NRS Mariner Drysuit with eVent - Closeout

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Any thin moisture-wicking layer against your body, combined with a middle-layer of any fleece-like material, is enough to keep the dry suit warm even if weather gets down into the forties. You don't need anything fancy.

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Hi Jeff,
First of all, I assume that your Mariner drysuit is correctly sized to your
body. The suit should have a comfortable looseness to it, so that as you
move (e.g. standard kayaking paddle strokes) the fabric is not pulled taut
against your elbows, shoulders, or other potential friction points. Take a
moment to check carefully for this, keeping in mind that you will be
reaching quite far with your kayak strokes while you are focused on meeting
the challenges of roiling, fast-moving rivers or huge ocean waves. If you
are a highly competitive kayaker, you will also be using very long,
powerful strokes.
I have this same Mariner suit, and it works very well for me with just an
ordinary (cotton, cotton-polyester blend, or cotton-Spandex blend) shirt
underneath. I am fully aware that cotton doesn't wick moisture nicely, nor
does it dry as quickly as microfibre-type fabrics. However, in my
experience, cotton does not get clammy when worn underneath this high-end
eVent-fabric drysuit. In my experience, this drysuit is so breathable that
clothing underneath (yes, even plain cotton) does not cause any dampness
problems.
The superb breathability of my Mariner drysuit came in very handy one day
when I got rained on, in an unexpected downpour while unloading my kayaking
gear from my car. This was in the early morning, and I was only wearing my
plain cotton shirt and cotton pants. (At this point in time, I had not yet
put on my drysuit. Given the muddy conditions at the landing area, I
wanted to keep my drysuit as clean as possible. So, I simply put on a
poncho and rubber boots.)
Once I was ready to leave, I simply put on the drysuit (with the wet cotton
still underneath; of course I removed the poncho first). Then, I set off
in my kayak. The rain carried on intermittently for much of the day, but I
kept on paddling comfortably with only a few rest stops. At lunch, I
unzipped my drysuit and found that my cotton clothing was almost completely
dry. In the evening, the rain stopped and the clouds provided me with a
gorgeous sunset as I set up my tent and made dinner. I had been dry since
midday. The drysuit had clearly proven its value -- it actually allowed my
body heat to dry out the wet cotton, even while rain continued to fall on
the outside of the suit. This means that the eVent fabric's ability to
breathe enabled both the moisture from the rain-wetted cotton and the
moisture from my own perspiration to evaporate and leave the suit.
I have nothing against synthetic-microfibre shirts, but what bothers me
about the microfibre fabrics is that they are often rather expensive. In
contrast, plain cotton shirts are only about $5 each, and they seem to last
me for a long time. Generally, I only wear microfibre shirts when they are
exposed in hot/humid weather, such as when hiking on a midsummer day.
That's when the wicking and fast-drying action of microfibre is most
beneficial.
In situations where more insulating layers are required underneath the
suit, I suggest wearing standard sweaters (cotton-based sweaters, i.e.
sweat tops, work well for me and are cheap to purchase). Standard outdoor
nylon-based jackets also work well. I have used wool as well, with good
results.
Note, too, that Lycra-based long underwear and matching tops can very
easily be worn underneath cotton shirts and pants. I have used this
combination for hiking and cross-country skiing, with good results. (So,
during these activities, I am wearing long underwear, cotton pants and
cotton shirt, and nylon windbreaker-type jacket and snow pants. My Mariner
dry suit I only wear for kayaking.)
With a little bit of experimentation, you should be able to find the
under-drysuit combinations that work best for you (regardless of whether
you are kayaking in Arctic water in ice-cold weather, or whether you are in
semi-warm weather with still-frigid water). In my opinion, one of the
nicest features of a high-end drysuit is that it lets you wear almost
anything underneath and yet still be comfortable, no matter what the
weather is. Your natural body heat automatically provides the driving
force to evaporate the moisture and drive it out of the suit, thus keeping
you consistently dry.

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I have been wearing UnderArmor Cold Gear & it works great as a base layer.
The NRS Hyroskins also are great as appose to not choosing to wear the one
piece Bunny [fleece] suit.Ive also wore athlete wear on warmer days days
with no problem.

