Dry Tops

[wader-dad]

I got a gift certficate to Patagonia and bought a kayak jacket called the Seaward Pullover which is for expedition paddling. It has same double type wrist set up as the aquaskinz, a neoprene neck that is adjustable with a velcro strap so you can loosen it up-but the best feature is that it has a hood. When its raining or a rogue waves comes in its great. Really comfortable --no feeling like you are being strangled. Also has a pocket.

Only problem is its $210- which for Patagonia is not too bad. So far I like it. I will really test it out on Cuttyhunk in September.

[rizzo]

Theres an NRS top around $200 i think. It has double gaskets that hold up to being put on and off. They are made of some sort of a rubber or silcone. Plus theres a gasket around your waist that doesnt let water in so you stay completely dry. It works awesome with a wetsuit especially when you climb up on a rock after being neck deep. If it doesnt have that bottom seal the water comes in and gets trapped above your wading belt. A pain to drain and adds 80#s to your wieght when pulling yourself up.

[luds]

I tried on the $65 NRS to and found it extremely uncomfortable. I have the Aqua-Skinz EVO II and its done the job. However my buddy had the seems rip on his evo II after a month of use. after looking at the Simms top I think it looks more durable.

[Sweetwater]

Originally Posted by luds48

I tried on the $65 NRS to and found it extremely uncomfortable. I have the Aqua-Skinz EVO II and its done the job. However my buddy had the seems rip on his evo II after a month of use. after looking at the Simms top I think it looks more durable.

The $65 version from NRS does not seem to be the same level product as either the Aquaskinz Evo II or the Simms product I found at --> http://www.simmsfishing.com/za/SIM?...r&PROD.ID=21475

As with anything else, you get what you pay for.

[eelman]

Originally Posted by rizzo

Theres an NRS top around $200 i think. It has double gaskets that hold up to being put on and off. They are made of some sort of a rubber or silcone. Plus theres a gasket around your waist that doesnt let water in so you stay completely dry. It works awesome with a wetsuit especially when you climb up on a rock after being neck deep. If it doesnt have that bottom seal the water comes in and gets trapped above your wading belt. A pain to drain and adds 80#s to your wieght when pulling yourself up.

Only problem is when you swim out to those rocks "neck deep" you have left all the good fish behind you

I am going with the simms top, seems like the best to me, I have heard several bad things about the aqua skins.......

[rizzo]

[QUOTE=#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&]Only problem is when you swim out to those rocks "neck deep" you have left all the good fish behind you

I disagree 100%. I cast before I swim out to spots and get the skunk. I get out farther and more often than not the fish are there. They like the cover of depth in addition the structure I'm fishing. I did not realize how much i was missing out!

This spring 2 partners that I fish with had 30#+ fish 7 nights in a row, from the mainland. They each ended up with a 40# fish from that week. I was there and struggled and got outfished 10 to 1 or worse. I changed my setup (rod and reel), to acheive distance and from that point on caught my fair share of 30s and a 40 to top things off this spring. All fish were WAY out there. In this situation distance was very important. You cant get stuck in the same habit... things change

[eelman]

[QUOTE=rizzo][QUOTE=#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&]Only problem is when you swim out to those rocks "neck deep" you have left all the good fish behind you

I disagree 100%. I cast before I swim out to spots and get the skunk. I get out farther and more often than not the fish are there. They like the cover of depth in addition the structure I'm fishing. I did not realize how much i was missing out!


Buy a boat and lighten up!

I have had many nights like the one described by you above, acually I just had one tonight!! and not so much as my boots got wet.............. So take it easy I was kiddin ya, but you should look into a tin boat

[Pete_G]

Originally Posted by rizzo

Theres an NRS top around $200 i think. It has double gaskets that hold up to being put on and off. They are made of some sort of a rubber or silcone. Plus theres a gasket around your waist that doesnt let water in so you stay completely dry. It works awesome with a wetsuit especially when you climb up on a rock after being neck deep. If it doesnt have that bottom seal the water comes in and gets trapped above your wading belt. A pain to drain and adds 80#s to your wieght when pulling yourself up.

