Do you need a bib?
Published March 8, 2012 | 
It’s been about a year now since I made a choice between getting a new dry suit or Kokatat Gore-Tex Whirlpool Bibs with a Rogue dry top. Off the top of my head, I saw some advantages to going with mix-n-match over locking into a one-piece dry suit. With Canoecopia coming up this weekend here in Wisconsin and lots of folks taking advantage of the discounts to get the more pricey gear they need, I thought now would be a great time to let you know how that choice worked out.
Let me say right here that Kokatat’s Gore-Tex gear has been sturdy and comfortable all season and looks to last many more. Considering how much I was on and in the water last year between symposia, summer excursions and of course my 100 Miles to Winter paddle, which had me out in every condition Wisconsin weather could toss at me until the lake froze solid. (And that’s saying something!) In the past I’d always been a fan of old school thick dry suits because they kept me warm in the nastiest of winter weather. Experience has taught me though, that I could actually stay warmer in Gore-Tex if I just learned to get my layers right… but that’s another story!
First, here are some of the reasons Bibs with a separate top can rock;
1. Choice. Changing tops depending on conditions.
2. Still dry. Spending a few moments getting the seal right between the bibs and a proper dry top mean you’re still essentially wearing a dry suit. Now, I’ve been told that if you stay in the water long enough, the seal will slowly allow some seepage.. but I’ve not been in the water long enough to see that happen personally.
3. Standing in cold water. As a coach and rolling instructor I stand in the water a lot. The air is hot, the water is cold. Bibs are great because they protect me from the cold water, but allow me to wear a light paddling top.
4. Comfort. Just between you and me, 90% of the time I wear my TecTour Anorak top, rarely do I wear the dry top. If I’m on inland lakes and don’t really face much risk of swimming, the Anorak provides a dry paddle in nearly all conditions, without the skin-tight neck gasket to deal with. I’ve also found that the bibs design seems to respect people with wider middles. drysuits seem to be cut for the V-shaped people among us.
5. Options. For some of us, sending in our dry suit for repairs, means we’ve lost our dry top as well. A tear in our top, means the whole suit is gone. With the combo you never lose both. You don’t want to lose your only dry top because of leak in your sock!
6. Price? Well, you’re not going to save much when you compare a top and bibs to an equally made dry suit, however you can buy one bit at a time which may be a saving grace for some folks.
What Sucks?
1. Nothing. Well, that wouldn’t be fair would it? So let me tell you a story.
Now, the first day I tried my fancy new bibs I took a drive on a cold day over to Lake Wisconsin a few miles south of me. We say Lake Wisconsin, because it’s a dammed up section of the massive Wisconsin river. Being a river though means we can usually find a bit of open water in the area. Anyway, I spend a couple of minutes at the boat landing working through the process of connecting the bib’s seal to the dry top seal. (Basically a process of rolling up some fabric together.) When I had the way I thought I should, I jumped into the lake and swam over to a buoy. Hanging onto the buoy, with cold water lapping up at my face, I suddenly realized that an ice-cold trickle of water was running down my back.. Yikes! I quickly made a dash back to the shoreline. By then I had a nice big wet area where my insulating layers beneath had soaked up the water. For a moment, I was ready to call this whole “bib Vs dry suit” thing a total fail.
After that experience I went back home and actually read the procedure for connecting the bibs to the tops. Being a freshly minted Kokatat Ambassador, I also asked the experts! As if that weren’t enough, I also watched a (blurry) Youtube video. Most importantly I practiced by wearing the gear paddling… a lot! I’m a firm believer in getting the right information and practicing. (Well, if jumping blindly in doesn’t work anyway.) In time, I learned to roll up the seal fairly quickly. With some experience under my belt (or over), I learned that although it’s not quite as quick as just zipping up a dry suit, it’s still a reasonably quick procedure that as I said..gives me choices. All in all, that’s what I was hoping for in the beginning when I chose the Kokatat Whirlpool bibs in the first place.
So, Do You Need A bib?
Maybe the real issue here is that you shouldn’t let anyone tell you that you have to choose a dry suit or that the bibs won’t do the job as a blanket statement. That’s probably not a fair comparison. The choice may be more of a matter of lifestyle. If I were going to be days on the open ocean or great lakes, I’d wear a one piece dry suit just to eliminate one possible point of weakness. However, considering how I experience paddling 99.9% of the time, I find the Bibs with a nice top to not only fit me well, but fit ME well too.. Make sense?
