Obviously water season is a ways off in MT but am beginning to wonder which direction to take for kiting water this spring. I don't know anything about dry suits.
Which brands and types are best?
What should I look for & avoid in dry suit technology?
Does >$$ = >quality? or is there a lot of overhype to avoid?

Is there any advantage to wet suit other than cost?
Are there wet suits which are comparable in warmth to dry suits?
Thanks

Dave,
Wet suits are nice but I like the dry suit the best. For a wet suit to be as warm as a dry suit you have to get a thick one and that then limits your movement. Try and get a dry suit with a front zipper. It sucks having to have someone else zip you in and out all the time. One thing that some riders are using are the half wet suit half dry suit set up. They have dry suit tops attached to wet suit bottoms. People seem to like these setups but I haven't tried one myself. Dry suits are definitely going to run you more. Generally between $300-$600 for a good one. If you buy used really check the seams and gaskets first. If the gaskets aren't good and tight around your ankles neck and wrists then you will have leaks. Also dry suits will last you for a long time as long as you take care of it. Wet suits depending on the type you get can wear out faster. I have the ability to get some dry suits and wet suits I just haven't had enough of a demand for them yet. I can look into it for you though if you decide on getting something.

Hey Dave-
Kind of a tough call but after years of beating on suits I gotta vote for the full neoprene wetsuit-style-sort-of-dry-drysuit.
I've had full baggies, a couple of Bare suits with neo bottoms welded to nylon tops, and several full neo suits. Like everything there's give and take with both.
If your going to spend a lot of time in super cold water and super cold air then you should get a full nylon/baggy suit. Laurels got one that's got built in feet. You can throw some pile on underneath and other than sweat you stay pretty much bone dry. Personally I hate em! Good mobility but they drive me nuts and any leak means your done. Good ones are expensive and the gaskets are a total pain in the ass. The wrists, neck and ankles all break down, delam from the nylon and leak. If you're super anal, keep em out of the sun, and keep em treated you might get an extra year out of them but they've never stood up to windsurfing and my mistreatment of them. Plus if the neck gasket's tight enough to be nice and waterproof it always feels like your eyes are popping out of your head. If you get a nylon one you HAVE to bring a backup! Between windsurfing and kayaking I've seen dozens of people blow there necks or wrists out while they were putting them on. I ripped the neck out of my last half and half Bare the first time I put it on.
Full neoprene drysuits are by no means completely dry but they can last for years and a good 5 mil suit is plenty warm for most any weather I want to play in. Not much colder than 50 degree water when the air's not much colder than fifty.
My biggest piece of advice when buying a suit, especially a neoprene one, is to try them on first and get em roomy. A couple of the suit manufacturers sizing specs are freaking crazy. If you get em too tight then they're too constricting and you also might tear them up taking em on and off.
If you get to the Gorge next year go into Pro-limits' shop and check out their stuff. I bought my last 4/5 drysuit from em a couple years ago on closeout for around 200 bills.
I thought your name was Lew.

bob

Ummph - time flies - its time to get pretty serious about a suit so I'm wondering if there's a brand who's quality is really there & should be my 1st consideration? Thanks for all the info. Don't think I'll buy used - sounds way too risky + seems like they get kinda slimy on the inside - not sure I'd want to wiggle into someboady else's body slime. My thinking on this kind of thing is if there's a quality thing out there that is heads & shoulders above everything else its probably worth plinking down the extra change. If there's lots of similarities then go for the best $$ deal.

I'll chime in again.
My favorite of all time is is the Oneill Oasis neoprene suit but I don't think you can get them anymore. Oneill makes a new hybrid called an Assault that I don't know much about. Read a good review about it on a windsurfing site.

Bare's hybrid (half neoprene half baggy) is called a Polarheat or something like that. I've owned one and liked it ok other than having to get the neck repaired after one use. Lot's of people I know have owned and loved them. Laurels still got one that she uses quite a bit but the legs are too short. Or hers are too long.

She just ordered a promotion and it looks sweet. They have mens closeouts on sale but they might be in a medium only. Which is what I bought. 5'6"/150 lbs

I think Neil Pryde still makes a drysuit. The zippers used to suck but I think they're putting old-school brass dryzips in em now.

Promotion said they (and alot of companys) are kinda getting out of the drysuit business as the wetsuits are becoming so advanced. You can buy a surf suit in a 6/5 mm that's more comfy than my old Oneill 4/3 drysuit. The new stretchy material is incredible.

I bought a Prolimits 5/4 Global steamer last summer that's certainly more comfortable, way easier to take on and off, and nearly as warm as my 5/4 Promotion drysuit.

I guess if i wanted a kind of do-it-all suit and planned on getting into some really cold water I'd get the Bare polarheat. Gary's been out a couple times in his this year and said he was fine. After repairing all his gaskets this winter!
If you want a no-hassle, last for several years suit get a full neo promotion or something similar. Get it plenty roomy so you can wear some thin pyle or poly-pro underneath.
Socks and booties layered with latex booties keep your feet warm and whatever kind of gloves you can get away with.

The hood is the key. Get a Bare 2mm hood. You can go out in cold conditions with any of those suits and still go from steaming to freezing and back to steaming by simply peeling off your hood for a few minutes and putting it back on again.