True latex gaskets are pretty intense, but literally waterproof. Frog's ass, watertight. It's the same sort of gaskets they use in survival suits. I've tested mine many times and NO water comes in thru those gaskets.

I have a kayak drytop (drytops have latex gaskets at both the neck and wrists, traditionally anything else is a splashtop) I bought for surf-fishing, but to be honest I rarely use it these days. The gaskets kind of bugged me. But there's nothing more waterproof.

I've also had both the Aquaskinz and Simms splashtops and had failures with both. I'm really not sure that light neoprene material they use for the neck gasket is up to what surf fisherman throw at it; I've had tears in both products at that spot. They also aren't 100% waterproof in the way latex gaskets are. I'm not going to stop carrying either product, but I'll definitely be cautioning all who buy them to put them on and off carefully. Latex gaskets can fail too (although they definitely last far longer) but they are replaceable.

That's not exactly a glowing endorsement from someone who sells both products, but then again most people who know me know I'll tear any product apart online or in the store (even if it costs a sale) if I don't think it's quite up to par.

I'm with Rizzo, I fish in the wetsuit mostly now and I add a splash or drytop when I need to be a bit warmer. Waders with a carefully put on splashtop the rest of the time.

[BasicPatrick]

This discussion has brought up Aquaskinz, Simms & NRS...

I'll give you the difference for me...

Aquaskinz is a sponsor of this site and regularly spomsors/donates/supports the organizations and causes that we on this board care about. If these three products are in the same money and quality range then I have to choose the Aquaskinz as they are a part of this community vs the other two. Have you ever seen Simms donate to your local fishing club, charity tournament or sponsor this or any other web site...

point made...

[NIB]

No Question.I've met Kadir first class guy.I have no dought in my mind he will stand behind their product.
I never met mr simms.No plans to go to montana any time soon either.

[Dr. Lickman]

My experience with the Aquaskinz Evo jacket has not been good-it has leaked since the first time I put on in the surf at the front shoulder seams-and I was recommended to "wear it a few more times in the salt and see if it seals it"- it didn't. So now I wear my Aquaskinz jacket with my rain jacket over it and that keeps me somewhat dry. I suppose I'll pick up one of the new Simms jackets over the winter when I'm not blowing all my hard earned money on eels or gas. Kind of a bite in the a$$ when you spend 240 bucks on a spruce goose tho...unfortunately the big companies will offer you a warrantie of sorts when their product fails, not excuses.

[eelman]

I tried on the evo11 at quaker lane tonight, I like it but man, that neck cuff is just so uncomfortable? it seems to tight, the other thing I noticed is that the sleeves were very hard to get on, I cant imagine what it would be like on a hot humid night when your sweating ! Why cant there be some sort of zipper on the sleeve cuff?? would make things easier I think, I like the rampage top the best because the neck has a zipper, only problem is its way to warm now...Cant the evo11 have a zippered neck also?

[Rock Hopper]

Interesting, coming from a guy with 3 posts. I did PM you but no reply! Maybe you will see this kadir@aquaskinz.com. Feel free to contact me directly, I will be happy to speak to you about your claim.

If you've got a legitimate issue, you would have contacted us directly and we would have addressed it. This is basically horse $h%t. No one here would ever tell you to use it and "see if it seals"! Why is it that there are always people out there trying to bad mouth and bring down one company or person for no real reason? Is this what your about? It's easy to hide behind you're monitor isn't it? Contact me and let's talk.

[Rock Hopper]

This is an interesting topic, one that I really did not want to comment on but now I feel compelled to do so.

To answer the comment that has been brought up regarding a cuff or a neck seal tearing, yes that can, will and does happen. This isn't due to being a weakness or a poor design but due more to the stress caused by the users to those areas. On the AquaSkinz site we have put up a link for proper doning and removing of the tops for this very reason. If you pull a rubber band beyond its limits it will snap, same thing here.

