Pinnacle Kodiak Experience

[checkyourmirrors]

I did my first two dives in the Puget Sound today with my new Kodiak in 47 degree water. I added a 3mm Torso Warmer just to be safe and it was a good decision as it didn't add any real bulk or restriction and the added insulation was nice.

The suit itself was very "sturdy" and I liked the additional of the inner rubber seals on all the openings. I will say they run a tad small and I am at the high end of their small size and had to order a medium after the small made my eyes bulge out :-(. The suit felt great, easy to move and getting the cap/top over my head did require help along with getting zipped up in the front.

I followed the manufacturer recommendation of putting my boot and hood over the inner seals and the suit neoprene over the top and gloves over both. Can't say that was right since water did enter the suit and it was no where near semi-dry. At the end I had a fair amount of water although I was warm throughout the dive which lasted nearly an hour. I'm not sure if this is due to my handling of the seals or that is what I should have expected.

My hands were ice cold but I don't fault the suit for that and overall I was OK with the suit. I would like to find a way to keep the water out as much as possible so any suggestions on changing the hood/boot/gloves let me know.

The only downside is donning the suit is not a one person task and the zipper really needs a Velcro strap to keep it from coming unzipped (which did happen slightly on my first dive).

 

[Nismo]

Semi-dry is a bit misleading. You get just as wet but it's supposed to keep you warmer by trapping the water better in a very thick suit. I have the Kodiak and like it very much as well. The suit is designed to be used with the dry suit hood and I think dry gloves as well. The Drysuit hood offered by Pinnacle is 7mm lined with Merino, I ordered one. Dry gloves will make a world of difference. Pinnacle makes a 7mm merino lined boot as well.

I haven't had any problems with the zipper opening. Be sure to use care when closing since Pinnacle seems to be having problems with zippers. It's definitely a two person job to close it fully.

 

[checkyourmirrors]

I've got the Pinnacle dry suit hood and after diving again today, it is the main source of water into the suit. I was considering trying a normal hood and see how that goes.

 

[sambolino44]

Why did you choose the Kodiak (no hood) instead of the Extreme (integrated hood)?

 

[Nismo]

I did for the high stretch suit and because I don't know that I want to try and use the one size fits some hood that may be very uncomfortable if it does not fit well.

 

[checkyourmirrors]

My perception was the Kodiak was their premier suit for cold water diving with dry suit like features in the seals, zipper, etc and even uses the dry suit hood. The suit is excellent and in my other dives, the zipper hasn't been an issue so perhaps my original problem was due to user error and not the suit itself. My only concern has been hood seal and I have the pinnacle 7mm dry suit hood but I am going to rent a traditional hood and see if that makes the difference.