Kokatat warranty

[josko]

My Kokatat (2012 Meridian) dry suit leaks in more places than not. It's time to send it back. I've heard that Kokatat's gotten quite  'difficult' wrt warranty repairs. Has anyone been through the proceduree recently, and how did it work out? Just curious what I'm up against.

Edited March 31, 2021 by josko

[Joseph Berkovitz]

My understanding is that leaks from wear and tear were never covered under the warranty. The only thing they will replace for, that I know of, is delamination of the waterproofing material due to manufacturing issues, which happened to me and I know has happened to others.

[mhabich]

I just sent my drysuit in for gaskets.  Didn't ask them to check it for leaks, as it's been fine.  They emailed to say that the fabric had separated and that my suit was in good enough condition to be replaced by a new one under warranty, but lead time is 12 weeks.  They've had serious delays from their material supplier, and they're out of stock, as are their dealers across the country.  I found one in stock and ordered it, and will get my warranty replacement later.

So, Kokatat still backs their product.  As Joe said, they never did cover wear and tear.

[billvoss]

On 3/31/2021 at 1:05 PM, josko said:

 'difficult' wrt warranty repairs.

As I understand it.  Most of the "lottery winners" who get new suits are actually claiming under the Gore fabric warranty, where Gore pays Kokatat to replace the suit.  A few years ago now, Gore cracked down on Kokatat and made them verify that the "original purchaser" was in fact the "original purchaser."  That is when Kokatat started insisting on receiving a copy of the original sales receipt for warranty claims.  If you have your receipt you should be good.  If you cannot document your purchase, Kokatat may be "difficult."

The actual Kokatat warranty is basically if they goofed they fix it.  However, the big benefit is Kokatat offers REPAIRS FOR A REASONABLE CHARGE.

Quote

All Kokatat products are fully guaranteed to the original owner against defects in materials and workmanship for the reasonable life of the item. Products found to be defective will be repaired or replaced at Kokatat’s option. Repairs due to normal wear and tear, accident, abuse, etc., will be made for a reasonable charge. Latex gaskets are not covered by the Kokatat warranty. There is a 2 year limited warranty on all Hydrus 2.5 suits. Kokatat specifically disavows any other representative warranty or liability relative to the condition or use of the product.