Aleutian EXP Immersion Suit
Oct 15, 2007 23:35:53 GMT -1
Post by moniar on Oct 15, 2007 23:35:53 GMT -1
First the disclaimer - I bought one of these on Saturday, and like most people I am unlikely to be overely critical of it just after I have bought it. I dont have any connection with Palm and have never asked for or received any loan equip or discount from them - but I nearly always ask for discount when I buy expensive items, and usually get something off :-) I didnt shop around much - I knew the retail price from info on this site and a bit of surfing - sure you could get more discount than what I got in the local outlet but I wanted to try and buy, and I like supporting local shops.
Here's the links to palm eu to save me typing out the specification:
www.palmequipmenteurope.com/acatalog/ocean_suits_pants.html
www.palmequipmenteurope.com/acatalog/info_PLM_C380.html
Features include:
• Natural latex gaskets at neck and wrists with over-protectors.
• Articulated dynamic panel cut, seamless crotch and pre-bent knees.
• Adjustable twin waist system with asymmetric cut for improved fit.
• Flexible Ti-Zip rear entry and front relief zippers.
• Adjustable internal waist drawcord.
• Cordura® 330D at elbows, seat and knees.
• Water-resistant zippered front and sleeve pockets.
• Breathable XP200™ socks with Cordura® 330D soles.
Fabric: Fully taped XP200™ breathable 4-layer shell with Cordura® 330D reinforcement.
Colours: Saffron/Black
Having not worn or owned a dry suit before I did a bit of reading research and thought I had decided on a front zip suit (although without trying front versus back I was going to wait to try before finally deciding). Therefore my first impressions/ comments below are based on limited experience and you may well find a cheaper suit that fits you as well or better or performs better.
There was a lack of choice in the local outlet, but they had two of these (medium and large) plus the next model down (which I never tried on in the end as it wasnt high vis). I liked the look of it at first sight - It looked like a quality garment, and in the past i have usually opted to pay more for quality when buying mountaineering and climbing gortex and other warm/wet/cold gear - on the grounds that if its designed by the top people in the sport and is biast towards quality rather than low cost, then its more likely to save your life in extreme circumstances.
First impressions in the shop when I tried both medium and large on was that they were comfortable to wear and had pockets in the right places, including a nice handwarmer pocket with removable fleece lining for washing/drying. Its rear entry, which is a bit of a pain, but not having tried a front entry suit ever I cannot compare it. I can say that its comfortable to move your arms around when wearing it, with little restriction. I opted for large being a fat ****er which gave me slightly better length sleeves and more room for wearing a full fleece underneath in the depths of winter whilst still having freedom of movement.
The cuffs, latex wrist and neck seals are well designed and not overtight. I liked the ankle cuffs too and the waist tighteners. There is a good hood which is velcroed inside the collar but easily pulled out quickly. Most suits dont seem to have hoods - I see it as an advantage given the amount of rain and wind we get, and the hood is well fitted with good compromise between cover and visability. Floating about in the water, especially at night, waiting to be rescued, I judged the high vis hood to be desirable.
I like the built in socks, which fitted in with my idea of putting my £5 Lidles sock waders over the top to protect the suit from hook ups and fish guts/bait; and then the whole lot protected by an over large pair of cheap trainers. I wore a decent pair of thinish mountaineering wicking socks for warmth and had no problem with cold despite sitting sidesaddle a lot of the time yesterday.
Its very high vis, with reflective strips in the right places and especially on the shoulders and hood. I wanted a suit that was high vis and this is the best one I have seen to date in that respect.
Inside the seams are very well made as is the quality stitching. The material is the top of the range xp200 four layer material. I looked at another palm suit in the cataloge which is coming out shortly but that had xp150 material and had neoprene rather than latex seals and I wanted latex to ensure the best seal. For the sake of £50 or so I didnt think it was worth dropping down the quality ladder. If I wanted to compromise on quality I would drop down to a 200 - 300 pound suit and be happy with the value for money. My experience with buying quality climbing gear
has been that it lasts years if looked after and has saved my skin in a few dodgy situations in the mountains.
OK so now the acid test - the first outing on Sunday. I lubricated the main rear entry zip and the front pee zip on Saturday evening with the supplied tube of lube. On Sunday I wore a base layer Gull long sleeve shirt (a £20 final sweetner to seal the discounted deal I made on the suit), raf long johns base layer, jogger trousers and a very light fleece jumper - mainly because I didnt know the weather was going to be so hot and didnt know how warm the suit would be in the water.
After the rnli exercise I waded out on the beach and swam around a bit in the suit - it was easy to swim with no restriction on movement and I was comfortable lying back. Crucially I couldnt feel any wet patches! I did four re entrys then on and off my kayak - still dry.
I paddled quite hard from just off the beach to close in at the Little Orme in a hot sun. I didnt overheat or sweat excessively despite the warm weather. I fished all day in the suit, and when I got back into shore at 4.45pm and took it off there was minimal condensation around the waist and knees where the protective cordura which restricts the breathability of the xp200 material is.. I hadnt needed the joggers or fleece jumper on as well as the base layer - so this coming weekend I will try it with just a base layer on.
