Drysuits ??

[Upper Michigan Prostar190]

What can anyone tell me about Drysuits?? as I live in Upper Michigan, It gets cold here in teh fall and I want to extend my ski season as much as possible. I want to buy a Dry suit, dry gloves, and dry socks. Is there any recommendations you have? What brands are good, which are bad?

What style do you recommend?? I dont know alot about this, so I am really interested in learning. I want to research it now, so I can make the right choice and buy one to have ready for the fall season (which happens MUCH quicker than for most of you :eek: )

ANy input is much appreicated!!!! :)

[betsy&david Harrison]

We had the bag style one and the seals didn't last long. I now have a neoprene drysuit and I love it. It is very toasty. I'll have to look at it this weekend to see who makes it. It has lasted me a very long time though compared to the bag...OS I think it was.

[Upper Michigan Prostar190]

so with neoprene drysuits do you need any insulation layers under it? like polar fleece or Cold Gear under armour long underwear??

I wont buy a baggy style for sure, thats got to be too much drag.

Thanks for hte help! keep the ideas coming in! :D

[jraben8]

I have a bag but it is more fitted than most. It is also has fleece lined on the inside of it that is not removable. It's actually a Polaris brand that was originally sold as a jet ski suit but has worked very well for 2 winters for me.

[betsy&david Harrison]

I just wear a tshirt under mine and I'm fine. Now my water does get cold. One year there were pieces of ice on it. The feet were hate'n it.

[tex]

What can anyone tell me about Drysuits?? as I live in Upper Michigan, It gets cold here in teh fall and I want to extend my ski season as much as possible. I want to buy a Dry suit, dry gloves, and dry socks. Is there any recommendations you have? What brands are good, which are bad?

What style do you recommend?? I dont know alot about this, so I am really interested in learning. I want to research it now, so I can make the right choice and buy one to have ready for the fall season (which happens MUCH quicker than for most of you :eek: )

ANy input is much appreicated!!!! :)

What kind of skiing do you do most?

[Upper Michigan Prostar190]

All slalom sking Tex. thats all I do. No barefoot, no wake board, no knee board.

[ematthew]

I have used the baggy drysuit with rubber seals successfully for many years. I wear fleece pants and top underneath, and have been comfortable in water down to 48 degrees, except for cold hands and feet. I have only broken the ankle seal once. I just lube them really well with binding lube prior to pulling them over my feet carefully.

[AirJunky]

It depends on where you live & how cold your air & water temps get. I've used the baggy, neo & combo suits over the years & all have their place.
The neo & combo (baggy on top with neo legs) are definitely the most comfortable but you cannot layer up inside them so their only good for pretty moderate temps.
The baggy style suits are made to layer up inside & are good for extreme temps. We ride in 30 degree water & 20 degree air temps every year without problems. You'll need to spray silicone on the seals & seal them up in a plastic bag (so they are not in the air) during the off season to keep things doing good.
We use Wiley's suits (http://www.wileyski.com/cgi-bin/dmagic/dmagic.cgi?user=wiley&dm_form_name=listitem&criteria_1=category%20is_equal_to%20drysuit) which are made at a factory in Oregon who also makes suits for OS Systems, USIA & Adrenaline Watersports. Materials in each are the same, just different patterns.

[Upper Michigan Prostar190]

Well its gonna get pretty cold here. Thats why I want to ask here, to know wahts best for me. Is the baggy style better that I can wear some Under Armour Cold Gear with fleece under?? or should I just wear some under armour under a Neo style drysuit?? or can you even fit any long underwear under a neo style? are they too tight?

Are the baggy style harder to get out of the water and ski with?

Its gonna be cold out there and either the neo style has to provide enough insulation to keep me warm or I need to be able to wear a layer under it.

any more ideas??

[AirJunky]

I've never noticed that the suit caused me a problem getting up. The fact that it's butt cold out definitely is more on my mind!!

As for layering up in a neo suit...... possibly with some long underwear, something thin that will fit under that suit. I have an O'Neill neo suit & we call it a "semi-drysuit" because you only stay semi-dry.