See you at Canoecopia!
9 Responses to Do you need a bib?
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Nice piece Derrick. And I agree with you whole heartily. I wear my bibs 98% of the time. About the only time I pull out the full piece dry-suit is when I plan on playing in the surf.
The only issue I’ve had with the bib’s is sometimes forgetting to zip the relief zipper before wading in to help with rolls; but that’s more my idle brain then the bibs fault!
thanks for a very practical & detailed comparison.
Derrick – Were you able to do repeated rolls in this ensemble? Did it shift around much during rescue practices?
My concern about 2-piecers has always been in those situations… a “little” icy cold water just seems to permeate and cause discomfort in excess of its volume. And if one is on/in the water for a while that just seems to multiply exponentially.
The good thing about a drysuit is that it minimizes bulk at the waist. I dislike a bulky waist – seems to limit my ability to bend in my boat, and even affects torso rotation. So I remain a little skeptical about rolling the pants into the waist. Of course there’s nothing like trying this – maybe at Grand Marais it will be possible.
As a female paddler w. a decided bustline drytops are a nightmare to get into – often taking 4-5 tries and risking all out failure. I have a couple – BomberGear and Palm – that have not seen use in two seasons. A drysuit by comparison is much easier – step in both legs, shoot arms through, pull over head, and then a nice easy front zip that is easy to reach, easy to control, and which will fit over everything.
Just thought I would throw this out there for consideration by any of your female subscribers.
We all have our preferences, and we have a wide range of body types and cold tolerance which leads us to different solutions. Yours sounds ingenious and well tested!
I hear what you’re saying Deb. I could roll fine, but I haven’t tried any finicky Greenland rolls as they are harder for me in a bulky dry suit as well. I believed the fabric rolled around my torso would be more noticeable when I first thought of going this route, but I hardly notice the “bulk”. It’s there, just not enough to be bothersome. Remember that the fabric is quite thin and the skirt tunnel holds it down and in place as well. That’s probably why I don’t notice any shift.
Good point on the dry tops & chest size issue. That’s why it’s great to have your comments here.
I don’t think the bib/dry top can possibly equal a dry suit of course, but it does offer some good options.
Another consideration for female paddlers is how easily you can get in and out of your ensemble when nature calls. I know that there are urinary funnels, but I don’t find them to work well through the relief zippers designed for male anatomy. I really don’t want to risk a leak inside my suit (if you know what I’m saying). I don’t have the bibs, but it would seem to me to be a lot harder to get out of that combination and then get back in after making a quick “pit stop” on shore.
that’s a good point Sherri.
Some women do find a lowered front zipper to work well, with a She-Wee or similar device. I’ve not tried it.
I’ve gone w. the “rainbow” dropseat zipper on my drysuit because it’s more versatile, for, ah, *both* of Nature’s calls, as well as changing out a tampon (might as well say it, it happens on trips). Happily Kokatat offers the same choices (lowered front zip or dropseat) as standard on their Goretex Whirlpool bib for Women (either feature, along w. socks, can be added to the Women’s Tropos version as an option, for an additional cost.).
So women who are inclined to try the bib have the same relief options as they do for Kokatat drysuits… another reason why IMO Kokatat was and is the leader in dry gear for women! How fitting on the day after International Women’s Day lol.
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I’ve got 3 Kokatat drysuits. I agree that they’re the best. I prefer the front-entry suits without an overskirt. When nature calls, I just take off the top half of the suit. I have learned to get in and out fairly quickly when I have to. I’m sure Deborah already knows this, but for the benefit of any new female kayakers who may be reading this thread and thinking about a drysuit or bibs/drytop, just keep in mind that while a lowered male relief zipper on the drysuit may work with a urinary funnel, you also need to make sure that everything else you are wearing inside the suit will work with the funnel. Men’s underwear doesn’t tend to fit a lot of women very well. Occasionally over the past 25 years, there have been companies who have tried making woman’s outdoor clothing that would allow easier access, but there never seems to be enough demand to keep the clothing in production.
From that picture on the middle right, it sort of looks like the model was wearing overalls. But the fact that it’s lighter than the usual suit is a good enough reason for me to switch. I wonder how long would it take until the water actually seeps through the suit?
Water will not soak through.. At least if there are no flaws in the material.. It’s meant to keep you dry.
Sir, you are a man of serious dedication. I’d still prefer a wetsuit myself, but I loved the overall post.