Dry Suit, Wet Suit ????

I am 48 years old and have never had to think about getting into the cold water until I elected to acquire a Hobie Bravo, which will be sailed on a spring-fed lake in the Pacific Northwest. I am totally ignorant of the virtues of "dry" suits versus "wet" suits. Anyone willing to give me a "primer" as to what I should be in the market for in terms of Spring/Fall sailing in cold water on a Bravo?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

PDXSpencer

Hi Spencer,

I just went through this same learning process, so that puts me on the n00b level as far as dry suits goes. I have used wet suits for years in diving (in warmer waters), and noticed that some of the local Hobie sailors in the Pittsburgh area used wet suits. Great, I thought, I've got one so I'm good. Not so.

A wet suit keeps you warm by allowing a layer of water between you and the suit, with your body warming that water and the outside neoprene providing insulation. As water temps drop and wind speeds pick up, a wet suit has the (possible) tendency to allow evaporating water to cool you, however. In cold waters or even cool air here in Florida in the winter, this can mean hypothermia at the extreme end.

In contrast, a dry suit keeps water from reaching your skin. Without insulation between you and the suit, you can still get cold (depending on the temp on the outside of the suit) but that is controllable with insulation on the inside of the suit; some suits have built in insulation and those without can add a fleece or even just a thin garment of some sort. Your own efforts will create warmth inside the suit, too.

Paddlers, who can be immersed in cold water, have loads of high end dry suits to choose from. As a TI owner, I don't have that same need (but I do get wet) so I went with a dry pant (Kokotat) that cost only $180 or so. (I'm cheap, but they came highly recommended and that price point is actually very low in the scheme of things..) I found a top on close out for a bit less than that, so all in, I've got $325 or so. (Each seam is signed on these garments, which gives an idea of the level of quality and care given to their construction, so that helps explain just why they cost what they do...and these are on the less expensive end of the spectrum!)

So there you have it. I am sure that others will chime in - certainly they will be more knowledgeable and experienced - but hopefully this helps from a n00b's perspective.

Another thing about wet suites especially here in florida is they become increasingly un comfortable the longer you wear them. Since you are damp and wet when they are on at least in my case chaffing and rashes start after about two hrs and get worse as time goes on. Also if it is windy and your out of the water you will get cold (evaporation). On cold windy days I have the wet suit underneath then put on a thin rubber outer garment and pants (called a duck suit (at least thats what is written on the bag). I tend to stay home if the water is below 75, and in the winter (january) only go out on bright sunny days (70's-80's) with very light winds.

On those days it's too warm for a wet suit or a dry suit, so I typically store my shorty wetsuit behind my seat. In the event of a capsize I can slip it on in the water if neccessary. Dry suits must be completely sealed at all times in order to work, otherwise they just fill with water and you instantly gain 60 lbs (good luck climbing back in the kayak). On a warm sunny day (mid 70's-low 80's) wearing a full dry suit all sealed up would be like a sauna.


Keep in mind I am only talking about water 72 or higher, and sunny temps (over 75) and very light winds only,,, otherwise we stay home in the dead of winter. Don't know what others do, I think any water temp below 75 can be
dangerous, and immersion precautions need to be thought about. We keep our pool at 87f and typically don't dive in any water less than 85f (we are divers).


Honestly I didn't know about any of this hypothermia stuff until after moving to Florida. Growing up in Canada we would swim all day in my parents pool and lakes once the water got to around 65f, and I don't recall going anywhere where the water was over 75 even in August. Maybe ignorance is bliss, we had no idea we were in grave danger. Spent most of my life up there as an avid canoer and spent most of every summer on my sunfish sailboat growing up, never heard of dry suits, and only wore wet suits when scuba diving (I was a master scuba dive instructor at age 17 for the YMCA) Had no clue about any of this stuff until after I moved to Florida ten yrs ago. Who the heck knew I was in grave danger all that time.
(Now I'm kind of PO'ed at my parents for not telling me (60 yrs ago)).
FE

I live in northern Japan and sail before the water temperatures have had a chance to warm up much. Water temperatures this time of year are below 40F. I use a dry suit with warm clothing under the dry suit and a jacket over it. In 45 degrees it was comfortable, except for my feet which got a bit cold. I couldn't find my neoprene socks so only had 2mm of protection.

One time, sailing in 28F, it was a bit chilly mainly in the face and hands as we were sailing in windblown light snow without face covering. 2mm neoprene gloves didn't do the job and dealing with freezing ropes was no fun. A video of that experience is here:


In the description there are some comments about what we would do differently next time (this year). This year I waited until land temperatures were 45F though water temperatures were lower. I have never used a wet suit or a semi dry suit, but in this climate a dry suite is great!

...mark...

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...mark...

Enjoying a 2012 TI
w/ hakas, a stainless steel
mast topper & furling jib