It's cold in the UK in November. Really cold. So I have to go out and buy me a drysuit. Before sailing in the UK I used to sail in sunny California, and before that in the south of France and in Corsica. I never had to buy a dry suit before, so it is completely unknown territory for me. So I'd like to collect some of the collective wisdom before I buy...

I've read the previous threads on the subject, but the most recommended manufacturer (kokatat) has only one distributor in the UK, and they are asking £750 for the privilege of getting a drysuit with socks from them. As it is 2 times the price of the nearest offer, I consider that ridiculous so I've removed them from my selection.

I've done some research into the various models and brands available in the UK and approximate prices. If you own one of those models, or if I overlooked one, I would be grateful if you can give me a quick review of what you think are their plus or minuses.

Gul Infra: 225
Gul Ion: 325
Gill front zip 400 drysuit: 310
Crewsaver Hyperdry pro: 240
Crewsaver Hyperdry men: 300
Musto MP goretex one design dry suit: 380
Typhoon XTS Pro: 300
Typhoon TY Racer: 230
Lomo tornado drysuit MkII: 175 (available end of december)
Trident with front opening: £230
Henri Lloyd TP1 Stealth Dry Suit: 260

I think what I want in order:

- breathable,
- front entry (because I usually sail without a crew to open my suit for me!),
- latex seals (I must admit I'm curious about the 'eelskin seals' on the Typhoon XTS Pro),
- integrated boots
- good resistance,
- as cheap as possible
- available now

knoydarts

As far as the "integrated boots" go - hopefully you mean the integrated goretex socks? I'd go with those versus the rubber boots - you have more ability to put on some nice wool socks and still fit your feet in your dinghy boots. If you have the rubber feet, you may have to find a bigger size of footwear if you want some warm socks on underneath.

We're a fan of the Kokatat, but certainly understand the price driver!

Bad link. Try this - Knoydart

Care to comment a bit? your link (that I fixed there) points to a 'semi-dry suit' whatever that is. If a dry suit is not dry, what's the point of it?

Just curious, since you linked to it...

If it's breathable (priority #1), it's a "semi-dry" suit, right?

Hu, no. Breathable let water out but does not let water in. So if you sweat inside the suit the sweat can escape so you stay dry, but the water cannot come it. From what I heard it's fantastic. All the suits I have listed are both waterproof and breathable...

Drysuits of old were not breathable. So the water was not coming in, but the sweat was not getting out either. So you ended up wet inside your drysuit. New materials are awesome, do not ask me how they work, but they do, I have a motorcycle suit and a ski jacket in breathable fabrics and those are windproof, waterproof *and* breathable.

I have the Lomo suit. If I was buying another drysuit then I wouldn't consider any other make. It's good quality and has features which generally only feature in much more expensive suits. Customer service is excellent - they sent me the wrong size, when I told them, the correct size arrived the next day. Highly recommended.

Musto, the only suit to bu if you are serious about keeping warm and dry on a Cat.

I think 90% of all teams in the Archipelago Raid used Musto, the ones that didn't were the ones that got wet....

I would agree with that - but also put Kokatat just above Musto on the list. They're also premium drysuits with the customer support that will blow your mind. I recently sent them a three year old (well used) drysuit that had begun to seep a little in the legs and belly. I got a brand new one back within two weeks and no bill.

The lomo sounds great, especially since it is the cheapest. *But* they are out of stock and according to their web site do not expect new shipments until early January. I'm not going to freeze my **s for two months, I need something available now...

Here we go, two recommendations for the two most expensive models on the list. I guess you get what you pay for <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I got the Gul infra last year in London and I paid 200 pounds at http://www.welshharp.co.uk/

Really happy with it and would do the same again.

Having had two that were inexpensive models and didn't hold up for two years, I would say that I wholeheartedly agree with that statement.

The new guls are great with thicker more durable material, brass zippers and glideskin (neoprene) seals.
I don't believe kokotat is yet offering glideskin. It's a huge plus because it elimates the cost of having to replace the tradition latex seals every couple years.

I have an OS Systems drysuit ... Don't know the price (I got it at a pro discount) ... but figure it must have been around 600 to 800 USD about five years ago ... anyway ... great suit, lots of doubled material (butt and knees) ...breathable, diagonal front zipper, etc ... I've used DUI (US) and Northern Diver (UK) for dive suits in subArtic/Antarctic waters ...like both manufacturers ... don't know if they make surface suits ...

This is the only non-dive drysuit I've had and it does great duty ...latex socks (I wear wetsuit boots over), neck, wrist ... brass zip ...

Spent an hour floating as a practice dummy MOB in February waters off NJ (similar to off the UK, I'd say) ... and was relatively fine (all things considered!) ... this also entailed being pulled, yanked and rolled into RIBs several times ... no leaks, no rips, etc.

gary

http://www.ossystems.com/

I was wearing the Musto MPX last weekend (+neopreen gloves&cap).
Even after being on the water for 3 hours I didn't feel cold for a minute (Although it was sunny, it wasn't much warmer than 7-10C).

Wow. Unless you're a complete masochist, you'd be better off making friends with a fireman. They have life-sized (and weighted) dummies for this purpose... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Since I'm on a tangent, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Mike

I have used ravenspring's Rapid suit for four years.
http://www.ravenspring.co.uk/system/index.html
IMHO it's not bad a suit, for the price.

My new Kokatah is definitely better one....

The Kokatat Supernova "semi" drysuit has just been reduced in price at REI (<$340):

http://www.rei.com/product/722283
Supernova

I've used one for the past season and it is really very good for cat sailing. Full beathing, neoprene neck, Tropos (goretex-light) booties instead of latex, front zip, relief zip (mens & womens styles). I will never go back to latex booties!