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striker ice suit?


slick2526

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Well some guys sweat a lot more than others. For those guys, the zippers allow some added breathability. Once you start sweating and the inside gets wet, its kind of downhill from there.

This was one of the things a lot of people complained about on the Arctic Armor. Kind of like wearing a rubber suit.

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I bought a pair of Hardwater bibs this season. It would be the perfect pair of bibs, except every time I'm kneeling in slush or when ice gets stuck to the bibs and thaws I end up with wet knees. I've emailed the company about it but have not received a word back from them. Very frustrating. Anyone else experience this?

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Sounds like they need to step up their customer service a little bit.

If you email them and say how awesome their suits are they'll probably respond right away lol.

I'm looking to get a new suit next season we'll see which company steps their game up. I'll be sticking with the AA for now. I'm only interested in suits that can float, that's priceless.

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The only issue I see for me, is that I would also use it for snowmobiling and with your arms out on the handle bars with the wind blowing under your open arm pits, it could get a little cool there after riding all day? Something for me to think about? confused

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I bought a pair of Hardwater bibs this season. It would be the perfect pair of bibs, except every time I'm kneeling in slush or when ice gets stuck to the bibs and thaws I end up with wet knees. I've emailed the company about it but have not received a word back from them. Very frustrating. Anyone else experience this?

I agree with this. For years I had a pair of Gore Tex Cabelas Motorsports bibs. I could kneel in anything and my knees would stay 100% dry. They were truly waterproof. This was a concern of mine when I switched to the Striker, so I asked the salesperson where I bought the suit if the bibs would be "waterproof" or "water resistant". He spouted off a bunch of technical jargon and ratings and ended up saying that yes, they are waterproof. On my very first trip with them, I learned that this was false. If you kneel in slush, you will get wet knees. My dad has the same striker suit and after a day of sight fishing perch, we both have wet clothes. It's something I've learned to deal with, and it's a tradeoff I'm willing to make for a suit that floats.

As far as the pit zips go, I keep mine open over 1/2 the time. If it didn't have them, I would cook to death most days. I think they are a great feature.

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Well, I have NOT had any issues getting wet knees in my striker climate suit and I have kneeled in slush, bare ice, plain old snow for hours on multiple occasions and never gotten wet. My pants underneath were not wet, the suit itself was not wet on the inside either.

There was approximately 3 inches of water on the ice beneath the snow on a couple days I was out there. You drilled a hole and the water would come out the top. I fished outside 90% of the day, most of which kneeling on the ice and did not get wet at all. I could feel the cold from the ice, but never wet.

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I have knelt in slush/water with both the LITE and heavy suits for extended periods over the last two winters. I never got wet once. One thing I don't know is whether the side zippers are supposed to be waterproof. Water might be getting in through there when you kneel in slush/water. I've got some premium rain gear of two other brands, and neither of those zippers is actually waterproof.

I haven't experienced the draft issue with the armpit vents zipped closed except occasionally when I'm snowmobiling. Haven't had it happen standing on the ice, even in big wind. I know I'd be a cooked goose without being able to open them. smile

I do know Shawn pays attention to suggested improvements. As Darren said, this year's suggestions can't be incorporated until next year's suits. I remain really impressed with last year's models, and they've made significant improvements with this year's models based on all the feedback they got last winter.

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The only way I could see getting you knees wet would be through the zipper. I got a chance to see inside of my Hardwater bibs when the crotch ripped and its got a thin layer of foam for the flotation sandwich between the inner and outer layer. That's why it needs zippered vent to let the moisture out because the foam doesn't let moisture in or out.

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The only issue I see for me, is that I would also use it for snowmobiling and with your arms out on the handle bars with the wind blowing under your open arm pits, it could get a little cool there after riding all day? Something for me to think about? confused

I think I remember some air leak on the Hardwater Jacket while riding snowmobile but this is not an issue with the Climate at all, they redesign the zippers with a protector. full-26462-29687-image.jpg

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I can kneel in snow/slush for weeks in my Arctic Armor and not get wet knees.

The #1 complaint with the AA has always been the non-breathable factor. The zippers in the Striker seem like a great idea for fixing that problem in suits but not if the zippers are letting in to much of a draft or water.

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I own most of the major brand "suits" and my Arctic Armor Plus (Green) is my zero degrees and above suit. Never wet knees. I believe the Plus Suit, which came out later, addresses some of the breathing issues as I I do not recall much of any issues and guys with the originals have said the Plus is different form the original AA suits.

Now, if only they could make my FXE Frabil SnoSuit float but I still pick it over the AA and Striker for extreme cold and overall comfort and coolness. grin

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I agree with some of the above comments about the knees not being waterproof. I've had a couple sets of the Climate bibs and they were water resistant. I kneel on the ice a lot and my knees would consistently get with. It is not a zipper problem. That said, they are much better than the Ice Armor bibs I used prior. On a different note, has anyone else had problems with the stitching? I had a set of bibs and one of the handwarmer pockets was coming apart at the stitching. I exchanged them and after 3 trips out the second pair was coming apart at the stitching inside the zippered chest pocket. The only thing I've ever put in that pocket is my phone. I've got another pair set aside for me to exchange today, but I'm wondering if I'm the only one who has had these problems.

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I have the Striker Lite jacket and absolutely love it. I have had no issues with the jacket in anyway. Plenty of storage pockets. I like the zippers in the arm pits. When the temp comes up outside, I can zip them open and it breathes wonderfully. I dont think you could go wrong on the jacket. I can't speak for the bibs, but I am sure they are of the same quality. I am still using bibs from my last suit since they were float as well. Good luck!

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