This may seem like a silly question and all, but lets say I were going to be sailing this winter and the temp was about 50 or so. Should I be wearing a wetsuit or drysuit? And if so, what would everyone recommend? I am thinking drysuit, but what do ya'll think?

My opinion, having worn both on different occasions:

Both block wind completely, so there's some warmth gained right there.

Wetsuits only work when you're wet - they keep a layer of warm water against your skin. Jump in, let it fill, then get on with the race. Otherwise, you're just saving your sweat (which can't evaporate) for later. I like a wetsuit for high wind, cool water, but warm air temps (70's) when I'm crewing on a wet boat (like a H16 or Nacra 20). Wetsuits are pretty inexpensive.

Drysuits only keep you as warm as what you're wearing underneath - which is nice, because you can layer up or down depending upon conditions. If you're dry, you're not losing core temp to cold water. Most drysuits are "breathable," so you stay pretty comfortable. I wear a Gore-tex drysuit in a very wide variety of conditions as crew, and any time I'm skipper. Drysuits can be very expensive.

that's my $.02

Thanks John,
What happens if you end up in the water with a dry suit?

I would take a long hard look at the latest in kayaking gear. They are dealing with more condition changes than we. They have come up with some really cool stuff that is reasonably priced. I think that you can get a shell top and bottom and Undergarments that wick any moister away from the body for about $200. Check out REI and look at the NRS Endurance shells and the Mysterioso undergarments. There may be better places to buy them. I just know someone the bought the gear at REI and really likes it. I have yet to decide to get it as I sail mostly in a shorty wetsuit. Ahh the joys of So CAL.

Later,
Dan

You stay dry! Like magic. The first time you fall in the water with a dry suit and get back on the boat and realise you are dry and comfortable is a revelation.

Wet suits work OK with a wind proof layer on top to prevent evaporative cooling. This system is cheaper than a dry suit but less comfortable.

Chris.

Flump stole my thunder a little.....
I sail up here in the Northeast where the water temps are now about 64 and falling quickly.... My wife and son and I sail until it gets unbearable (ie the ice gets in the way) and we sail in a shorty wetsuit and a rashie covered by a spraysuit (all bought in the catsailor store btw). The Spray suit makes all the difference in comfort year round in my opinion. I couldn't see buying a drysuit for the money they charge. I'm sure it's the ultimate but I think the choice is really wetsuit/ wetsuit with spraysuit covering/drysuit. The price differential and comfort is what sold me.
I still wish someone would come up with a PFD/Trap harness...

Greg

John's right. You will eventually want both wet and dry for Florida winter sailing.

Most of us collect enough gear to fill up the back of a large SUV to travel with, and still have another closet full of smelly old gear at home.


A sailing wetsuit and a spraytop will probably give you the most bang for the buck, and offer a good way to start your collection.

I find drysuits so constricting so only move to one when It's too cold for a 3mm wetsuit at around 8-10 degrees C. Lower that that it really is better to have the added heat of a dry suit.

Drysuit too constricting? Are you talking about a neoprene diving dry suit? Forget that! Get a good Goretex dry suit and you will never go back to anything else.

I just sold my two full wetsuits and although I still own a couple of shorty wetsuits - one of them came out of storage once last year while my dry suits were being repaired / maintained. The dry suit is so flexible because it fits just like a loose thin jacket and typically has rubber neck and wrist seals - some have a rubber ankle seal or full latex or gortex bootes. During the last two Tybee500s I wore mine every day...even starting as far south as Islamorada. I started by only wearing a thin silk wicking layer and a pair of shorts under the dry suit. Then I upgraded to a rash guard over the silk layer. Then a fleece upper over the silk. Finally for the last leg to Tybee, I put on a pair of fleece uppers and lowers over the silk layer under the dry suit.

I just don't see why you would wear a wetsuit ... oh...except for the mother nature part. It's a little difficult to pee without undoing something in a drysuit. If you are going to get a dry suit - make sure you don't skimp. There's a pretty large difference between bottom and top shelf when it comes to dry suits.

