Drysuit - Warmest temperatures usable?

[Outside]

Have you ever ended a session early because you were too hot? I haven't.

What are the warmest air/wind temperatures you can comfortably use a drysuit? I would think wind speed and sunny/overcast also matter.

Assume an OR Soul or similar drysuit. And a thin-blooded warm weather kiter.

Thanks.

[TPink]

I got a Soul late last spring and Love the suit.

was anxious to try it on a warmish day, say 70dgr air, 65dgr water, and basically nothing on underneath, was totally comfy.

you could probably go from the Soul straight to board shorts or vise versa if you wanted...

[Starsky]

We get days in the spring where the air temp gets up to between 15 and 20 deg C and the water is still ice cold.

Getting into the drysuit in those sunny conditions is the sweaty part. Once on the water you can regulate a bit by getting wet. Drop in and stay there until you feel the heat loss. You might find you end up pretty damp from sweat riding a drysuit in warm temps. Sweat will eventually be the end of your seals so be sure to rinse em by just dunking em into fresh water before you hang it to dry.

[matth]

I don't start using mine till temps are in the 50s, and then its all about layers. One , two , or three layers depending on water temp, air temp, etc. Makes no sense to wear in warm air when you can have the comfort and ease of use of a 4/3 wetsuit...

[Do-it]

I ended a session last week because I was too hot. Had to take off the wetty to keep from having a heat stroke. I saw someone out in the same conditions wearing a drysuit, he claimed he was comgortable. 75 degree water and air

[TomW]

If it's over 8c (47f) I'll sweat to death.

[TomW]

Let's say I'm out 1 hr kiting in 8c water and air temperature. I'm in the water like 2 min total if that time. Air temp is most relevant.

[Slappysan]

But you still need to dress to survive a 1 hour swim in the water.

Drysuists are as cool as you layer them to be ... to a point. The trouble is you'll freeze to death in the water if you don't have the thermals to survive if the air and water are vastly different temps.

If you wear an OR Soul with shorts and a t-shirt on and no thermals you could survive up to 25 degrees Celsius out of the water, but you'll probably die if your kite fails and you have to swim in 10 degree water.

[Starsky]

Yeah, until you snap a line....you gotta dress for a 20 min swim, so a drysuit with very little on under it can be a mistake.

One I've made and will never repeat. I insulate to the water temp. Period.

[William Munney]

Yeah, until you snap a line....you gotta dress for a 20 min swim, so a drysuit with very little on under it can be a mistake.

One I've made and will never repeat. I insulate to the water temp. Period.

Absolutely. You can't assume that you'll stay above water. I started using a drysuit for rowing and found that you get pretty hot exerting yourself even in freezing temperatures. As a newbie, I wore some light insulation under a drysuit and ended up drifting down a canal and got cold even though air temperatures were mild. There is a Polartec jumpsuit that works well as insulation under a drysuit.