dry suit with foot pouches attached

ice_kmauve · Post by **ice_kmauve** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 8:42 am

Does anyone have a gore-tex drysuit with attached foot holders? I have one (a Palm) and have found after a day of riding that my feet both have water in them. One had a lot of water, one just a bit. I'm assuming a leak at this point, but would like to hear back from anybody with a dry suit with foot holders/pouches attached. I'm going to check at Midwest first, but am seriously contemplating having the boots removed and seals installed at the bottom. Feedback appreciated -- basically, "What is your experience with drysuits with foot pouches?"

Tighe · Post by **Tighe** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 1:52 pm

Hmm. I've thought about that more after you showed me that yesterday. The fact that you were completely dry everywhere else suggests you may have a leak somewhere in the lower leg. Since it is so new I'm sure they'd stand behind it. One thing you could do is seal off the arms (just roll and tie them off) then inflate it with a vacuum and see if there are any air leaks.
From what I've heard the sock type drysuit is a good way to go cause your feet stay dry and you don't have the tight leg seals cutting off the circulation. I'll be interested to see what you find out.

Michael · Post by **Michael** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 6:27 pm

As I said in the other post, I have a suit very similar to the Palm and have never had water down by my feet...everything says pretty well completely dry. The few times I have used it when it was REALLY cold, with multiple polypro layers underneath, I did find that cuffs of my undershirt got wet as some water found its way through the wrist seals, but even then, it was just enough to make the just the cuffs damp, no water all the way down to my feet.

I would try tighe's suggestion of the pressure test, probably just a bad seam/weld somewhere.

steveb · Post by **steveb** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 8:39 pm

I think sometimes seals are forced a little by crashes. I've found the more I wreck the more a little water gets in the suit. Just enough to get damp in a few areas, as long as you wear polypro it's not uncomfortable.

ice_kmauve · Post by **ice_kmauve** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 8:40 pm

Well, here's an update on that issue. I turned the legs inside out this morning. Then filled the legs with water, then I dried them off really good. Hung it in my shower like that and waited about a half hour. I came back and there wasn't a bit of water on the outside. So, no leak there. Then I rode on WBL today and was in the water for quite a while, what with the kite sitting there staring back at me wondering where the wind was. Afterwords, took the suit off and no water in the booties. So, mystery not solved, but at least suit demonstrates it's sealed.

My guess is that superior just cranked me so hard that water got in somehow. Sooo.. I'm going with user error for now. (imagine that).

Tighe · Post by **Tighe** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 11:29 am

did you happen to look at the color of the liquid when you emptied it out? Could it have been that the fluid didn't come from outside the suit? Some of those monsters out there on Saturday almost had me pissin' my pants ; )