"(PeteCresswell)" wrote:
Finally, if somebody's trolling for dry suit info, I'd opine that
if Kokatat is calling out to them, they also need to check out
www.ossystems.com - particularly the "Spirit". The long zipper seems to
eliminate the need for a convenience zipper and it looks to me like
they've got a friendlier sizing system for us statistical outliers.

Yup, medium tall (for me). Also, OSsystems is quite good, perhaps as good
as Kokatat, at servicing their drysuits long-term.

From the OSsystems website, I can't really tell the difference between
the Spirit and the Splash-B-SRB-EC. They are both about the same price.
The latter seems to be a Splash-B-SRO-B without the convenience zipper
(relief zipper as us Yanks call it).

I've said this before, and will say it again: the relief zipper just adds
cost, weight, and one more possible source for leaks. No reason Kokatat
can't build drysuits with a main zipper that serves double duty.

Bill Tuthill wrote:
"(PeteCresswell)" wrote:
Finally, if somebody's trolling for dry suit info, I'd opine that
if Kokatat is calling out to them, they also need to check out
www.ossystems.com - particularly the "Spirit". The long zipper seems to
eliminate the need for a convenience zipper and it looks to me like
they've got a friendlier sizing system for us statistical outliers.

Yup, medium tall (for me). Also, OSsystems is quite good, perhaps as good
as Kokatat, at servicing their drysuits long-term.

From the OSsystems website, I can't really tell the difference between
the Spirit and the Splash-B-SRB-EC. They are both about the same price.
The latter seems to be a Splash-B-SRO-B without the convenience zipper
(relief zipper as us Yanks call it).

I've said this before, and will say it again: the relief zipper just adds
cost, weight, and one more possible source for leaks. No reason Kokatat
can't build drysuits with a main zipper that serves double duty.

Perhaps so, but most dry suit manufacturers don't do that, possibly due
to size restrictions on waterproof zippers. I won't buy a dry suit that
doesn't have a relief zipper of some sort.

Per Brian Nystrom:
Perhaps so, but most dry suit manufacturers don't do that, possibly due
to size restrictions on waterproof zippers. I won't buy a dry suit that
doesn't have a relief zipper of some sort.

I ordered my Kokatat with a relief zipper because everybody else was so
enthusiastic about the feature.

If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't order one.

Reasons:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) I can't see using it unless I'm standing on dry land. Given that, by
the time I need to use it, I'm so soaked with sweat that it's another
kind of relief to peel off the arms and torso anyhow.

2) When windsurfing, sometimes it gets in the way of the harness line
when I'm trying to re-hook.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

OTOH, if I were doing it again, I think I'd order the OS Systems product
instead because it looks like a off-the-shelf suit would fit me instead
of having to pay more for a semi-custom.
--
PeteCresswell

(PeteCresswell) wrote:

1) I can't see using it unless I'm standing on dry land. Given that, by
the time I need to use it, I'm so soaked with sweat that it's another
kind of relief to peel off the arms and torso anyhow.

By the time I need to use it, I need to use it because I'll **** my shorts
before I can get the #@*&^&$ drysuit off. YMMV.

Mike