After much deliberation, I recently purchased a drysuit from ravenspring. I wanted to write this review because of all the discussions on the message board.
I am thrilled with the suit. I paddle in Monterey, California where the water is cold all year round. I do alot of paddling alone and like the security of a dry suit in case of emergency. I started with a kokatat meridian (not gore-tex) and loved the simplicity of the dry suit but was still soaked from sweat when I took it off.
Kokatat and Stohlquist make great gore-tex suits but way out of my budget so I started looking in to Ravenspring. For approx $400 usd I bought a UNO with added cloth covers on the wrist gaskets. I sent my dimensions and they fit it to me perfectly. It is extremely well made with heavier material on the seat and knees. It is very comfortable and uses suspenders, versus a waist tie. The people at ravenspring were great to work with.
Yesterday, I did 10 miles at Elkhorn slough. It started out pretty warm but I was OK. The wind picked up as I paddled out and I was working pretty hard. When I took the kayak out and removed the suit, I was thrilled to note that there was no water on my fleece pants or top! The suit is definitly breathable and far more comfortable than the alternative.
I hope this helps those debating going with Ravenspring...I think you will be very pleased
