Detailed Description

The Hydrus 3.0 Meridian women's dry suit is primarily for river kayaking though some sea kayakers also choose it for the over skirt feature and/or because there's no Velcro on the neck or wrists.

The defining features of all versions of Kokatat's Meridian dry suits are an "over-skirt" (to sandwich your spray-skirt like the double tunnel on a dry-top) to keep your kayak drier when rolling or paddling in waves, a front entry zipper that runs diagonally across the chest of the suit making it easy to get in and out of (as opposed to dry suits with rear-entry shoulder zippers that require teamwork to get in and out of without breaking the zipper), and a flap that covers the front entry zipper.

The main differences between this suit and a Kokatat Gore-Tex PRO® drysuit are in the rate of "breathability". Gore-Tex PRO® dry suits are still the most breathable and durable, but the Hydrus 3.0 is right up there with the best of the rest in terms of breathability and durability due to Kokatat's attention to detail and quality US-based manufacuring facilities. So if you sweat more than most or you are a pro who is going to wear your dry suit twice a week for most the year, you'll find it cheaper in the long run to start with a Gore-Tex PRO® drysuit, but for the average paddler the Hydrus 3.0Meridian is a darn good river kayak drysuit.

Specs

• Made of waterproof/breathable Hydrus 3-Layer 3.0  fabric
• 330D Hydrus Tough Reinforced seat and knee patches
• Plastic water sports zipper -- waterproof for surface watersports (i.e. swimming and paddling but not SC UBA diving)
• Lifetime limited warranty for the original owner.
• Women's Sizes:
• WS-WL
• WXLs (WXLs is the height of a Women's Large but its 50" chest, 47" waist, and 54" hips are roomier than that of an Women's L)

NO SALES TAX if shipped outside WA state

FREE UPS Ground Shipping (48 US states, Priority Mail AK and HI, $35 postage for Norway, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland)

FREE KA Drysuit Care Kit included with this suit (KA Drysuit Owners/Maintenance Guide, Zipper Lube, 303 Protectant gasket lube, and Synthetic Fabric Soap w/KA Washing Instructions)

If needed, we can help you order a custom sized Kokatat drysuit; contact us if you have questions about the fit.

Women's Kokatat Drysuit Sizing Table

A Note About Dropseats

A Drop Seat Zipper makes it easy to take care of all your relief needs. With the occasional exception of kayakers, most women prefer to use a Drop Seat Zipper rather than an FUD (Feminine Urinary Device) with a Front Relief Zipper. However, Front Relief Zippers are an option even on Women's dry suits.

For some women kayakers, a dry suit with a Drop Seat Zipper can be uncomfortable in certain kayaks. This issue is unique to kayaks because kayak seats have snug fitting sides (hip braces) which, depending on the fit of the dry suit and the kayak seat, may press against the Drop Seat Zipper. With a properly fitted dry suit, most women find a Drop Seat Zipper is comfortable in most kayak seats. Ideally a dry suit will have enough slack around your hips that if a kayak seat presses the Drop Seat Zipper against your body, you can move the slack in the suit around to get the zipper up out of the way. If this doesn't work for you (and you are sure the suit isn't too small in the hips), we recommend a dry suit with a Women's FUD Front Relief Zipper instead of a Drop Seat Zipper.

We stock women's dry suits with FUD Front Relief Zippers -- see our Kayak Academy K.A. Silver Label "-WR" dry suits. We even stock a K.A. Silver Label Women's Gore-Tex PRO® Expedition EXP-WR drysuit with a FUD Front Relief Zipper instead of a Drop Seat.

If you don't know whether a dry suit with a Drop Seat Zipper will be comfortable in your kayak, we recommend renting a dry suit with a Drop Seat from us before buying a dry suit -- see our Dry Suit Rental page. If you don't own a kayak yet, be sure to buy one that is Drop Seat compatible -- to see if a kayak is Drop Seat compatible, just sit in it while wearing a dry suit with a Drop Seat zipper.