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I wear duofold thermals under mine in the winter and have had no problems.
Sent from my iPhone

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I have only wore my Mariner Drysuit three times so far, but wearing a micro-fleece garment top and bottom has worked great so far!

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I've used both fleece and polartec with this drysuit and haven't noticed any wear on the materials.

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You'll want to wear some sort of insulating layers. I really recommend out WaveLite pieces, make with Polartec Power Stretch material. Wicking. dry, warm.

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I wear a high-end wool base layer when it is very cold out. And when temps are moderate I wear an inexpensive synthetic shirt with a pair of shorts. I have also found this drysuit to cause unussual wear on synthetic fibers.

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I wear an NRS Wavelite Union Suite or a Kokatat Power Dry Liner. Both are
great. Warm enough for water and air temps in the low 30s, even in very
windy conditions, if aggressively paddling. Generally not too awfully warn
even when the temperature rises due to the great breathability of this
suite's fabric. Enjoy.

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The Kokatat polartec fleece union suit works extremely well. It is a little expensive but I found it to be worth every penny this February on the Grand Canyon.

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Hi. I have used numerous different layers; under both NRS and Kokatat dry suits. All will wear down, because of friction caused during paddling motions. However the most durable layers that I have personally found that wear the least, are polypropylene long sleeve top and long johns. These have very tight knit fibers. I personally think that any garment with tight knit fibers will wear the least. It maybe less breathable, depending on the conditions that you are paddling in. Products such as Polartec Kokatat one piece thermal layer work ok. Also take a look at O'Neal and Bare rash gaurd products. Hope this clarifies things for you.

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Dress for the water temp, I wear anything from long johns top an bottom to long johns with fleece pants and sweater. Fleece seems to stand up real well. My NRS suit is still in the mail but I have used a Kokatat suit for 15 years.
Sent from my iPad

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Latex socks fit very loosely unless you have gigantic feet. I prefer ankle
gaskets myself, but latex socks are more the norm in the better suits.
They are not insulating so you would probably want neoprene booties not
only to keep your feet warm but also to protect the latex sock. Holes in
the socks could let water in, but being at the bottom the suit, if the
other seals (neck, wrists, and zippers) are good, you're head up in the
water, and you're wearing a tight booty, the water should not "flood" in.
In any case I would patch the hole or replace the sock at the first
opportunity. These suits rule with cold water conditions, so don't let the
socks dissuade you from owning one.

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eVent has a waterproof membrane that is more breathable than Gore-Tex. - http://www.nrsweb.com/tech_talk/event_fabric_rocks.asp - The latex socks are quite tough, but you should wear a bootie over them for protection. If you do puncture them you will get a leak; however, they are easy to repair or replace.

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eVent like Gore-tex is designed to be both "breathable" to allow water vapor (e.g. perspiration) to escape and to be waterproof. I cannot answer the more important question: "How the performance of Gore-tex compare to eVent."
The latex booties most definitely must be protected from puncture and abrasion. If they are punctured. the water-proof character of your drysuit will be entirely compromised. I would think that you would want to cover the booties with an ankle-high water shoe.

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Using a urinal cup for females would work I think

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I would think it would be universal for anyone. sizing might be tricky thou..

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Having only worn the one for men I can't speak to how the fit would be for women.  I would think that the same would hold true.  The only thing I can say is try it first with your own booties.  If you can't get them on or more likely if your feet feel like they're being given a loving squeeze from a large python you're going to need to get a larger size booties to wear with the suit.

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Well, I'm a guy, 180 pounds, 5'10", 43" chest, and 33 waist. The size
large is a good fit for me with the NRS WaveLite Union Suit for insulation.
I only received the suit two days ago and used it to paddle 20 miles
yesterday. From this initial experience, it's awesome. If the fit is
right for you, it should be great.

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Those boots look similar to our Boundary Boots, which many folks wear with drysuits.

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I've found that it was necessary to use the next size larger neoprene boots than I usually wear.  Also, the neoprene booties really drag against the latex socks on the drysuit.  To resolve this, use a pair of thin dress stocks over the latex socks and the booties will slide right on.