dry suit

[landcruiser]

Does anyone know of a dry suit that does not use latex seals. Unfortunately after years of wearing latex gloves I've become latex allergic.

Second question - do the Kokotak dry suit sizes allow for room for layering beneath them? I'm 6 foot, at 165 pounds, and going by the chart I could wear a medium or a large. I'm leaning towards the large so I can put many layers beneath it. Any input?

[RomanLA]

This one has a neoprene neck...maybe you could sweet talk them into making neoprene wrist gaskets.

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp? ... eptid=1909

[Eric Esche]

YES, Kokatat dry suits are sized for layering underneath them, but if in doubt, get the larger size. I'm 5'10 and 200 pounds and I got an XL that is rather big on me, but enough to allow several layers of fleece and polypropylene and be comfortable paddleing all winter long. Kokatat makes a very good suit.

There are some of the less expensive suits out there that use neoprene seals instead of latex, and I was told that you can custom order a gore-tex suit with neoprene neck and wrist seals. You aren't the only one out there who is latex sensitive. I was told that the neoprene wrist and neck seals tend not to seal as well as latex and may leak a little, but if you wear synthethics underneath and it is a breathable suit like gore-tex and you are active, you might get away with it for repeated full immersions with minimal leakage. I come out dry in my gore-tex suit and I know I have sweated up a storm on some trips.

My recommendation would be to call Kokatat, NRS, Palm, and Stolquist and ask them for their recommendations as they are the sellers if not also the manufacturers of the suits.

What I have also heard of working (strictly heresay on the river) is to use a medical barrier film to avoid the contact with the latex. You'd think doctor's offices would have run into this and had a solution by now, but then latex gloves are disposible so long term life is not a concern to them. If you go the barrier film route, I'd put some on some latex gloves first as a cheap experiment (wearing something else to protect you of course) and then let it stay there for a week. If it doesn't seem to eat up the gloves, then you could do a possibly very expensive experiment on a drysuit with latex seals. Latex seals get eatten up by many bug sprays and suntan lotions, and you might have to wash the latex seals on a suit and retreat them with Dupont 303 between uses to keep the seals lasting longer if you go this route. IF the barrier film does not eat up the latex gloves, then it might work on the suit seals, if you think you have to go with a latex seal. You might have to reapply the barrier film a few times a day while paddleing to keep from having a reaction.

I've heard that latex sensitivity varies from person to person. Most are topical contact reactions, but I have heard of systemic reactions, which, if that is your level of sensitivity, I would not risk any exposure.

I knew one guy who had a neoprene neck seal but his dry top had latex wrist seals. He got around this by wearing Nitrile gloves that prevented constant contact and said it looked weird to wear blue gloves, but it worked for him. HE was the one who said he had heard of a nitrile neck collar that was for folks who had to wear exposure suits at work and couldn't take the latex at the neck. HE said they also used the nitrile gloves and duct taped them to make sure they sealed which is how he got his trick, except he didn't cut his latex wrist seals out.

It's not a barrier film per se, (at least not toted as such for humans) but I did hear one person at TEFKACS last year say he treated his latex seals with DuPont 303 everytime he got back home on both sides as he found it made them easier to slip on and off and he had been having some type of dermal reaction before he started doing that and had had no further problems since. It was below freezing that morning and he was also bragging about how his seals were not frozen up with ice like someone else's were in the truck next to us. Like I said - river heresay.

Good luck and please let us know what you find out and what works for you.

Eric Esche

[okieboater]

I picked up one of those NRS punch thru neck neoprene with latex wrists on sale last year

I am impressed with this thing. I have worn it quite a bit on cold days and may get some small leaks thru the neck. Not enough to get worried about.

I would like to have the punch thru neoprene wrists as well.

You might contact Kokotat and see if they will do a custom neck and wrist for you. If they will not I bet the good folks at kayak Academy would do it in a flash. A kokotat goretex with these seals would work really well.

When my kokotat gore tex seals give up on me, I might just send it in to kayak academy and get the punch thru neoprenes.

[RomanLA]

I would like to have the punch thru neoprene wrists as well.

That would be nice...love my semi-dry shortie with all neoprene!

[Michele Jackson]

Landcruiser,
I would recommend you buy the size large. My husband is 5'11" and the medium is just long enough, not much room for error. The Large will be very roomy on you I'm sure, but better too large than too small.

MJ