Drysuits for Whitewater Rafting and Kayaking | Ep. 242 

Last year I finally retired my Kokatat drysuit. It was 17 years old. I had sent it back to Kokatat 3 times for new gaskets, pressure testing and patching, I had replaced the gaskets twice myself. Kokatat gave 25% off for trading it in on a new one.

Wore my 5-year-old NRS Crux on an epic Metolius portage-fest this year, with a LOT of bushwhacking, and it has not failed me yet. Oh, but wait… I’ve also used it as an actual drysuit. Working great.

Thanks for the info!

I have been looking for my first drysuit and this is exactly what I needed, thank you.

I went with the Level Six Fjord, which is advertised as being their expedition /whitewater drysuit, based purely on a great sale price, $420 shipped (Black Friday 2019, before the gear demand exploded). For the price, I'm happy enough with it, but I am almost always a little damp when I get out of it, I'm pretty sure it's just a lack of breathability, as I don't feel any cold water ever coming in. The fit is pretty good, at 6'1" I'm almost too tall for the large, durability has been okay so far. In summary I would say if you can get one at a really good price, yea probably, full price I'd look else wear.

Kokotat odyssey was expensive but worth it. I'm tall and skinny so didn't want to wear a XXL parachute do I paid for custom fit too. So worth it. I don't mind the front zipper and prefer the independence. It doesn't bother me after I put the PFD on. It's only annoying without the PFD which is pretty much never. Except when dressing and undressing and I want the zipper in front... It does have a hood but it is removable and drains independently. It mostly lives off except for when the weather is garbage and we are overnighting or the water is mellow enough to go without a helmet. So worth the splurge. If I hadn't gone for that, I would have purchased another one before eventually buying this one anyway.

Thanks Zach. Great info as always.

I can’t say enough good things about Kokotat. Great company and products.

I bought a Kokatat Meridian after watching this video. Two trips so far and it works great. I heard really good things about the Level Six Emporer as well, it was a tough call picking between those two.

Good info! Thank you.

I've been very pleased with the hydrus 3.0 fabric from Kokatat (if you can find it in stock!) PSA: After use, properly store and take care of your suit (gaskets, etc) and it will take care of you.

Great vid

Very informative!

My IR 7 figure is very nice, although definitely fits wierd around the waist. The legs are long enough, but there is a lot of extra length above them before the upper body part starts, a little odd. But a very comfy suit and works very well

Hey, love the channel. Can you make a video about drying out wet kit? Pretty dull topic perhaps but would be super useful to see your setup. Thanks!

My first dry suit was NRS with Triton material. I was a complete mistake on my part. I picked it up from NRS store as their special as it was used for a photo shoot. The material delaminated all over the place and rendered the suit useless. You’re absolutely right about funky sizing on IR suits, my Devil’s Club fits weird compared to my Kokatat.

Great thoughts! Have you ever seen a Switlik drysuit? They’re drysuits for helicopter aircrews. While pricey, they are extremely durable with features (pockets, integrated knee pads, etc) not seen in most others. They are also “U-zip” which I love. Interestingly, they are made of nomex-goretex and are fire-retardant. Lol, I know that seems crazy, but mine in the Coast Guard last in very rough usage and rarely see failures. I have a few Kokatats that I love, but they seem light duty comparatively speaking. Not that I’ve had anything but great experiences with kokatat. I just feel like I’ve got to be so careful with them. I wish civilian drysuits had more of these features.

Probably worth noting that GoreTex and GoreTex Pro are membrane fabrics that are bonded to an outer layer. Depending on how well the manufacturer has the bonding process dialled and what face fabric is used can have an effect on how well the GoreTex works and overall durability of a dry suit. Also the taping process and number of seams is also an equal factor - some failed on one of my dry suits, but everything else was still very good.

Couple comments. You briefly touched on the tunnel. I think that’s a feature that should be discussed along with the other major features. A tunnel is really important for kayaking. If you are a rafter it doesn’t hurt and it’s there if you want to kayak. Also, some drysuits have hoods. I have a friend that accidentally purchased a Kokatat drysuit that had a hood. Not ideal for whitewater, though maybe a bonus at the takeout on a rainy day.

What are your thoughts - experience with using the two-piece approach? For example a Kokatat dry top paired with the Kokatat Whirlpool bib... or the Kokatat Idol drysuit that has a zipper that allows you to separate the pants and the top.

Good idea of using a pee zipper for storage!

I've been using a Stohlquist AMP for a number of years. It has their own proprietary material, but is made in the US and has held up well. It was a replacement for a very inexpensive imported Stohlquist suit that was complete garbage. I got the new one when they offered my a big discount on the new AMP. About the same time I got the AMP I also picked up a used older Kokotat for my wife. When I sent it in to be pressure tested and have new gaskets installed, they called to tell me they had found a manufacturing defect and let her pick her favorite color scheme for a brand new GFER suit at no cost. I can't say enough good things about how Kokotat stands behind their products. I would not hesitate to pay more for a Kokotat next time.

I've used a stolquist suit for a couple years, it's held up well. High quality made in Germany. Paid 600$

One big hurdle is actually being near a store that has suits to try on. Unless you live in a big WW town, like say Portland, or in a town a manufacturer exists, it is very difficult to find someplace and you are pretty much stuck with buying online and crossing your fingers.

I've been whitewater canoeing for several years. I don't have a drysuit, just a farmer john and splash gear, and it's limiting what I can do. I heard you mentioned kayaking suits vs rafting suits. What's the difference, and where would a canoeist fit in with that?

The Mustang sentinel suits are hands down the toughest best fitting suits for arduous work. I still Love my Kokatats but as far as crawling around in the black berries and doing rescue/recovery work on vehicles and what not, the kokatas will all leak. They are just not designed for the rescue world. The Mustang relief neck gasket and no latex wrist gaskets are also tough and user replaceable. And the have a relief zipper.

Nice summary, I dont think the Mustang suit you have is Gore tex, so sounds like you did not see any difference compared to Kokatat. They show a rescue drysuit that does say Gore Tex but sounds like it is new and looks different than yours. What model is yours?

Immersion Research will service/repair any brand of dry suit

What's recommended for cleaning them?

Has anyone used the new NRS gortex dry suits that can comment on their durability?

I had never heard of the Hudson dry suit from Mustang Survival before your video here. I am subscribed and look forward to the videos in the off season. I tried to order a suite from Mustang Survival, I called to make sure it was in stock, paid for express shipping because I wanted it for a trip. After a full week I received an email saying they canceled the order because they were out of stock on the item that I called about to see if they had in stock. To make it worse I am between L and XL and the guy on the phone told me I could go either way on size. Apparently they have the suit in a different color int he size I ordered and both in stock in the larger size. No on called, no one offered me another option. Just an email when I was expecting the suit to show up saying it never shipped. Still waiting to get me money back too. Please be careful with this company.

My kokotat is over 10 years old.