I thought dry suits were just marketing hype until I hit 45 degree water off the coast of Astoria last fall
Two hours in and my core temp felt like I was standing in a heated garage, that's when I realized spending the extra $1,200 was worth every penny and I haven't touched a wet suit since.
That line about feeling like you're in a heated garage really got me. I always thought dry suits were overkill for Pacific Northwest conditions, but now I'm seriously rethinking my whole setup after reading this.
Wait, you actually thought dry suits were overkill up here? Tbh I thought the same thing until I did my first winter launch. Honestly I showed up in my usual wetsuit looking like a total rookie while everyone else was zipped up and warm. Ngl I spent the first hour shivering so bad I couldn't even clip my lines right. Now I've got a dry suit and I look back at my old self like 'what was I even thinking.' It's one of those things you don't get until you try it, but once you do there's no going back.
Bro, that line about "looking like a total rookie" hit me hard. I can totally picture you standing there shivering, trying to clip your lines like a frozen mess. That's rough. Honestly, I've been that guy before, just not with dry suits. I remember once I showed up to a launch with my kayak in a t-shirt when everyone else had full dry tops and spray skirts. I spent the whole trip hunched over and miserable. It feels like you're the only one who didn't get the memo, you know?