picking my first dry top?

[Ankf00]

which should I get? I don't know much about this...

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/,...and-Women.html

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=2574

[Harv]

I would go with the Plunge. I had one, good top, dry and warm + you are dealing with NRS if you have problems. They make good stuff and back it up.

[bryanthebold]

Thumbs up on the Plunge. I've been swimming in mine all spring with no problems. It breathes pretty well, and is definitely waterproof. Nice thick burly fabric, makes me feel good about it in the long term. Plus NRS will back you up, so its win win.

[Ankf00]

plunge it is! thanks guys

[Tye 1on]

Thumbs up on the Plunge. I've been swimming in mine all spring with no problems.

might want to work on that roll if ya get a minute...

[donutlynx]

The plunge is a nice top...I think the Triton fabric is a little more waterproof/breathable.

[eirikainersharp]

i have used both... and the peak uk is a far superior top - i work as a guide and so use my gear a lot but the tape on the nrs top started to deam after a month. there is also a lot more fabric around the neck which i found felt constricting.

[XXX-er]

I fixed dry tops for the buds for about 5+ years ,I always just charged a case of corona on top of materials .
SO ,I get to see a piece down the road after its been abused ,for my money you can't beat kokatat period .

you don't wana be sending away any paddling gear for warranty in mid paddle season,I had to do this before (Navarro)and it sucks .I don't really trust any fabric but coated nylon or real gortex ,ya I hear there are great gortex like fabrics out there but I don't need any problems

http://www.drysuit-repair.com/

check out that amigo's dry top service,I have NO affliiation with them but I hear they do good work, but more important ,NOTICE there are certain tops they WILL NOT work on and I think thats because some methods of manufacturing are hard to repair in traditionaly acepted methods(glueing a new seal on top the old glued area) ... IMO don't buy anything they won't repair cuz you WILL need them at some point

gortex IS NICE if you can afford it ,in summer you won't really notice but the colder it gets the better gortex works (pumping hot air out thru the membrane to the cold air) the more you notice how you are just that little bit mo comfy,pretty much alll my friends are rocking the kokatat rogue ... in novmeber I can paddle,take off my Kokotat rogue ,wear my inner layer to the
bar and its dry

gooogle a couple of swiftwater rescue sites ... I bet a case of corona the majority of them are wearing kokatat dry suits

[crackboy]

i second the peak, i have that same top and its pretty sweet.

[MarsB]

amigos is the old subcontractor for Patagonia/Lotus, IIRC. They do good work.

[Ankf00]

so ordered the plunge, medium, feels like i'm going to choke in the neck, I wear S shirts, ordered the M for the extra room, i'm super skinny so i thought the gaskets on the L might not be snug on me.

i should just get my lazy ass to a paddling shop already.

[GapersGoHome]

Check out Bomber Gear... love my top, very comfy and easy to paddle in.

They're back on line after what I believe was a short hiatus, and they're blowing out all sorts of old stock on eBay right now. Check it out....

website:
http://www.bombergear.com/

eBay site:
http://stores.ebay.com/Bomber-Gear

[XXX-er]

so ordered the plunge, medium, feels like i'm going to choke in the neck, I wear S shirts, ordered the M for the extra room, i'm super skinny so i thought the gaskets on the L might not be snug on me.

Just make sure the top is gona be roomy enough so you can put enough layers under to keep you warm,probably a polartec fleece & a polypro underware is plenty, gasketes are gona be tight on your neck and you eitehr got to stretch em or cut a little off the openning to make things bearable.

there is the cut vs stretch question ,I always stretch ,I put the neck seal on a big salad bowl for a week or until it no longer feels like it wil choke you.

some folks adamantly claim stretching will wreck the seal so they do the cut method trimming the rings in the seal off one at a time ... which I have seen go off the rails and wreck a brand new seal .

Neck seals have always lasted me 4 years doing the stretching and there is no risk of ruining a new seal so thats what I recommend