You know there are two kind of people in this world don't you?.....Those that admit that they pee in their wetsuits and those that lie about it.

Who did you say ended up with your wet suits again?

Greg brings up a good point - a wetsuit without something over it will loose some effectiveness due to water evaporating off the outside. They're designed to be submerged, you know - wind will sap you of some heat unless you put a spray top on. And Chip is right, too - shorty and a spray top was what I wore for several years until I lucked into a drysuit. Great low-cost (relatively) wide-application combo, particularly for Florida racing.

Dan's suggestion is right on, and addresses Scoob's concern a little - Kokatat (predominantly a kayak waterwear company in Cali) makes a great drysuit that I find to be very comfortable to wear. They also have top-shelf customer service - had my drysuit for four years, sent it in to get new seals, and they told me they didn't like the way the interior fabric was wearing (I couldn't even see what they were talking about). They warrantied the whole suit and made me a new one.

And Jake - RELIEF ZIPPER, BABY! Has saved my concentration more than once. If I'm in conditions that prevent me from unzipping for a minute to pee, then I'm very likely too busy to worry about it anyway.

Oh, and I could pee out of the shorty with a little effort.

I think it was Gary F. who said that there are two types of wetsuit-users, the last time we discussed this.

The one's who pee in their wetsuits, and the ones who lies..


We usually have two-three weeks a year when we can sail in shorts/t-shirts/spray-tops. The rest of the time it's drysuits.
We could use wetsuits during summer, but contrary to Simon I find them confining, really moist (literally bathing in your own sweat) and hot when it's sunny (I also get sore nipples after a while, but perhaps I shouldn't mention that ).
In really cold weather, only the drysuit will be comfortable.

The next drysuit I buy will be a breathable kayaking suit.

I have had both for about 15 years now. I find that the a farmer john wetsuit, underarmor shirt and non-gasket semi-dry top is the most versitile. It is usable up to 85-90 if you are getting sprayed and down to around 55-60 degrees if relatively dry. One big advantage is that it protects from abrasions especially in rough weather. It also "sticks" to the tramp in those unplanned wild-thing moves. Even a beatup old wetsuit with holes remains servicable.

Dry suits are great below 60 degrees and allow you to layer to any temps short of hard water. The are much more slippery on the tramp and protect less from sidestays/boards/blocks that you abruptly come into contact with. I have found the gaskets only lasting a few seasons and are expensive to replace.

A shorty is nice to have for anything above 85 mostly for the body protection.

I am realitively temperature tolerant... my wife would be in the drysuit in anything below 85 degrees.

Guys and gals can now get wet suits with relief zippers at: www.nrsweb.com . Very good quality suits, and a great staff to back them up. When you call them, it's not some clerk/operator that's never been on the water, it's someone that uses NRS products, and can tell you their experience. They also have drysuits with relief zippers!While I do tell the occasional lie, I do not pee in my wet suit!

Well...yeah - but you still have to put something down to access it. Unlike a wetsuit.

While I can understand the "wetsuit procedure" on a distance race in rough conditions, I dont see it as relevant on around the bouyos racing?

I mean, if I relief myself before I go out, I dont need to go again in the next hours. Usually there's plenty of time between races to unzip and get rid of the extra weight as well. What am I missing?

I dunno Rolf ......... Hmmmmmm. Good Beer?

If you drink alkohol, coffe, tee or other substances driving water from your body, _before_ you go out racing.. Well, you are asking for it and deserves a "wet" suit

I would advise considering wearing a light wetsuit under your drysuit if it is really cold. You should always consider the possibility that you might tear the drysuit, which then turns it into a wind/spraysuit really quickly. A tear can also make you very heavy when the thing fills up with water. I have been out of sailing for a few years now and am interested in seeing what gear improvements have been made. I will def be checking out what the kayakers have to offer.

Yes.

I find that my wetsuit moves with me (as it's essentially stuck to me) where as my drysuit is always "flapping" around me (not literally); I just find that not having the material right next to me can get in the way as I don't know exactly where it is all the time - I still prefer a warm drysuit to a cold wetsuit !