How do you deal with relieving yourself?

When I go out for a paddle, I usually go for several hours. During this
time, I can get out on the shore, and do what I need to do.

With a wetsuit, its even easyer.

Am I right that I have to peal off all the layers to do what is nessisary?
Any other options besides dehydration?

Thanks

Micheal

Per Micheal Artindale:

Am I right that I have to peal off all the layers to do what is nessisary?
Any other options besides dehydration?

Some dry suit makers offer what they euphemistically call a
"convenience zipper".

Basically a fly - but done horizontally with a dry suit zipper.

I got one on my Kokatat because people who knew said it was a
"must have".

Personally, I wish I'd saved the money:
------------------------------------------
- One more potential point of failure

- Another zipper that one can forge to zip
or not zip completely enough.

- Using it on the water? *Bad* idea IMHO...
so we're back to pulling out on land. At
that point, the advantage of a diagonal chest
zipper over a horizontal shoulder zipper
become apparent. I *really* like the
diagonal chest zipper. Can't figure out
why they're the exception rather than the
rule.
-------------------------------------------
--
PeteCresswell

Micheal Artindale wrote:
How do you deal with relieving yourself?

When I go out for a paddle, I usually go for several hours. During this
time, I can get out on the shore, and do what I need to do.

With a wetsuit, its even easyer.

Am I right that I have to peal off all the layers to do what is nessisary?
Any other options besides dehydration?

Thanks

Micheal

Despite Pete's comments to the contrary, I consider a "relief zipper" in
a dry suit to be a must-have item, along with booties and a double
tunnel. I find that the diagonal chest zipper is not positioned properly
to easily be used as a relief zipper and unzipping entirely can be a
chilling experience on a cold, windy day. Everyone I know who owns a dry
suit feels the same way and those who've owned suits without relief
zippers have either had them added (~$100) or replaced their original
dry suits with suits with relief zippers.

Buying a dry suit without a relief zipper is like buying a
non-breathable dry suit; it's a mistake you make once.

Per Brian Nystrom:
Despite Pete's comments to the contrary, I consider a "relief zipper" in
a dry suit to be a must-have item,

I should have been clearer: I'm definitely in the minority on
that issue.

Everybody I know who has a relief zipper swears by it. I guess
that's why they have chocolate and vanilla....
--
PeteCresswell

Brian Nystrom wrote:

Despite Pete's comments to the contrary, I consider a "relief zipper" in
a dry suit to be a must-have item, along with booties and a double
tunnel. I find that the diagonal chest zipper is not positioned properly
to easily be used as a relief zipper ...

Depends on the design.

The diagonal chest zipper *is* well positioned for male relief purposes
on a the MTI Palm Sidewinder drysuit. Picture he
http://theboatpeople.com/atr_riverwear.html#Drysuits

Data point: my Kokatat relief zipper leaks. I know because I paddle
and IK and get a lot of water splashed into my lap.

But I still recommend Kokatat due to their excellent repair service.

Per Bill Tuthill:
But I still recommend Kokatat due to their excellent repair service.

A lot of people do - and I might too.

But, based on experience, I wouldn't recommend them for their
after-market alteration service.

On my custom suit, they got the belt tunnel way too high - so the
crotch is halfway to my knees when it's cinched. This becomes a
problem when you get dumped. The legs vacuum bag to your bod
and, if the crotch is too low at that moment you cannot drop into
a squatting position. You have to lay back in the water to get a
little air in there and wiggle around until you can get the
crotch back up where it belongs. It's also a problem when
windsurfing/water starting.

I was perfectly willing to pay to have it lowered, but they
didn't want any part of it.
--
PeteCresswell

On Aug 26, 6:37 pm, "Micheal Artindale"
wrote:
How do you deal with relieving yourself?

Until I had a "pee zipper" installed in my drysuit, I never realized
how many rapids I paddled with a full bladder!

John Kuthe...

On Aug 27, 1:27 pm, Bill Tuthill wrote:
Brian Nystrom wrote:

Despite Pete's comments to the contrary, I consider a "relief zipper" in
a dry suit to be a must-have item, along with booties and a double
tunnel. I find that the diagonal chest zipper is not positioned properly
to easily be used as a relief zipper ...

Depends on the design.

The diagonal chest zipper *is* well positioned for male relief purposes
on a the MTI Palm Sidewinder drysuit. Picture hehttp://theboatpeople.com/atr_riverwear.html#Drysuits

You needn't pay an extra $250 to $300 upcharge for a Goretex version
because Palm's are made of a breathable tri-laminate hybrid fabric that
called XP100 with an excellent rip-stop characteristics.

Three grammar errors in a single sentence? Why do I doubt the
professionalism of "theboatpeople"?

On Aug 27, 10:05 am, "(PeteCresswell)" wrote:
Per Brian Nystrom:

Despite Pete's comments to the contrary, I consider a "relief zipper" in
a dry suit to be a must-have item,

I should have been clearer: I'm definitely in the minority on
that issue.

Everybody I know who has a relief zipper swears by it. I guess
that's why they have chocolate and vanilla....
--
PeteCresswell

The absolutely invaluable benefit of the relief zipper is this: It is
human nature to avoid going to a great effort or putting oneself to
great discomfort, and stripping to the waist to take a leak is a
measurable effort and quite uncomfortable in cold weather (uhhhh,
which is when you would be wearing a drysuit). The easy way to
accomodate human nature, then, is to avoid drinking so you won't have
to go to that effort and discomfort to take that leak. A likely
consequence of that solution is some measure of dehydration, and
dehydration, if it becomes severe, can be dangerously -- if not deadly
-- debilitating in a wilderness situation in cold weather.

So: if you don't get a relief zipper installed, be sure to keep
yerself hydrated, even though you know it will be a pain in the butt
when you need to pee.

-Richard, His Kanubic Travesty
--
Richard Hopley, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
Nothing really matters except Boats, Sex, and Rock'n'Roll

Oci-One Kanubi wrote:

http://theboatpeople.com/atr_riverwear.html#Drysuits
You needn't pay an extra $250 to $300 upcharge for a Goretex version
because Palm's are made of a breathable tri-laminate hybrid fabric that
called XP100 with an excellent rip-stop characteristics.

Three grammar errors in a single sentence? Why do I doubt the
professionalism of "theboatpeople"?

Well yes, the Boat People are originally rafters
and rafters are not as well-educated as kayakers or
(especially) open canoeists.

In "Snake Eyes," a good novel by famous Canadian writer Margaret Atwood,
I found 11 spelling or grammar errors, but that was over ~ 200 pages.
However she had both editor and publisher!