Sport Today

Anyone out there sail with the integrated Goretex socks on their
Kokatat?  I'm thinking of having my suit retrofitted with these, and
was wondering if there might be issue such as feet slipping around in
booties, etc.  Would I be better off getting the***socks - I would
think that this is thinner than Goretex and might give me a litte
better traction and feel.

Thanks

Domer,
I'm a new Kokatat user and think it is a GREAT piece of equipment. That
said I've, two issues: 1) Water conducts heat 23 times better that air
so warmth when in the water is dependent on an adequet layer of of
clothing between you and the Goretex for insulation. Dress for
immersion and think bulky fleece. 2) With wool socks on for warmth your
feet do slip around inside the Goretex socks (and the Goretex socks
inside the booties). Maybe booties that zip above the ankles would work
better than the low cuts I have.
Ray

Per Domer:

I opted for the GoreTex socks.   I wear Tevas "Neutron" surf shoes over them.

Under them, I wear neoprene socks, which I hope will mitigate wear from toenails
and give me more padding than, say cotton athletic socks.

The downside of integrated socks, of course, is that you have no means of
flushing the legs if/when you ship a bunch of water - but I'm a bay sailor and
can live with that.
--
PeteCresswell

Hi Domer,
I had the***socks on my Kokatat GFE Drysuit when I originally bought
it 8 or 10 years ago because that's all they offered at that time.
When I had the suit refurbished and retested about 4 years ago, at the
Kokatat factory, they added the Goretex socks.
Now after about 4 seasons, the socks have some pin holes in them. I sent
the suit to Amigos Drysuit Repair in Chapel Hill, NC last year for new
neck and wrist seals and they tested the Goretex socks and found some
pin holes but they don't have a way to repair the pinholes so they
suggested that I send the suit back to Kokatat (in California) for new
Goretex socks. I will do that here in the next month or so.
As Ray K. suggests, your feet may slide around a little in wool socks
(I use a few different grades (thickness') of Merino wool socks
depending on the temps) but that's most noticeable when you are walking
around in them. Never had this be a problem when sailing. Try to find
some booties with an arch strap and this will pretty much solve the problem.
As far as the "pin holes" and how much water gets to your feet, I found
that the Merino wool socks simply get a little damp. I could feel the
dampness, and that foot was slightly colder in extreme temps, but with
the 3mm neoprene booties, the Goretex socks, and a layer of merino wool
my feet stayed plenty warm enough.
I wear that suit all day at cold water "A Taste of Windsurfing" events
so I'm "in the water" (up to waist high) for several hours and my feet
only get slightly damp.
When I get the new Goretex socks, I'll be more careful when getting into
and out of the Kokatat to avoid stepping on asphalt, concrete, or any
little rocks which I suspect are what made the "pinholes".
Having an old towel or something soft and smooth to stand on until I get
the booties on (and a more careful cleaning out of the booties) will
prevent the "pin hole" problem in the future.
Hope this helps,

Thanks for the replies, I'll probably be shipping my suit to Kokata
this week and will be ordering the Gortex socks.  I'm not really
concerned about not being able to flush the legs - I've never had the
suit take on water during the last 4 years of using it which includes
sailing the ocean in it.