: Then I learned you're supposed to trim that #*@!!! neck gasket.
Yep, the good stuff does not stretch out and needs to be trimmed. Unfortunately the industry does not offer different neck sizes on one model. It's a one size fits all approach requiring us thick necked to trim our gaskets.

: If I go back to the scene of the crime, can I try on a dry-suit
: for size without the neck gasket in place?
Uh, no! At least not in my experience. If your body proportions are outside the norm, you might consider talking to Kokatat about a custom build. They are very nice folks. For most the primary fitting constraint is having enough torso length in the suit to be able to pull the shoulder area over your head without getting a wedgie. So when you are in the store, a reasonable approach is get it on comfortably (legs, arms, waist, etc.) with your head sticking out of the chest zipper and evaluate the body part of the fit. Then pull it over your head so that you are about to put your head through the gasket to evaluate the torso length.

: Can you take the neck gasket off and trim and test fit without the
: whole dry-suit? How expensive are spare neck gaskets?
Neck gaskets are hard enough to install well that you would not want to remove one unnecessarily. Replacements run around $30 to $35 for the part.

: Anything more comfortable on the horizon????
Latex gaskets are definitely the weak link in the system, but still the driest.

: Man, I hate neck ties! Guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and
: learn to love neck gaskets. How tight do they need to be to be waterproof.
: Any test,like, one finger in the gasket's okay, two fingers and you
: black-out?
I can easily put two fingers in mine. It usually stays dry. Water pressure tends to push the gaskets more closed when you swim. Once in a while it gaps open briefly on lay back rolls if the front of the suit pulls tight, but it's not much of an issue. I've never liked wearing ties and thought the neck gasket would be a constant irritation, but I don't notice it anymore, even for hours at a time.

: I've seen the one piece union suit style polypro base layers. These make
: sense so you don't get "cold crack syndrome", but what about more
: layers?
I just wear the same fleece tops and bottoms I use for skiing and other outdoor persuits. I don't have a problem with ccs. Maybe taller paddlers do. I adjust the thickness and quantity of my layers depending on the water and air temps.

: Do you just put them on and let them ride where the may or do folks use
: suspenders to keep things in place?
No suspenders for me.

: I've done a fair amount of research and figured that since I overheat easily,
: to spend the extra for Gore Tex.
Yes, absolutely. Has the added advantage of being able to dry out while hanging up

Since these things are called dry-suits I
: thought
: I get one with the relief zipper instead of using the old wet-suit warming
: method.

: I'm looking a Kokatat Gore Tex GMER with relief zipper and integral gore tex
: socks.
Both are highly recommended. It's really nice to get in or out of your boat in deep water, or just swim around from time to time, without getting your feet wet. Like yesterday when two foot waves were pounding the beach and there was no way to launch without some drama.

: I assume you have to get over-sized water shoes to use with these socks,
: since you'd want regular socks inside. Is this so? How much bigger do you
: need to go? I don't want to win a Bozo the clown contest!
I went up one shoe size to accomodate the standard goretex bootie, and that has worked fine for me. I don't have large feet though.

Ted