New Kokatat Drysuit

[Bill H]

My new drysuit is very tight in the neck and was wondering if stretching the neck gasket was a possibility or should I just start cutting the rings. On my old Palm drysuit I think I had to cut off 3 rings. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Bill H

[jdkilroy]

Hi Bill,

Congrats on your new suit; I think you will love it.

It is generally not recommended to try to stretch the gasket to fit unless it is already VERY close to desired size and then just wearing it for a while will get you where you need to be.

If the gasket is just plain to tight then trimming with really sharp scissors, a little at a time, is best.

See you on the water, Jon

[Bill Gwynn]

From Kokatat's website:

Neck gaskets are designed to be trimmed to fit. If you feel as though you are getting less oxygen than normal when wearing the gasket, you may want to trim your gasket. Turn your garment inside-out, and notice the rings running parallel down the gaskets. Make all cuts in-between the rings. Be sure to closely visually inspect the trimmed edge for nicks; the cut must be straight. Nicks need to be trimmed out before you try it on. Be careful and cut one ring at a time until you get it right; you can't put the latex back on! Wrist gaskets are not designed to be trimmed: try stretching the wrist gaskets over a form (can or bottle) before using the garment. If you have questions, please call us before trimming your gasket.

[Brian Nystrom]

That's interesting, as Kokatat was the big promoter of stretching neck seals in the past. I guess they finally figured out that it doesn't work for most people. Good for them.

Although wrist seals are not designed the same as neck seals, they can be trimmed. I have yet to find a wrist seal the fits me comfortably, stretched or not, so trimming is my only option. I've done it on three dry suits and two dry tops without any problems.

[jason]

That's interesting, as Kokatat was the big promoter of stretching neck seals in the past. I guess they finally figured out that it doesn't work for most people. Good for them.

Although wrist seals are not designed the same as neck seals, they can be trimmed. I have yet to find a wrist seal the fits me comfortably, stretched or not, so trimming is my only option. I've done it on three dry suits and two dry tops without any problems.

If you have large wrists Kokatat has a custom option of Coast Guard wrist seals that are conical and designed to be trimmed. The standard wrist seals are not tapered and are not designed to be trimmed.

-Jason

[Bill H]

I trimmed 3 rings off , it still seems a little snug but I think that it will stretch on its own. Thanks for the help.

Bill H

[Doug]

Bill, I cut quite a bit more off my gasket. Having an 18" neck probably had a lot to do with it. Your suit should not be uncomfortable to wear. If you think it is too tight, it probably is. I figure if I can forget the fact that I have a dry suit on, I cut enough gasket off.

I slipped the gasket over a cooking pot and carefully and cleanly cut it with a single edge razor blade. I hear the cleaner the cut the better off you are for future wear. Call me if you want help.

Doug

[Suz]

That's interesting, as Kokatat was the big promoter of stretching neck seals in the past. I guess they finally figured out that it doesn't work for most people. Good for them.

Although wrist seals are not designed the same as neck seals, they can be trimmed. I have yet to find a wrist seal the fits me comfortably, stretched or not, so trimming is my only option. I've done it on three dry suits and two dry tops without any problems.

Please don't advocate cutting wrist seals on Kokatat wrist gaskets. They are NOT conical and are not made to be cut and as such have no cutting lines. Cutting that style gasket will cause the gasket to have contact over a smaller surface area causing more discomfort than before. If stretching doesn't work, order the "thick" gaskets or Coast Guard Gaskets from Kokatat or replace with other after market gaskets available from dive shops and the like.

[Brian Nystrom]

Too late for that, as I've already trimmed them. When the time comes to replace them, I'll look into the conical seals, but as I said before, I've trimmed the standard seals on three dry suits and it doesn't cause a problem. When you get right down to it, once you get past the "bottleneck" section of the seal, it becomes conical, though the taper is rather abrupt. I typically can leave a small section of the bottleneck and achieve a comfortable fit, as the real problem is having 1 1/2"-2" of latex squeezing my wrists, which is what you get with the stock seals. You can easily make your own trimming lines using a drafting compass, if you need them, but I've never had a problem just trimming them by eye.

I'm also looking into making my own seals from Glideskin neoprene, as that will allow me to custom-fit them. Linda's suit needs new seals, so I'll probably do hers first. There are DIY instructions for this at: http://good-times.webshots.com/album/561069017EIvojn

The only thing holding me up is that the neoprene supplier listed doesn't respond to emails.

[Suz]

Too late for that, as I've already trimmed them. When the time comes to replace them, I'll look into the conical seals, but as I said before, I've trimmed the standard seals on three dry suits and it doesn't cause a problem. When you get right down to it, once you get past the "bottleneck" section of the seal, it becomes conical, though the taper is rather abrupt. I typically can leave a small section of the bottleneck and achieve a comfortable fit, as the real problem is having 1 1/2"-2" of latex squeezing my wrists, which is what you get with the stock seals. You can easily make your own trimming lines using a drafting compass, if you need them, but I've never had a problem just trimming them by eye.

