Aleutian EXP Dry Suit by Palm USA ~ SeaKayaker.org

After your kayak, the most expensive thing you’re likely to buy is a dry suit. If you’ve dropped a big wad of cash on anything, it’s common to suffer buyer’s remorse and miss the money that once warmed your wallet. Palm’s Aleutian dry suit has enough features to soothe that discomfort whenever you wear it. From the bottom up: It has integral socks, which are easier to get on and much more comfortable than ankle gaskets. The socks are waterproof and breathable and have a thick fabric on the sole where a bit more durability is required. The leg cuffs, knees and seat have heavier fabric at all of the common points of wear. The relief zipper has a storm flap to protect the waterproof zipper. At the waist is an overskirt to cover and augment the seal of your spray skirt. The chest pocket has twin zips on the sides and a removable pile hand-warmer liner. The entry zipper for the suit is across the back. Like the relief zipper, it has plastic coils instead of metal teeth holding it together. The hood tucks into the collar and when in use has two elastic drawcords to keep it in place. There are retroreflective panels on the bill and shoulders in addition to the retroreflective piping. The XP200 fabric the suit is made of is breathable and waterproof.

The suit is comfortable to wear and mates well with a spray skirt. The back-entry zipper makes the suit easy to get on and off, and it doesn’t clutter up the front of the suit. The suit lends itself well to the range of motion required by paddling and rolling. The ends of the zipper do, however, press against the backs of your arms while you’re paddling. It may feel strange and slightly annoying at first but is soon forgotten. That the Aleutian keeps you dry is to be expected. In its details—the right materials for the job in the right places—are the reminders that the Aleutian EXP is money well spent.

*The Aleutian is currently scheduled for release in the spring of 2007.

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