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Old 12-11-2009, 02:05 PM
Finnian03
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Default Better drysuit

so i'm lookin to invest in a drysuit for the upcoming winter, and i was wonderin if anyone could help me out. i've looked into the ocean rodeo pyro pro and the npx lucifer. the lucifer looks to be a new kind of suit, so i'm not sure much about it or any imperfections. any suggestions??
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Old 12-11-2009, 04:59 PM
Unimog Bob Unimog Bob is offline
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I just bought a wetsuit to replace the O.R. Pyro. I wore it (the Pyro) twice.
I can't see many advantages to a drysuit (if any) in our area.
But, maybe someone with better experiences with one can help you out.

I myself found more disadvantages to them (considering our temps.) One huge one being that I wasn't dry (not even close)- either from sweat or leakage.
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Old 12-11-2009, 08:53 PM
Whitey Whitey is offline
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kokatat if you want the best. Only down side is huge expense. I ride all day and wear the clothes home that I had on under the suite during the session. Not wet inside because they are made of gortex and let the moisture from sweat out.

Last edited by Whitey; 12-25-2009 at 09:27 AM.
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Old 12-12-2009, 01:09 AM
Finnian03
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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
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Old 12-17-2009, 09:21 PM
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Steve-O Steve-O is offline
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I meant to post on this earlier.

Some things I have learned about dry suits.

1. If you take a big wipeout, there is a good chance your going to get water inside. Not alot, but enough to annoy the hell out of you.

2. The definately keep you warm. If I lived anywhere from the North Florida norhtward, I would have one for sure.

3. Make sure the suit has a zipper near the crotch to take a piss and not have to peel the upper part of the suit off.

Good luck on your search, I have had a Gul for 3 seasons now and have had no problems, although others have had issues with their Gul suits.

Zipper location is key. The NPX would be my vote. Looks sick.
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Old 12-30-2009, 05:55 PM
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Jake Jake is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve-O View Post
3. Make sure the suit has a zipper near the crotch to take a piss and not have to peel the upper part of the suit off.
.
If you don't want to stop to take a leak you can always wear Depends. On the program Dirty Jobs they were using dry suits to retrieve cars that had fallen through the ice and adult diapers were recommended (probably joking around?).
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Old 12-30-2009, 06:42 PM
robertovillate robertovillate is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Finnian03 View Post
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.
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  #8  
Old 12-31-2009, 07:27 AM
noel noel is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Finnian03 View Post
so i'm lookin to invest in a drysuit for the upcoming winter, and i was wonderin if anyone could help me out. i've looked into the ocean rodeo pyro pro and the npx lucifer. the lucifer looks to be a new kind of suit, so i'm not sure much about it or any imperfections. any suggestions??
Finn,

I have an OR Pyro that I haven't worn in over 2 years. The suit looks like new but needs seals. They cost about $100.00 from OR and you can do it your self. I'm looking to sell it as I have no need for it. If you want it, you can have it for $150.00 the way it is or $275.00 if you want me to fix it. Let me know.

noel
noel@othersideboardsports.com
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