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Okay, let me try and clarify some of the confusion that seems to be taking place about dry and semi-dry first. A dry suit or top has seals that are self adjusting (Raptor Dry Top)- meaning the user does not necessarily have the option of opening or loosing the seal while in use. A semi-dry top (Phantom Semi-Dry Top) has the option of loosing or opening by way of numerous different methods, most commonly Velcro closures. The Phantom does in fact have a seal on the neck but it is not self adjusting and must be sealed by the user, for this reason it cannot be called a "Dry Top".
It is also not accurate that the use of neoprene as a sealing material makes a garment semi-dry. Please see above. Many dry suits, even today, use neoprene for this purpose (sealing). Some manufacturers do not use the rubber side (sealing side) at all and this does not help in sealing against the skin. This is more common in fishing and paddling apparel - not in diving since the seal dictates life or death. Ideally, one side of the neoprene should be laminated with material and the other side should be left to bare the rubber. This will seal against the skin. Another common practice is some manufactures make the neoprene cuffs or neck gasket too large (more common in fishing apparel) and this too will not seal. Just like the latex seals, neoprene has to be tight against the skin to perform as a seal (Hurricane Dry Top & EVOII Dry Top). Now, silicone latex gaskets have come a long way in the last 5 years and have been around for about 20-25 years overall. In the past they would not hold up very well and become brittle very quickly and fall apart. The technology today adds longevity to them and for this reason they are becoming more and more common in these types of garments. They are actually less expensive overall due to mass production with machinery, offer more flexibility, are thinner and are more appealing (look wise) than neoprene because they can be finished cleaner.
Irregardless of what top you might decide on, the above factors are important in defining what is a dry top or semi-dry top. Some other factors you should look into are whether or not the seems are taped for waterproofing and whether or not the material has any treatment for wicking water away on the outside (like Teflon coating). Our tops offer both these features.
As far as all the "bell & whistles" are concerned, there are features that one person may not need or use but another will. At Aquaskinz we build into the products all the features that we think will be of benefit to the user and there really are no bells and whistles built in for the sake of adding on to a product we offer if we see no benefit from it for the user.
GonnaCatchABig1: Based on what I read and your needs or concerns, the Phantom (or similar) would be the ideal jacket for you. It offers everything you would need and would provide waterproofing based on how much you wanted to seal the neck up.
A quick story:
Yesterday a very well know & respected guide here on Long Island came into the office and told me about his trip of the night before. He explained he had a customer that wanted to fish in the South Side of Montauk - very rough terrain - he said he took him there and the guy could not stand on the rock for more than 2-3 minutes at a time due to waves washing him off. He said he actually had to jump off his rock twice to help the guy get up on his feet because the waves kept rolling over him and he couldn't stand up. Once they were done, the guide said you must be soaking wet....the customer said I don't think so...when they got back to the car (3/4 mile walk), the customer took the jacket off and the guide said he couldn't believe that the customer only had a small wet spot on his chest and everything else was dry.....he was wearing the Phantom Semi-Dry top that was sealed tight around the neck. This is a true story told just yesterday.
I hope the above information is helpful in making your decision. If you need any other information feel free to call in or e-mail us, we will help you as best as we can.
Have a great fall fishing season everyone.
Kadir Akturk
aka: Rock Hopper
AquaSkinz
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