New Patagonia Gore-Tex Kiting Suit

[mdksniper]

Looks interesting. Generally, Patagucchi.. I mean, Patagonia is quality stuff. It seems like in the last year or so, they have really targeted kiteboarders. Anyone have any experience with Patagonia wetsuits or neoprene drysuit for kiteboarding?



http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/gor ... ?p=88405-0

Designed for cold weather kiting, the GORE-TEX® Kiting Suit provides fully breathable protection in challenging winter conditions. Waterproof and windproof, the suit's 3-layer construction bonds the GORE-TEX® membrane to the outer and inner lining for strength and durability. The internal neck gasket and snap-closure front collar flap seal out wind and water; the shoulder-to-shoulder entry has a waterproof YKK® Aquaseal® zipper. A GORE-TEX® waterproof hood is stowable and adjustable for a secure fit. The comfortable elasticized waistband and gusseted crotch provide unrestricted freedom of movement, and the suit top allows for optimal layering, while the legs have a slimmer articulated fit. Velcro® tabs and latex cuff gaskets at the wrists and ankles prevent water entry at speed. External chest and thigh pockets have reinforced drain holes and waterproof coated zippers; fly has YKK® Aquaseal® waterproof zipper for easy relief.

Now I see why the neoprene drysuit they make (http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/spe ... p=87100-1#) is on sale.

[yojimbo]

Looks like the drysuits from about 5 years ago. Compare it to the Ocean Rodeo Drysuit below.

[mdksniper]

Looks like the drysuits from about 5 years ago. Compare it to the Ocean Rodeo Drysuit below.

Yea, I'm not too familiar with drysuits, but looks like its a one piece drysuit. I also don't like that it only comes in dark colors.

[Starsky]

Their wetsuits are the biz. Full furrrrrrrr airspace throughout instead of a lame chest patch. They definitely have cold conditions beat but there are a lot of great wetsuits. Everyone makes a great 4/3 and there are tons of good 5mm full suits. Having used a few of Ocean Rodeo's drysuits, they also have had the real cold stuff beat for ages. The Surf Dry is by far my favourite for function, its just a crazy bit of business to get into. Completely worth it when you get it dialled, not difficult, but one full step more than your average drysuit. The swim ability and water competency is the major selling point for me. In those conditions, I wanna be as efficient as possible and could never swim effectively in a clothes fit drysuit. The Wetsuit fit basically transforms you into a climate proof ninja, not a sea sweeping bird watcher......... If your listening OR? follow up with that direction. Its a total winner. The warmth factor can be dialled from min to way way up. I mean, how much fleece do you own! Me? I got a lot!! One look at those shots show a major dropped ball for patagonia. Someone gotta get fired for giving the go ahead to the weird crotch look on a onesie, when its up against a slick and functional jacket pants combo. Remember when you first saw that crazy Snowboard looking NPX Lucifer? You thought, great idea, wow that sucker is baggy! Ocean Rodeo had too much bagginess to their Pyro Pro with that crazy chest zipper. They learned their lesson and the Soul is a pretty tight look. The Neoprene drysuit idea from ION makes for a super slick look and I can only imagine super great warmth, but no breathability or swim ability add up to a no thanks.

Super weird when you consider Patagonia has been tailoring a tight look in the technical wear bracket for, well, forever.

[William Munney]

The Kokatat GFER may not be the most stylish, but the quality and support is hard to beat. Kokatat has factory service at reasonable prices for gaskets and testing (about $90, IIRC) and will replace defective drysuits. I sent my 3 year old drysuit in for gaskets, they found some delamination and told me they would send me a new one at no charge ( I wasn't complaining and didn't notice the delam).

[BrianMaiden]

Been using wetsuits for 29 years. The Patagonia wetsuit i bought earlier this year is , by a mile, the best wetsuit i have eve owned. Best fitting, best quality and (for its thickness) the warmest

[Rbgar]

I have their gloves and booties and they are nice and warm, I went with Excel Drylock for my winter suit cause I heard reports of issues and they get heavy , and they don't XXXL's, I tried to squeeze into XXL but no go at 6'4" 245#, I surf, SUP and pee so no on dry suits.

[finnkc]

Never used their suits before but I have owned a few Patagonia rain jackets and fall / spring gear and love it all. Might have to check out the suits out next time. Also isn't Liquidforce teamed with them now? The 2014 kite material apparently had Patagonia consulting with them.

[CaptainArgh]

That is a nice featured suit and probably pretty high quality. Look forward to hearing some user reviews once the temps get cold...

...but I am not looking forward to the temps getting cold! Kiting in board shorts and a harness is so nice.

I just saw the prices online, at $699 I think they are hitting a great price point. It fits just above the new OR HEAT but well below the SOUL. Discussed in this thread.

[POACHER]

Excuse my ignorance, but why do people like these baggy suits? Is it a style thing or are they truly better than a 5mm smoothskin wetsuit?

We ride with ice flows on half the lake in 5 mil suits and I'm completely warm. Are these suits about comfort? My wetsuit is very comfy. I'm not so sure I'd want a baggy fitting suit while riding waves......Also if you get water in the thing. I've crashed hard enough that the neck seal allowed some water in my wetsuit. It's cold for a second and then fine. What happens if you get a bunch of water past a seal in these baggy suits???

Just wondering. If there is a tangible benefit, I'd consider it. If it's a style thing, I don't care.