I'm also looking into making my own seals from Glideskin neoprene, as that will allow me to custom-fit them. Linda's suit needs new seals, so I'll probably do hers first. There are DIY instructions for this at: http://good-times.webshots.com/album/561069017EIvojn

The only thing holding me up is that the neoprene supplier listed doesn't respond to emails.

Tried to view the link but it wouldn't load. I think I have seen the instructions before. I think you would be happy with it for a neck gasket but not for the wrists. Just don't think it would be dry enough.

As an aside, I do know of paddlers from the UK who have had Reeds make them neck gaskets out of their stretchy material for expeditions when the possibility of gasket repair would be too difficult. They found that the material was not stretchy enough - the gasket fit well in the beginning but would bag out too quickly as the material didn't have enough memory to go back.

They also found that weight loss caused the gasket to become too loose very quickly.

Suz

[NPSheehan]

If you have large wrists Kokatat has a custom option of Coast Guard wrist seals that are conical and designed to be trimmed. The standard wrist seals are not tapered and are not designed to be trimmed.

-Jason

Unfortunately Kokatat will no longer replace a wrist gasket with CG Gaskets. I tried to have CG Gaskets installed in my new custom EXP Dry Suit and was told they will not install them on a retail Dry Suit.

I was pretty bummed about this as the standard wrist gaskets were very tight. Kokatat recommended stretching them over a soup can for 24-36 hours. I actually prefer a pint glass as it has a taper and gan be adjusted to the amount you want to stretch.

Neil

[NPSheehan]

I trimmed 3 rings off , it still seems a little snug but I think that it will stretch on its own. Thanks for the help.

Bill H

Hi Bill,

It will definitely loosen on it's own as I cut 2 rings off of mine and it was still snug but loosened up in time. It actually became looser than I would have liked but I think it was still snug enough to give a good seal. I think I'll only cut one ring on my new suit and see how that goes.

Neil

[jason]

Unfortunately Kokatat will no longer replace a wrist gasket with CG Gaskets. I tried to have CG Gaskets installed in my new custom EXP Dry Suit and was told they will not install them on a retail Dry Suit.

I was pretty bummed about this as the standard wrist gaskets were very tight. Kokatat recommended stretching them over a soup can for 24-36 hours. I actually prefer a pint glass as it has a taper and gan be adjusted to the amount you want to stretch.

Neil

I am glad that I have two good sets of CG Gaskets that are less than a year old. I hope that they change that before my dry top or dry suit needs a new set.

-Jason

[Suz]

Unfortunately Kokatat will no longer replace a wrist gasket with CG Gaskets. I tried to have CG Gaskets installed in my new custom EXP Dry Suit and was told they will not install them on a retail Dry Suit.

I was pretty bummed about this as the standard wrist gaskets were very tight. Kokatat recommended stretching them over a soup can for 24-36 hours. I actually prefer a pint glass as it has a taper and gan be adjusted to the amount you want to stretch.

Neil

Neil,

Just checked with Kokatat today and they confirmed that they will still install the "thick" or Coast Guard Gaskets upon request. It is an additional charge as they are more expensive.

Did your new suit ship yet?

Suz

[NPSheehan]

Neil,

Just checked with Kokatat today and they confirmed that they will still install the "thick" or Coast Guard Gaskets upon request. It is an additional charge as they are more expensive.

Did your new suit ship yet?

Suz

Hi Suz,

That's great! They did already give me a price on the CG Gaskets and I gave them a Credit Card to pay for them as well as the other addition I ordered. The CG wrists gaskets were an additional $5 and the relief zipper flap is $37 which I felt was a very reasonable price.

They haven't notified me yet of shipment of the new dry suit but I hope to hear from them soon. I appreciate the loaner as I've been out on the water 6 times in the last 2 weeks. I will get it back to you soon so you'll have it for the upcoming event.

Thanks!

Neil

[Suz]

Hi Suz,

That's great! They did already give me a price on the CG Gaskets and I gave them a Credit Card to pay for them as well as the other addition I ordered. The CG wrists gaskets were an additional $5 and the relief zipper flap is $37 which I felt was a very reasonable price.

They haven't notified me yet of shipment of the new dry suit but I hope to hear from them soon. I appreciate the loaner as I've been out on the water 6 times in the last 2 weeks. I will get it back to you soon so you'll have it for the upcoming event.

Thanks!

Neil

Good news then as that means you will have the CG gaskets on your suit.

What did you mean that they were not going do CG gaskets on retail suits? Did you mean simply that they were not going to be installing on all drysuits at the factory? (If that's the case, that I knew! The regular gaskets fit most people better and Kokatat says they last longer.)

Suz

[NPSheehan]

Good news then as that means you will have the CG gaskets on your suit.

What did you mean that they were not going do CG gaskets on retail suits? Did you mean simply that they were not going to be installing on all drysuits at the factory? (If that's the case, that I knew! The regular gaskets fit most people better and Kokatat says they last longer.)

Suz

I'll email you the response I got from my request for the CG Gaskets

Neil