Arkansas Canoe Club Forums

I have found a great deal on a scuba diving drysuit. Does anyone know if this is something I could safely use for kayaking?

What type of paddling will you be doing? If whitewater, then features such as an over-skirt, cuffs over the gaskets, and extra layers of reinforcement are pretty much a must. For me, a relief zipper would be a must-have.

The biggest difference in a drysuit designed for scuba vs. paddling, is the flexibility of the fabric to allow a very active and wide range of motion. When you are scuba diving, your movements are very small and slow. When paddling, you need a suit that will not hamper your movement or tire or stress you.

I don't know if there might be a range within scuba suits, but the fit and if you will be able to move freely would be the biggest things I would want to look at critically. Even just sitting in a boat might not be comfortable in a suit designed to be worn for full immersion. Will you be able to be flexible enough wearing the suit for all your paddle strokes? If you are working against a thick or not loose fitting fabric, it might really tire you you.

Hope this helps you make a good decision!

Cheers

Assuming it has long legs and long sleeves, it would be restrictive of arm movement. The "Farmer John" (Coverall) type is better for paddling.

You also want to make sure that there are no air dump or inflation valves that would be under your pfd or sprayskirt

Whoops, you said drysuit, not wetsuit. I suspect it's still more restrictive since it has to protect against constant immersion.

probably not "breathable" and +1 on the fragility of the latex

Not sure what your deal is but if it's even half price of what I see on quick search, then spend the money on a suit designed for your sport. Kokatat is a winner. Other brands to be had.

Thanks for all your answers. The cost of the suit is $100. It sounds as if it may be worth buying for other uses, but not for wearing in my kayak. Again, thank you for the assistance. I may be better off just sticking with my drytop and focusing on the other half of a roll. I have the upside down part refined to almost an art form.

Look at what used scuba drysuits are going for on eBay. You might be able to flip it for a profit.