The pockets came in handy for my watch on one side and garmin handheld gps in the other. My pfd (fladden high vis) fitted well over the suit.
Nothing much more to say really on the initial impressions. I will add more comments over the coming months as it gets colder and wetter. So far its a 9/10 - I cannot give it 10 due to the high price.
Here's the links to palm eu to save me typing out the specification:
www.palmequipmenteurope.com/acatalog/ocean_suits_pants.html
www.palmequipmenteurope.com/acatalog/info_PLM_C380.html
Features include:
• Natural latex gaskets at neck and wrists with over-protectors.
• Articulated dynamic panel cut, seamless crotch and pre-bent knees.
• Adjustable twin waist system with asymmetric cut for improved fit.
• Flexible Ti-Zip rear entry and front relief zippers.
• Adjustable internal waist drawcord.
• Cordura® 330D at elbows, seat and knees.
• Water-resistant zippered front and sleeve pockets.
• Breathable XP200™ socks with Cordura® 330D soles.
Fabric: Fully taped XP200™ breathable 4-layer shell with Cordura® 330D reinforcement.
Colours: Saffron/Black
Having not worn or owned a dry suit before I did a bit of reading research and thought I had decided on a front zip suit (although without trying front versus back I was going to wait to try before finally deciding). Therefore my first impressions/ comments below are based on limited experience and you may well find a cheaper suit that fits you as well or better or performs better.
There was a lack of choice in the local outlet, but they had two of these (medium and large) plus the next model down (which I never tried on in the end as it wasnt high vis). I liked the look of it at first sight - It looked like a quality garment, and in the past i have usually opted to pay more for quality when buying mountaineering and climbing gortex and other warm/wet/cold gear - on the grounds that if its designed by the top people in the sport and is biast towards quality rather than low cost, then its more likely to save your life in extreme circumstances.
First impressions in the shop when I tried both medium and large on was that they were comfortable to wear and had pockets in the right places, including a nice handwarmer pocket with removable fleece lining for washing/drying. Its rear entry, which is a bit of a pain, but not having tried a front entry suit ever I cannot compare it. I can say that its comfortable to move your arms around when wearing it, with little restriction. I opted for large being a fat ****er which gave me slightly better length sleeves and more room for wearing a full fleece underneath in the depths of winter whilst still having freedom of movement.
The cuffs, latex wrist and neck seals are well designed and not overtight. I liked the ankle cuffs too and the waist tighteners. There is a good hood which is velcroed inside the collar but easily pulled out quickly. Most suits dont seem to have hoods - I see it as an advantage given the amount of rain and wind we get, and the hood is well fitted with good compromise between cover and visability. Floating about in the water, especially at night, waiting to be rescued, I judged the high vis hood to be desirable.
I like the built in socks, which fitted in with my idea of putting my £5 Lidles sock waders over the top to protect the suit from hook ups and fish guts/bait; and then the whole lot protected by an over large pair of cheap trainers. I wore a decent pair of thinish mountaineering wicking socks for warmth and had no problem with cold despite sitting sidesaddle a lot of the time yesterday.
Its very high vis, with reflective strips in the right places and especially on the shoulders and hood. I wanted a suit that was high vis and this is the best one I have seen to date in that respect.
Inside the seams are very well made as is the quality stitching. The material is the top of the range xp200 four layer material. I looked at another palm suit in the cataloge which is coming out shortly but that had xp150 material and had neoprene rather than latex seals and I wanted latex to ensure the best seal. For the sake of £50 or so I didnt think it was worth dropping down the quality ladder. If I wanted to compromise on quality I would drop down to a 200 - 300 pound suit and be happy with the value for money. My experience with buying quality climbing gear
has been that it lasts years if looked after and has saved my skin in a few dodgy situations in the mountains.
OK so now the acid test - the first outing on Sunday. I lubricated the main rear entry zip and the front pee zip on Saturday evening with the supplied tube of lube. On Sunday I wore a base layer Gull long sleeve shirt (a £20 final sweetner to seal the discounted deal I made on the suit), raf long johns base layer, jogger trousers and a very light fleece jumper - mainly because I didnt know the weather was going to be so hot and didnt know how warm the suit would be in the water.
After the rnli exercise I waded out on the beach and swam around a bit in the suit - it was easy to swim with no restriction on movement and I was comfortable lying back. Crucially I couldnt feel any wet patches! I did four re entrys then on and off my kayak - still dry.
I paddled quite hard from just off the beach to close in at the Little Orme in a hot sun. I didnt overheat or sweat excessively despite the warm weather. I fished all day in the suit, and when I got back into shore at 4.45pm and took it off there was minimal condensation around the waist and knees where the protective cordura which restricts the breathability of the xp200 material is.. I hadnt needed the joggers or fleece jumper on as well as the base layer - so this coming weekend I will try it with just a base layer on.
The pockets came in handy for my watch on one side and garmin handheld gps in the other. My pfd (fladden high vis) fitted well over the suit.
Nothing much more to say really on the initial impressions. I will add more comments over the coming months as it gets colder and wetter. So far its a 9/10 - I cannot give it 10 due to the high price.
