Bill Tuthill wrote:
Courtney wrote:
Or you could get some neoprene pants and a drop top. I whitewater and sea
kayak in Washington State and the water is very cold and I am perfectly
comfortable both in and out of the water as well as in the boat. I used to
wear a dry top with dry pants for years but never did really like the pants.
I saw some others wearing the neoprene pants that were very good paddlers
and asked them how they liked them. They loved the combination so much that
I thought I'd try it out and now I love it too. I've been in snow melt
waters with these pants and in instructor sea kayak coarses where being in
the ocean for long time periods was mandatory and stayed very warm and
didn't get any water in my drt top either. When it's really cold out and a
swim is possible I also wear some polypro under the pants (as well as the
normal few layers under the top). I've been wearing this combo now for
about 5 years and don't have any complaints.

I've gotta agree with Courtney about the comfort and efficacy of neoprene.
The main reason I own a drysuit is for overnight trips: in the morning,
it's much easier to put on a drysuit than a frozen neoprene suit. Also
for hike-in trips, I can wear a drysuit liner on the hike. It's hard to
walk a long distance wearing neoprene.

My complaints with drysuits:
1. high cost

Unfortunately, that's unavoidable, but a good dry suit can last a decade
or more, so the price isn't so bad in the long run.

2. discomfort of neck gasket

Trim it to fit and the problem is solved. It only takes a few minutes.

3. after sweat, not really dry

Are you wearing a breathable dry suit? If not, that's most of the
problem. You'll get damp in a breathable suit too, but it dissipates
when your effort level drops. I find that when I take mine off, the
residual dampness in my fleece layers evaporates in less than a minute.

4. zippers leak when underwater

It sounds like you've got a problem with the zippers in your suit. The
zippers should NOT leak. The zippers used in better quality paddling dry
suits are the same type used in diver's dry suits, where any leakage
cannot be tolerated. If your suit has plastic zippers, that's the
problem. If it's got metal zippers, contact the manufacturer of the suit
and complain about the leaks. They'll fix it.