Arkansas Canoe Club Forums

I've just about settled on the Kokatat Gore-Tex drysuit and am wondering which size to buy. On the sizing chart, I'm pretty much on the border in all parameters between L and XL. Do they tend to run large, meaning an L should do? Should I buy an XL to have room for warm clothes underneath? Thanks in advance for the input.

ask around and see if you can try on a friends kokotat in both sizes
or
if you are shopping locally try on both sizes. This is a big investment and the more tests you make, the better the odds that you will be happy, warm and dry.

my experience is kokotat tends to run a tad large - given that I still think you should try on both sizes and get the one that feels right.

my advice is to have the dry suit pretty loose. Have enough room for the thick fleece layer(s) when it is really cold, I have worn my kokotat in warm days cold water with just thin capaline layer and having the drysuit a bit loose was not a problem.

Several of us were talking yesterday on a long drive. Bottom line we considered things like a dry suit, dry top, good boating shoes etc as critical safety equipment. If a person is wet and cold they set them selves up to make it harder to make good decisions or not perform up to their ability.

An equally important decision is whether to spend the extra money to get a relief zipper and GoreTex booties... DO IT... it's the best money you can spend... after a dry-suit itself!!

Thanks, guys. I spoke with Jeremy at OOO, and he's fixing me up -- at a competitive price, I might add. He's consulting with Kokatat, but is thinking a Large is what they'll recommend.

Crane, I'm definitely splurging for the zipper and booties!

If in doubt or on the border between sizes, get the larger size. Extra room is not a problem, but getting one that doesn't allow 3 layers under it is.

Mine is just right. Can wear it with just swim trunks when it is warmer but the water is cold, to down in the 20'sF with a few layers of Polypropylene and some polyester fleece. Bigger socks are a good idea as well as that lets you wear more layers of socks with out compressing them, but you will need larger Wetsuit booties then to go with them. It was worth doing. I have winter and summer booties just for that reason.

And as you ger older, having a suit you don't have to do a contorsion act to get into helps as well.

Eric Esche

I second Eric's suggestion on sox and larger sized boating shoes

I have a summer sized pair of boating shoes that is large enough for a thick pair of wool sox to fit.

I have a winter sized pair of boating shoes that is large enough for two thick pair of wool sox inside my Kokotat dry suit sewn in footies to fit into without compression of the sox.

When I got the kokotat dry suit with gore tex booties sewn in plus the two pair of wool sox and boating shoes sized so every thing fits ----- I started having warm feet when boating. Very nice

For even better comfort, get a helmet sized up from your summer helmet sufficient to wear one of the neoprene full coverage skin divers head covers that cover head, neck down to the shoulders.


!

I'm in Fort Smith and have one of each size u can try on if u'd like.479-four six one-79five4

I would recommend going to the next size up if you are borderline, especially if you get the booties, which is a great idea. If you are the least bit long-waisted, if you wear a long jacket size, the size L will likey give you some trouble. I was in the same spot you are years ago, and got the L. It was ok, but restricted my movement some. When I added the booties later, it REALLY restricted my movement...bending forward, drawing my knees up, swinging my legs etc. Now I just wear the suit teaching swr, which is great, but it isn't much good for paddling. Don't know where you will fall on this, but do try a lot of range-of-motion testing when you try on the sizes. Put river shoes on over the booties when you are trying out the sizes. The booties will make a big difference, especially with shoes one, because the legs of the suit can't rise up when you flex your legs. Hope this helps and good luck. Once you get the size right, you will LOVE the gore-tex suit with relief zipper and booties.

I'm going to disagree with most of these guys. I bought an XL Kokatat Meridian several years ago at a screaming online deal and it swallowed me whole. I'm 6'-1", 185 lbs. I own an XL Kokatat Gore drytop, and it fits very well. When coupled with the lower half, it was really far too much fabric.

Best bet is to try someone's on, but my IMHO they run true to size or just a tad large.

The zipper and booties are possibly the most important part of a drysuit. You won't be sorry there.

That Amos is always a wild card. Kokatat does offer customized size changes to order, more or less here or there...for a price. About $150 extra, from what I've heard. They have also repaired fabric tears for free.

I got my kokotat gore tex from a outfit in the NW called Kayak Academy.

They sell a ton of kokotat dry suits and do custom work them selves.

It might be worth the time to google them, call them up and discuss what you want out of a dry suit and sizing issues.

they were great to work with, took a tropos dry suit I had just purchased in trade and gave me a really fair trade in price.

Thanks for the input, everyone. Jeremy consulted with Kokatat on my behalf and they recommended the XL for me. It'll be in in a few days and we'll give it a whirl.

Today I had Pakrat re-order a kok. dry suit for me. I'm 6', 160-70 lbs (depending on my alcohol intake) and a large was HUGE! It was close to the size of my sleeping bag.

Picked up my dry suit at OOO today, and the XL was about as close to perfect as you can get for me (not counting the neck gasket, which nearly strangled me while trying it on. Coffee can in place tonight.) Many thanks to Jeremy and Don at Ouachita Outdoor Outfitters for taking good care of me on this purchase. And thanks again to all of you for your valuable input. Now bring on the cold weather so I can try this baby out!

Congrats, David. You just can't beat Kokatat gear, and you just can't beat OOO service. Your research will prove to have been time well spent. Enjoy your winter season!