Suz Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Not to change the subject but... Werner's suit needs three new gaskets and should have been sent in for repairs this summer but someone wouldn't let me. So, today I cut the gaskets out of the suit and washed and DRIED the drysuit and my oh my, it looks spiffy! Washed up nice as can be and is clean and even beads up still. Got my RA # last night and am able to box this right up as it is already dry. I am hoping to get it back before he notices that it is gone. I was told the turn around time is about 1.5 weeks right now. Of course I have a loaner for him but that has been refused. Suz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NPSheehan Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Hi Suz, What did you use to wash it? I washed mine yesterday with NikWax Tech Wash and after making sure it was completely dry shipped it out to Kokatat today. It did look nice all clean and spiffy too. I hated to send it away though so I can really sympathize with Werner. I hope to get it back before March and already miss it Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suz Posted January 26, 2010 Author Share Posted January 26, 2010 Hi Suz, What did you use to wash it? I washed mine yesterday with NikWax Tech Wash and after making sure it was completely dry shipped it out to Kokatat today. It did look nice all clean and spiffy too. I hated to send it away though so I can really sympathize with Werner. I hope to get it back before March and already miss it Neil I used ALL Free and Clear. The Tech Wash is a good product, just didn't have any around. You can use anything that doesn't have bleach or bleach substitute in it. Best to use a SOAP rather than a detergent but they are hard to find commercially. Woollite and Ivory Snow are not soaps... If you need a loaner, give a holler and I will spot you one. Suz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NPSheehan Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Thanks for the loaner offer and I may take you up on it if Kokatat tells me I won't get it back before March. I'm not planning to kayak in February as I have skiing on my mind right now however that could change if we get more warm weather and no increase in snow. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Allen Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 OK Suz, For those of us that a) sweat and b ) don't plan on cutting off our gaskets anytime soon , what's the best protocol for washing our kokatat drysuits? I much appreciated mine last saturday, but it does get dirty. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyork Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 ....washed and DRIED the drysuit... Suz All caps DRIED suggests it wasn't air-dried? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 OK Suz, For those of us that a) sweat and b ) don't plan on cutting off our gaskets anytime soon , what's the best protocol for washing our kokatat drysuits? I much appreciated mine last saturday, but it does get dirty. Phil Most of the time I just hand wash it in fresh water, then air dry it. When the hand washing isn't enough, I use my front load washer with Tech-Wash and then air dry it. -Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suz Posted January 26, 2010 Author Share Posted January 26, 2010 All caps DRIED suggests it wasn't air-dried? Yes - dryer is fine if no gaskets. The heat allows the DWR to come back to the surface. I would have thought that the DWR was long gone on his suit but it looked really good after a thorough washing and drying. I do use a front loader for the washing machine - no agitator. And did both right side out and then again the stinky INSIDE out to remove the sweaty stuff. For more specific, instructions, Kokatat has nice directions on their website. They update the instructions as they change over time. So better to look there than have me write up and it becomes out of date but still viewed on our website. Suz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Yes - dryer is fine if no gaskets. The heat allows the DWR to come back to the surface. I would have thought that the DWR was long gone on his suit but it looked really good after a thorough washing and drying. I do use a front loader for the washing machine - no agitator. And did both right side out and then again the stinky INSIDE out to remove the sweaty stuff. For more specific, instructions, Kokatat has nice directions on their website. They update the instructions as they change over time. So better to look there than have me write up and it becomes out of date but still viewed on our website. Suz Just to make it quicker to find the directions this is a link: http://www.kokatat.com/customer_service_care.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suz Posted January 27, 2010 Author Share Posted January 27, 2010 Just to make it quicker to find the directions this is a link: http://www.kokatat.com/customer_service_care.asp Thanks Jason. Even if you can't do a full rinse of inside and out after wearing, at a minimum, give the suit a rinse on the outside before you take it off. Just carry a gallon of fresh water in your car and rinse the outside quickly. It is a PITA to really rinse it in the house at this time of year unless you have a utility sink inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 Thanks Jason. Even if you can't do a full rinse of inside and out after wearing, at a minimum, give the suit a rinse on the outside before you take it off. Just carry a gallon of fresh water in your car and rinse the outside quickly. It is a PITA to really rinse it in the house at this time of year unless you have a utility sink inside. I setup a Rubbermaid tote in the tub and rinse everything. After I am done rinsing everything I carefully empty the water out attempting to leave most of the sand in the tote. It's best to keep the sand from collecting in the Tub Trap. A simple container like this make a great way to transport the gear in the car then to was the gear out when your done: http://www.rubbermaid.com/Category/Pages/P...rod_ID=RP091418 It's much nicer to have a clean