To the novice this may seem like it should not happen but to the experienced individual who has used these types of "technical" garments, it is expected, especially if the garment is being used extensively and even more so if it is being put on and removed incorrectly.

For the most part the fishing community is new to this concept and we have been at the forefront in introducing this to this community; hence taking a beating at times unjustly. I personally have been fishing in a wet suit for more than 12 years and in dry top for about ten years. I have more than half dozen dry tops that are now un-used, due to either a tear in the cuff or the neck seal. Why? It costs anywhere from $60.00 to $80.00 to change out a rubber cuff seal and $120-$150 to do a neck seal. It is cheaper to buy a new jacket most of the time.

The other thing is, the rubber gasgets used in most dry tops have about half the life expectancy of the neoprene gasgets we use, trust me, I have done extensive re-search on this. The rubber seals will dry and rot in a relatively short period of time in the salt water even if you wash them regularly. They need to be kept oiled, kinda like a moisterizer. My experience is that most fisherman will not due this but people who kayak exclusively and people who yacht do, hence extending the life of the jacket.

Everyone has a right to buy the product they deem the best for them but I can assure you as an owner of a company that has brought a new concept to fishing the shores of the NE coast that we work very diligently to make sure we have covered as many of the bases as we can think of and when there is a problem, we take care of our clients.

There are large companies out there (S***s) that went as far as trying to buy our EVO2 on the sneak and then copied our design! Why? Because we did all the research, we designed it for the fisherman, we marketed it and then they jumped on our coat tails. They even solicited our dealers off of our web site. You would think a company the size of S***s would have their own ability to design, market and sell but I guess they thought it easier to scavange off of our hard work. That is okay, that is business.

Just for the record, the EVOII has had some minor adjustments for the reasons noted above. The cuff design has been slighlty changed for the better as has the neck seal. Are they impervious to damage, no. They still must be cared for and the proper techniques must be applied for the longevity of the product. I still have customers that are using their original Evolutions without a hitch. Just this past weekend I had to teach a very, very experienced fisherman the way to remove the top as he was pulling and stretching the cuffs beyond what they should be expected to handle. My point, people are still learning the proper way.

Many years ago, there were rods that were like broom sticks, you could throw a pound of lead and a whole bunker and they wouldn't flintch, now we have state of the art rods of all kinds, with specific weight variances and we know we can't or we shouldn't go much beyod those variances. This is kinda the same theory. It will take some time for people to understand this when it comes to these typed of garments.

As a far as fool proof products go, there are none that I am aware of. We make what we believe to be the best tops for the applications they are intented for. No other dry top in the market place is going to give the freedom up top for movement we require that the EVO or the Hurricane is going to give. They just aren't cut for it. Even the competitor who copied our design didn't calculate that. Why? Because they are not fisherman catering to fisherman's needs, that simple.

I apologize if I have gone on too long with this. For those that supported us when we first came on the seen and for those that continue to support us, THANK YOU! We will continue to do our best and we will continue to provide superior customer service. We will continue to support the local causes, organizations, tournaments and events as it is what this company believes in.

Thanks again, best regards and good fishing.

Kadir Akturk
President
AquaSkinz Corp.

[Redsoxticket]

Originally Posted by Rock Hopper

The other thing is, the rubber gasgets used in most dry tops have about half the life expectancy of the neoprene gasgets we use, trust me, I have done extensive re-search on this. The rubber seals will dry and rot in a relatively short period of time in the salt water even if you wash them regularly. They need to be kept oiled, kinda like a moisterizer.

Kadir Akturk
President
AquaSkinz Corp.

Kadir:

I applaud you that this product was research extensively but did the quality control department test the product to yield the life expectancy breakdown time period of the rubber gasket measured in the number of times the top is taken on and off given the manufacter recommendations care requirements and what is that number ?

[eelman]

Well, after much debate, I finally went with the simms, just seems more comfortable, picked it up today at saltwater edge in newport