staying warm/dry

Zeppo

Member
[ I need to purchase appropriate clothing for cold ocean SF sailing, I am looking for feed back as to whether drysuits or wet suits are preferred. Dry suits certainly are more costly, but are they more comfortable?
 
It's a temperature thing. Just my personal experience, wetsuits are for "warmer" waters/air temps. Warmer being a relative thing. Dry suits will definitely go to lower temperature ranges.
The best advice I could give would be visit where you want to sail and ask around what they use there.
 
Thanks, I think a drysuit is in my future. I'll be sailing in my home area on lakes and ocean, year round. People here seem to use both suits I just figured a drysuit would be more comfortable.
 
Spanky,

Wetsuits (available in different thickness) may give you a little more freedom of movement than a dry suit. Also with a dry suit, make sure you have all sharp stuff removed or covered. A hole in the dry suit defeats the purpose and could cause a problem if it fills with water. Wearing hiking pants over a dry suit can help control ballooning.

The book "Sailing, A Practical Handbook" (ISBN 0-681-60375-5) has a whole chapter on what to wear in the Dinghy Basics section.

Check out the article on “What to Wear” http://www.int505.org/wear.htm , it is a few years old, but may help.

APS http://www.apsltd.com/Home.asp under Apparel, there are some pfd “posters” with tips on different clothing for different conditions and types of sailing (Foul Weather Gear - Inshore, Offshore, Dinghy, Cold Weather etc)

Magic Marine http://www.magicmarinegear.com/m/_general/default.asp has a “Thermo suit” that seems to be somewhat of a cross between a wet suit and dry suit.
 
Supercub,moredownhaul, thanks for the opinions. I think now I will go with the wet suit farmer johns with a spray top or the Bare polarheat.
 
spanky said:
[ I need to purchase appropriate clothing for cold ocean SF sailing, I am looking for feed back as to whether drysuits or wet suits are preferred. Dry suits certainly are more costly, but are they more comfortable?

As is evident from the previous posts, personal preference plays a big role. In the Annapolis MD area, where the water temp may drop into the thirties midwinter, the majority of the frostbiters wears a dry suit. But there are a few who feel that a wetsuit + some sort of top gives them greater mobility.
Personally, I wear a drysuit once the water temp drops below ~50F because it gives me a feeling of confidence in case I end up swimming. I layer underneath the dry suit, if necessary. Do remember to zip up the drysuit completely though. I once forgot, and it really does spoil your day if you kiss the water...:eek:

APS has dry suits on sale from time to time; other companies probably do too.
 
Having owned several drysuits and many wetsuits, I think I have a good feeling for what works and what doesn't and what is economical. I sail and windsurf here in Erie, PA until the ice comes in and as soon as the ice leaves and what I have found recently is that the steamer type wetsuit is almost as warm as a drysuit and is MUCH MUCH more economical. I have owned the polar heat drysuit and I had to replace the latex seals every 2 years as they wore out and suffered dry rot. Keep in mind I did wear it ALOT and under very nasty conditions. The seals are a PIA. Also, the big money difference in wetsuits vs drysuits is the dry zipper. The zipper alone is about $150 :eek: I presently own a neil pryde 5/4 steamer and it is very toasty in all but the nastiest cold/damp conditions, and in that situation, I layer a .5mm titanium lined C-skin under it. I have seen others layer a neoprene vest over top. A neoprene hood is a great idea.

For sailing, I use a wetsuit as an underlayer to save me should I spend some time in the water. For winter sailing when there is no snow or rain, I usually have a farmer john under fleece and then foulies on top. This is a very versatile setup as you can layer up/down for the conditions.

For the money you'd spend on a drysuit, you could buy a farmer john, foulie pants and dinghy smock, neoprene hood, fleece, etc. and have a very versatile wardrobe whereas with the drysuit, if it gets a little warm, your cooking. You can see where I'm going here......
 
Tim,

Thanks for your insights. I wear a similar set-up during the colder weather (Farmer Johns, Musto top, fleece vest & baclava, and dinghy smock and pants if cold enough). The couple of times I used a dry suit, I borrowed one to see if the investment was worth it. While I was plenty warm enough, I didn't feel I had the freedom of movement I have with the FJ wet suit set-up.
 
The big decision has been made......I purchased a new BARE Polar Heat suit, it appears to fit the bill and the price was right ($461.00 Cdn). For those not familiar with this piece of gear it is basically a farmer john with a dry jacket welded on at the waist. The dry jacket has neck and wrist seals as well as a removable long sleeve fleece liner. Thanks for the replies, cheers
 
Tim Polaski said:
I have owned the polar heat drysuit and I had to replace the latex seals every 2 years as they wore out and suffered dry rot. Keep in mind I did wear it ALOT and under very nasty conditions. The seals are a PIA. ...

I have had my bare for almost 4 yrs and no seals have been replaced, and they still look fairly new. The key is to saturate them with conditioner often and keep the zipper waxed.

you will love the bare!
 

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