dry suit, when your read for the next paddle. When I dry my dry suit I I hang it inside out then flip it back correct side out. That way if your getting on the water the next day at least the side that's against you is clean and dry. If you have more time getting the two sides clean and dry prevents bad things from growing in it. -Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyork Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 I setup a Rubbermaid tote in the tub and rinse everything. -Jason Ditto. I'm sure I have a reputation of being too meticulous (recall the comical images of my new kayak resting atop noodles on the blacktop!). ALL my salt water/air-exposed gear gets a dunk in the freshwater tub after EVERY saltwater paddle. No proof that it prolongs the life of my gear, but, like global warming issue, what if? Admittedly, don't get to the sea often enough, but given the dollars I've spent on all the gear, it deserves extra attention. Not sure I'd be so obsessive if I paddled with the frequency of Kevin and others, but that's my practice (I can't help it!). Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NPSheehan Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 What? You mean everyone doesn't don their drysuits and get into a cold shower when they get home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suz Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 Ditto. I'm sure I have a reputation of being too meticulous (recall the comical images of my new kayak resting atop noodles on the blacktop!). Gary I do remember that! Just curious, do you still do that? And rinsing really does protect the gear. I think important in both salt and lake and pond water (notice I didn't say fresh!). My gear gets stinky and moldy when I paddle in fresh water w/o rinsing. When paddling in salt w/o rinsing, just decrease it's life span and makes it stiff and gritty. Suz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyork Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 do you still do that? Suz Nope, but still prefer not to drag along a gravel beach, or load a sand-encrusted kayak atop my car. As I said before, I can't help it. Or in the words of Popeye "I yam who I yam" (whose favorite vegetable BTW is Sweet Potato, not to be confused with Sweet Pea, whose genetic linkage to either Bluto or Pops is still a mystery to me). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pintail Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Gary, I always thought Popeye (whomsoever he might be!) loved <spinach>? Are you sure about sweet potatoes? Why would you ever load a sand-encrusted boat onto your car? If you lift the boat out of the <water>, you will rinse off the sand, surely? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambor Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 What? You mean everyone doesn't don their drysuits and get into a cold shower when they get home Storing that idea in my quirky memory vault Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kate Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 A sidewise inclusion in this thread: I was helping someone learn to roll last fall and while standing in the water over the course of about 45 minutes, both booties in my Kokatat drysuit filled with water. When I got home I turned the suit inside-out and filled the legs with water to look for leaks. A few small pinpoints but I couldn't find a real problem. Next time I used it, the wrist gasket blew (I'd replaced the neck gasket the year before). I figured that after 5 years of hard use it was time to send the suit back to Kokatat for a thorough repair of leaks. I contacted them and got the authorization number and sent the suit. A week later I received an email telling me that the gore-tex had delaminated in many places. They said this has generally not been due to customer use but rather due to a faulty batch of gore-tex. So they sent me a brand-new suit exactly like the old one, for free. That is what I call customer service. Kokatat. Good stuff. Kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grl Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Mine must have been made in the same batch! Gaskets were okay, but boy did it fill up with water in October! Sent it to Kokatat and they returned a brand new one. Delamination of the fabric. Customer service is superb, and their gear excellent. Gail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Nystrom Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 Mine must have been made in the same batch! Gaskets were okay, but boy did it fill up with water in October! Sent it to Kokatat and they returned a brand new one. Delamination of the fabric. Customer service is superb, and their gear excellent. Gail While I certainly agree that Kokatat's service is excellent, I just want to point out that the reason they can do this is that Gore covers the fabric with a lifetime warranty against delamination and other defects. That's why it's worth the extra money to buy Gore-Tex products. In my own case, I had a Stohlquist dry suit that delaminated, but they don't make Gore-Tex suits any longer. When I contacted Gore, they examined the suit, agreed that it was delaminating and they replaced it with a Kokatat Expedition (my choice) at no charge. THAT'S what I call outstanding customer service! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NPSheehan Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 I am also a big fan of Kokatat and their Customer Service. I also had a problem with my 2 year old Kokatat EPP dry suit and after inspection and determining there was delamination they are building me a new custom tailored dry suit to replace my original. With that said my girlfriend has a Palm Sidewinder that also had some delamination issues. Palm acknowledged there was a problem with material they used when this dry suit was made and is also replacing her dry suit free of charge. The palm dry suit was not Gore-Tex but Palm also stands by their products. A very Happy Kokatat products owner Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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