[Kapila Jayaweera]

Anyone have experience with Gul brand dry suits?  I am looking for Gul Juniper series dry suit from local store in Vancouver. It is a two piece dry suit that can wear separately if needed.

Design and price point is appealing but I am not familiar with this brand.

https://victory-products.com/products/juniper-drysuit-gk0169-b3?variant=19615986614360

This site has bit more pictures.

https://www.coastwatersports.com/gul-juniper-kayak-drysuit-2021-tangerine-canoeing-kayaking-p-14547.html

These days no one have anything in stock makes it harder to buy anything serious.

Appreciate any comments or recommendations.

Topic

[Ken Bigelow]

Late the the party on this topic.

Just pulled the pin on the juniper drysuit GK0169-B3

I will give  report back on how it handles in a kayak and comfort levels.

The zipper system is indeed way different from other dry suits I have seen.

 

[Kapila Jayaweera]

I really appreciate your comments Maureen, Reed, Cameron and everyone else who emailed me with their opinion.

I received Gul Juniper medium dry suit yesterday. It looks very nice, well build with good materials.

When I look at measurements they recommend medium size though it is very big for my skinny body.  Not a manufacture fault.

Agreed with Cameron’s comments about complications around waist area. It has four layers near waist area with tow flaps create excess material trap inside no place to go. This could be due to my skinny build have no place for extra materials to wrap around. Agreed with Reed and Maureen’s comments about having zipper in the middle. I think zipper in the middle could get in the way when you sit inside the kayak and also potential problem down the road if it start leaking.

After weighing pros and cons with two piece drysuit, now I am convinced one piece would be a better option long run.

Thank you so much for commenting to this topic.

[Cameron Redenbach]

I originally posted the details for the sale at victory. I purchased a paddling jacket for my partner and was so close to buying a dry suit, this exact one except it wasn’t tall enough for me. When I went down for fitting it had a very similar system to Kokatat

To me it seemed like a very well build suit and I would have purchased it. The only concern I had was in the waist area. A lot of flaps that came up from pants and another down from top. Just seemed excessive for kayaking. And I was honestly thinking about cutting some of it off.

I wanted a storm hood but didn’t have a size for me. I then was looking at the suit that had no hood but strangely my big melon wouldn’t fit out the jacket. The gasket size was ok but it had a sewn in collar protector that wouldn’t let my head past. But feast of the suit was great

From the description
“”The Junipers unique feature is its Zip Disk technology by TIZIP is a sophisticated zip system that allows the drysuit to separate to form two fully functional garments.””

https://www.gul.com/aboutus.html

[Reed Clarke]

It all looks good. I gather the top goes on like a pullover, then the bottom is pulled up and zipped to the top. Probably easier to get into than the cross back or cross chest designs.

My only concern would be where that zipper is going to land. Make very certain it isn’t digging into something in your back. Ask yourself what will it feel like at the end of a long day of paddling. Something that is vaguely irritating while sitting in your kayak at home, could get a lot worse with hours of paddling.

Cheers, Reed

[Kapila Jayaweera]

Thanks for your comment Maureen. I just order this because they said I can have a look at it and return if I don’t like it. It is also tricky because if I submerged with it they may not take it back. It will be a problem if it start leaking down the road after warranty ends.

I was looking Kokatat Groe-tex Odyssey. Expensive but cant even get it. I didn’t realize I can order Kokatat locally. Let me check with MEC.

Thanks again.

[Maureen Benzon]

Hi Kapila,

This one might be ok because it has the body attached to the pants, but I don’t know it personally. Generally speaking, unless the top and bottom are joined by a waterproof zipper, the suit will not be dry if fully submerged, which is when you really want it.

Kokotat are never in stock. They make them as you order (both mec and DCCK will order for you) so you have to wait a couple of weeks, and they are US$ so expensive. You can go on their site and build your colour and style, then order locally.

Level 6 are a local company and cost less than the kokotat and seem to be ok.

Good luck! I will be interested to hear what others think

[Author]

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