Love Letter to Immersion Research by Paige May
Stitched together love |
It all started with the purchase of a new spray skirt from IR....the Klingon.
I had cut my teeth on Snapdragon spray skirts, which at the time and in my neck of the woods were basically the be-all end-all of spray skirts. Now while it's no secret that outdoor professionals are hard on their gear because we're using it ALL THE TIME, I had begun to get sick of the seams always coming apart, the oh-poop-loops starting to rip off, the bungee coming unstitched from the neoprene, and in general they just weren't as dry as I'd like when rolling a lot, surfing, paddling in large/chaotic seas, or pretty much anything besides calm water stay-upright touring.
The Immersion Research Klingon spray skirt was immediately found to be superior in every way.
Dry as a bone, would not come off my boat unless I REALLY wanted it (#noswimsallowed) and amazing construction. I'm pretty sure they are the only company that glues, tapes, and STITCHES the seams on their skirts. Flipping bomb proof.
I decided "heck, I’ve worn my gore-tex suit to crap. I'm going to try an IR suit and see what's up". Let me tell you... it's a slippery slope.
Once you find a company that not only makes awesome products for people who go hard, but also has phenomenal customer service (watching out for the little guy) AND they have a personality!? At this point, almost all my paddling gear/clothing is Immersion Research. If they made PFDs I'd probably have one of those too, but for now it's Astral.
Dry Suit Fit |
I'd say my favorite Drysuits from them are the 7 Figure followed by the Arch Rival.
I find the fit of all their drysuits to be a little more "athletic" than other brands. There's always plenty of fabric for comfort and range of motion, but there's not an excessive bagginess to them. I'm 5'11" and usually around 175-180lbs, average ape index and size 10.5 feet. The large drysuits from IR fit me perfectly.
I particularly love how they've made the waist tunnel and the ankle cuffs to fit perfectly over a spray skirt and paddling shoes without needing any Velcro. I find their gasket material to last longer, even with preventative maintenance, in salt water environments.
Dry Suit Material |
Can definitely take a beating. It’s burly fabric. Maybe not as breathable as gore-tex, but it really does well as long as it's kept clean and treated with DWR. And for me, honestly, no matter what fabric I wear as a dry suit, I am always going to be a bit sweaty after exerting myself while paddling. There's just no way around that.
So it really comes down to the fact that it performs perfectly fine, and if it ever doesn't, then I know that the company behind that product will take care of me.
Color Options |
One of the many cool things about them. Everything, dry suits colors, spray skirt colors, all of the clothing... It's all kind of small batch. Each season. It's something a little different and limited edition.
About the Author |
Paige May
Paige is currently an ACA L4 open water coastal sea kayak instructor, working towards his L5. He guided for 9 years in the apostle islands, 8 of which were for Living Adventure Inc.
Paige also paddles whitewater, and does as many trips to the west coast as possible. He has gone mostly the PNW for the incredible surf, rock garden and tiderace paddling opportunities.