The Kokotat Gore-Tex dry suit is one piece of gear that I am never without. From winter, to spring creeking, summertime multidays, Grand canyon excursions, this drysuit is a must have. It keeps me dry no matter what. I love it for multi days because when I take it off at night, I’m still dry and just wear my union suit around and don’t need to pack an extra layer of gear. When I flail and end up swimming, it keeps me dry and safe. This happened a lot to me this year and I swear by this suit. Not only does the suit keep you dry, it is necessary if you are preforming a rescue situation in cold water. Your buddy will thank you later when you have been in chest deep, ice cold water helping them out. Need to take a swift water rescue class? This suit will make it able to enjoy what you are learning and keep you warm. My favorite piece of paddling gear period!
A crisp fall day in the Southwest is a good time for a dry suit
Pros:
You will not get wet!
Pack less camp clothes because you under layers will be dry.
The built in bootie sock keeps the feet warm.
The relief zipper is oh so nice.
Tough and durable
Protects you from poison ivy while portaging
Kokotat stands by there product 100%
Cons:
Pricey-but well worth it
Verdict:
It will keep you warm and dry. It may save your life in cold water swims. Best investment I have ever made…
Check out Atom’s site, which is dedicated to New Mexican and Southwestern Whitewater: http://www.newmexicoh2o.com/
Kayak design has become a little bit “cockpits gone wild” in the past few years. There seem to be more and more boats with funky designs (like really flared knee wells for extra volume), XXL oversized and elongated cockpit rims, etc. It’s often tough for spray skirt manufacturers to keep up with the latest boat designs, create skirts that will stay on the boat in all conditions, and keep you dry. Immersion research created the SBD (simple but dry), which is an apron style skirt, meaning that it has flap of neoprene on the outside edge of the skirt. This piece of neoprene goes into the cockpit combing and creates one more barrier for unwanted water. It works really well. The IR Kling On is an apron style skirt too,and it is also articulated, which makes it much easier to put on and take off. Demshitz Dave has been using the Kling On for a little while now, and he says that it stays on well, and keeps him dry.
A Kling On Skirt, Med Molan, Double Diamond foam core and huge ass wave in Glenwood. All the makings for an epic day. Paddler: Dave Fusilli/Photo by: Nicole Mansfield
Specs:
Here’s a video from Demshitz’ most recent Glenwood session. Epic water levels and crushing it.Done in true Demshitz fashion…
Pros:
Bright green grab loop. Easy to see. It has a plastic cover on it to make it even easier to grip.
The extra flap of material on the edge, does do a stellar job of keeping you dry. Jackson’s, have really well designed cockpits. If you use this skirt with a JK, you will be bone dry.
Some apron style skirts are tough to get on the boat, because the bungee is 3 inches inside of the skirt. It often takes 2 people to get one on. The articulated design of the skirt solves this issue, and makes it a breeze to put on.
There is some rubber material on the inside of the skirt. It adds a redundancy for keeping the skirt on.
Does a good job of staying on a boat that has an elongated or odd shaped rim. Pyranha’s are a good example of this.
Photo:Nicole mansfield / Paddler: Demshitz Dave Fusilli
Cons:
A bungee skirt does not always stay on like a randed skirt. If you are paddling hard class V, you may want to look at a randed one like the Lucky Charm. The Kling On is good for play boating, and class III and IV and easier class V. Once you get into padding really big drops, you may want a rand to help keep the skirt on. After all, Tyler Bradt wore one off of Palouse Falls. But that was only 186 feet.
The Verdict:
The IR Kling On is a progressive spray skirt. It takes the best of the bungee, rand and apron style decks, and combines them together. The latex bungee is thick like a rand, but goes on like a bungee. The flap of neoprene material around the edge of the skirt is reminiscent of apron style skirts, that have been around for awhile. Lastly, the Kling On has an articulated shape to it, which aids the process of putting it on. If you are having problems staying dry in your boat, give the Kling On a try.
