[robertovillate]

Originally Posted by Finnian03

yeah i'm not lookin into spending as much money as kokatat is expecting, trying to keep it around the 5-600 range... i'm going to be kiting alot in pensacola/mobile area and also probably up in new york over the winter. i heard the new pyro pro is good 'cause it can breath easy, eliminating the amount you sweat inside of it

I've had a love/hate relationship with drysuits over the years. Have owned 2 Ocean Rodeo Pyro Pros.
I would not get a suit that did not have some goretex in it for transpiration.
Drysuits require care and maintenance and the seals ($200 usd to replace) do eventually self destruct from sunlight, ozone, exposure to oils in skin/sunscreen, etc.
Zipper MUST be maintained, cleaned and waxed - a very expensive repair $300 usd)
Seal and zipper repairs need to be done by someone experienced and that usually means a lot of time waiting on top of the costs.
Dry suit can get pinholes in fabric, easy to patch, but necessary to check regularly. Need to protect suit from chafing on gear, etc. I never tore a big hole or anything and they are well made and reinforced as well as possible...but it's still thin fabric on most of the suit, so caution advised.

Dry suit Pluses: Love the dry warmth, get into it dry and get out of it dry, layering possible to almost any temperature - but the more bulk underneath makes it less comfortable IMO. Suit drys very fast...if you do a second session, nice to get into a warm dry suit.

but your hands still get cold when it becomes really Baltic - and that in my opinion is the hardest problem to solve. Once air temp is below 45F and you have some wind it's unbearable for me...neoprene gloves help but they are a pain in the arse.

This year I was faced with replacing my drysuit seals to get 2-3 more seasons use out of my Pyro Pro - I decided to get a 6/5/4 hooded super stretch suit instead. For $300. SO now my drysuit is in storage.

I feel MUCH safer with the thick wetsuit especially in big waves, not too worried if I have to scramble on rocks or something, and I don't worry too much about maintenance of the wetsuit, repair is easy with aquaseal, and it is SUPER warm suit - never been cold in it. With the new stretchy neoprene I have a whole new perspective on the thick suits - which are now perfectly comfortable.

Sometimes the "bagginess" of the drysuit can be a bother because it drags in the water a lot. If I were to go with a new drysuit I would look at the Ocean Rodeo surfing model which has a lycra overwrap to make the suit hug the body very tight and better for swimming/paddling - as it was designed for surfing. But I think that suit is over $700 usd. From here on I am sticking with the neoprene and will grimmace a little getting into a still wet neoprene wetsuit sometimes - but it warms up in a minute so no problem.