I ride in my baggy with my Levi's & a sweatshirt on. 1/2 the time I forget & leave my wallet & cell phone in my pocket too. And when I peel the suit off, I'm warm & dry & just need a jacket & shoes.

[USC8791]

I wear thermal underwear under my Wet Tech neoprene drysuit. I've heard that the bag suits have a bit of drag to them. Bare makes a hybrid, bag top neoprene bottom, that may be a good choice.

[JohnnyB]

I would recommend you look at the combo suits. I am a barefooter and slalom skier. I love my baggy for barefooting but absolutely hate slaloming in it with all the extra material around me legs, and the extra drag it creates as well.

I am actually looking to buy a used combo suit to slalom with. The nice thing is you can layer heavy with cloths on the top half....

my :twocents:

[jpattigr]

I have a Neil Pryde Neo Drysuit and love it, but like the O'Neill suit (which is built by NP anyway) it is semi dry. If you ski hard you will drive a bit of water past seals and you maybe damp inside. However, I can stay in 40 degree water all day except your hands and feet will get cold.
I think the best bet would be to own both styles and use the Baggy suit for casual skiing, and Neo when skiing the course!!

Either way, here where the water gets cold you need a drysuit to make life great. You will wonder why you ever went without one after you have one. :)

[Upper Michigan Prostar190]

I dont ski a course, so thats not a concern.

I just want to stay warm and dry!!!!

I was looking into those dry gloves, and dry socks too. I see wileys has those. Anyone have any ideas on those??? :confused: that would keep my hands an feet warm....or at least they are supposed to keep them dry and warm

[jamisonsbrodie]

I use a bag style and have for years, but my next suit will be an O'neil Assault-Baggy on top, and tight on the bottom. There is a lot less drag when getting up, and you can still layer underneath. It is a dry, not semi-dry.

[shepherd]

Don't forget a hood to cover your head and ears! :eek:
I used a baggy suit a couple times before moving to FL. It was great in that I was able to wear sweatshirts, long underwear, etc. And they mostly stayed dry and kept me warm.

But your head will get wet -- what's the wind chill on a wet head in 35 degree air at 50 mph? :( I remember it was painful.
Also, I didn't particularly like skiing with all that excess material flapping around -- I really felt weighted down.
But it's better than not skiing at all!!!

[AirJunky]

Heres a shot of Santa feelin the drag..... :dance:

OK, maybe not the best pic but thought it was funny. I had several of these suits custom made by Adrenaline Watersports & we use them about 5 times a year, going on the 4th year now. They are made big because Santa is a big guy..... who would believe it if he was a little skinny guy!? :D

[AirJunky]

So I'll include another one of my brother bustin it out in a drysuit. Pretty good example of how restricting they AREN'T!

[tex]

I have a neo one and love it. I generally wear a tee shirt under a thin spring suit with no sleeves. i put the neo suit on over this. a little baby powder in the seals will let them slide on easy. The most important thing is not to let anyone else wear it. I got mine in 1992 and the seals are still good. I used it daily in Germany and if you take good care of it, it will last!

[Upper Michigan Prostar190]

Im starting to gather that either the full Neo or the Combo neo bottom/baggy top is the way to go. I have these awesome long underwear made by Under Armour called "cold gear" and they freakin' rule!! they are tight fit(compression fit) and they are so dam comfortable and really circulate body heat well. I think they would be very good to wear under the Neo full suit or Combo suit. with the combo suit, I could fit a sweatshirt under there too, or a fleece.

and YES :) I most CERTAINLY plan to wear a drysuit hood to keep my head warm, and dry socks, and dry gloves. I was thinking about wearing a pair of my snow ski goggles too, to help keep the cold off my face. the windchill factor must really suck!!

[AirJunky]

Just be sure to get the velcro strips to seal up the ankles, Don. Otherwise you canl get water shooting up the ankles & soaking those long johns!
One thing I hate is changing clothes in the boat while it's cold. But if you want to live in that suit for a while (which I don't), it's not a problem
Good luck!