GEARhead by ian merringer Palm Stikine Gasket Cases
Today’s dry suits let you paddle in your own temperate microclimate
If kayak manufacturers really wanted to get more kayaks out on the water more often they would include a dry suit with the purchase of every new kayak. Then again, given the workmanship and prices of the most advanced dry suits, maybe dry suit manufacturers could include a kayak with the purchase of every new suit. Dry suits can extend your paddling season enormously because they are complete barriers to the elements. Wetsuits let water in between the suit and your body. Dry suits have gaskets that seal around your wrists, neck and sometimes ankles. They are like a 1970s one-piece ski suit that keeps you completely dry inside. With the appropriate clothing worn underneath for insulation, you can comfortably paddle through rain, sleet and snow.
The sophistication of today’s dry suits must rival that of the space suits that took Armstrong to the moon. The most recent innovation is the move to built-in breathable fabric booties. In years past, dry suits have had either tight latex gaskets that sealed the suit at your ankles or else attached latex socks that were prone to wear. Now many suits resemble fishing waders in that the waterproof material continues past the ankle cuffs and encloses your feet. Wrestling your cold wet feet through tight ankle gaskets can now be a thing of the past. It is still however a good idea to protect the booties with proper footwear in and out of the boat. Nervous or energetic paddlers given to perspiring will be glad to see that breathable dry suits are increasingly available and continue to come down in price. Anyone who’s worn a dry suit made from Gore-tex or some similarly breathable material will tell you it’s almost not worth spending money on a “dry” suit if you don’t buy one that lets water vapour escape. Most worthwhile of all, in our eyes, are the relief zippers and drop seats that allow both sexes to relieve themselves without struggling through an upper-body extraction effort that leaves the top half of the suit around the ankles. Not convinced about the wisdom of paying for an extra zipper? Try adding rain and a driving wind to the disrobing sce- nario. The convenience of pee-zips means you’ll use them; paddling with an empty bladder is healthier, more enjoyable and allows your body to put needed heat elsewhere. And remember, dry suits aren’t just about maximizing comfort and extending your paddling season, they’re also about safety. You might be well equipped for the air temperature, but a missed brace is all it would take for a quick lesson thermostatics. The conductive efficiency of water sucks heat out of you 32 times faster than air of the same temperature. Unless you’re slow dancing to Pink Floyd at a junior high school dance, it’s actually very difficult to be comfortably numb.
40 // Fall 2005
Palm has been keeping different parts of pad- dlers warm and dry since 1979 but they’ve never made a suit as tough as this before. Palm’s top-of-the-line unisex Stikine is built from their XP 200 4-ply laminate breathable fabric, reinforced with generous Cordura patches. Palm takes the extra step of both taping and stitching their gaskets to the suit’s cuffs. Articulated cuts at the knees and elbows reduce bulk for a tailored fit and the adjustable waist draw-cord keeps the suit’s waistline tight fitting. The fabric booties are included as a standard feature. $699 US
www.palmequipmentusa.com
Pros:
• Great fit and style • Beefy zippers • The zipper that opens along the back of the shoulders is easier to get into, but…
Cons:
• The zipper that opens along the back of the shoulders requires help from a partner to zip you up.
• Heavy-duty material and construction feels stiff.
Stohlquist Whitewater Drysuit
The unisex Whitewater Drysuit includes all the innovations that have been developed since 1984, the year Stohlquist claims to have pioneered dry suits for paddlers. The 4.6-ounce, 3-ply Eclipse breathable fabric (available in royal blue or mango yellow) keeps you from getting wet from sweat, the booties (latex or Eclipse) are available as upgrades, relief zippers provide just that for men and an optional waist tunnel closes tight over your skirt to keep water from seeping into the cockpit while you roll. The same suit without the tunnel is called the Multi-sport and costs $499. Decked boaters should get the tunnel; sit-on-top- pers can save the $50.
$549 US, booties $80 US, relief zipper $120 US.
www.stohlquist.com Pros:
• Comfortable and attractive neoprene neck gasket cover
• Supple Eclipse material is reinforced with Cordura patches
• Less expensive Cons:
• No drop seat option for females •Tightly-cut skirt tunnel cuts down on bulk but makes it difficult to get broad shoulders into the suit
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