boats.paddle
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Bag Dry Suit: How Dry?
It's sweat, plain and simple. The difference between a Gore-Tex (or
other breathable material) suit and a non-breathable suit is: - You'd get even wetter in a non-breathable suit. - You'll dry out in a breathable suit when your effort level drops or you take a lunch break. |
#9
posted to rec.boats.paddle
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Bag Dry Suit: How Dry?
Just for fun and kicks - try putting on a clean, dry long sleeve shirt
and long pants (cotton is good for this test; try white, khaki or denim) then put on the dry drysuit making sure the seals completely touch your skin at all points. Jump in the water and thrash around a bit. You'll find out soon if there are leaks and if you dry off the suit before taking it off you should find out where water is transferring, if anywhere. You'll also get some interesting bystander looks. |
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