A drysuit for the ladies ;)

Women's Inversion Kayak Drysuit (surprisingly good for kiting)

Rider: 60kgs inter/advanced
Style: Surf, Wake, Freestyle

Weather: Yesterday wind was frontal and very gusty (between 15-30kts), we had rain and some gnarly squalls. Today was steadier wind (around 15-20 kts).
Build Quality: 9/10
Satisfaction: 9.5/10
Disclosure: No kiteshops down here.. no affiliations.


Hi there,
After trying to find info on ladies drysuits (and not finding one post anywhere), I thought I’d throw up some info in the event it may help someone out in the future.

I’ve been researching a good drysuit for a while and had decided on an OR pyro pro…until I worked out that I couldn’t actually get one to fit! Basically, to get the right height meant that the wrist and ankle seals were too loose and there was enough spare material around the waist to build a small tent.

The guys we were dealing with were extremely helpful and even offered a custom fit for some extra money but in the end, I took a complete gamble and ordered the NRS Kayak inversion drysuit because it was right on my measurements.

How does it stack up?

Fit: Spot on – comes with socks as opposed to ankle seals. Thought I might have had to replace them but they work perfectly with a thin pair of booties to protect from oysters. Interestingly, the kayak skirt acts as a padding between the harness and the body of the drysuit. I was worried it would get in the way but it is actually a bonus. The suit is designed for a women’s shape and I found it has a lot less bulk and material in the upper body with longer legs/smaller waist. It did rub slightly around the neck. To counter this I wore a turtle necked rashie under the neck seal. It stopped the rubbing but let a small amount of water in.

Range of movement: Excellent – definitely more than the dive wettie! It was actually kind of like kiting in my PJs. It’s not as fitted as the pyro surf but not as baggy as the pyro pro. I can get heaps more extension out of tricks.

Warmth: I actually didn’t realise how much of a limiting factor getting cold has been. It doesn’t stop me from kiting but it takes away from the enjoyment. Today I was at the beach at 1130 and packed up at 330 water temp was around 11, air temp around 9 degrees and I was as toasty as in summer. Yesterday I was out in cold frontal conditions….toasty warm…a new kiting experience!!

Water proofness: The wrist seals are excellent (one of the reasons I went for the girls fit). I gave it a propper workout with some powered stacks - held up beautifully. As mentioned above, to stop the neck seal rubbing, I wore a turtle neck rashie that broke the seal. The funny thing was that I didn’t notice the water until the end of the session.

Bonus features: it comes with a pee zip (which looks weird)…and ladies freedom whiz funnel (scary, yet intriguing). Importantly, this is completely water tight and doesn’t leak. There’s also a handy pocket on the sleeve for keys/coins and it’s a funky blue/grey colour.

Cost: I paid full price and bought direct from NRS a good exchange rate worked out similar to the Pyro pro/surf (around the $700aus mark). They shipped it over within a week and were very quick to answer my questions.

In summary, I found that it is better to get a suit that fits rather than a kitesurf-specific suit that doesn’t fit. It was a gamble but I am stoked with the result and would recommend it to any other girls who decide to go down the drysuit road!

Hi,
Yeah - it's a company I haven't really heard much about but from the website it sounds like the seams are good quality and the suits have good flex and warmth for a decent price.

I looked at super warm wetties before getting interested in drysuits and I have also heard some very good things about the o'neil psycho freak and the Ion (diamond) wetsuit range.

There were two main factors that influenced my decision to go with a drysuit over a wettie. First, you don't have to heat that layer of water close to your skin and second you don't lose heat through evaporation from the wind (the windchill , when combined with a low ambient air temp can be brutal down here!!). I 'm just stoked I can happily kite through the winter

I'm in agreement. I don't think it makes a massive amount of difference on the water, but when you're off the water taking a breather you freeze in a wetsuit whereas the drysuit you're all toast and don't feel the wind chill at all.