Level Six Cronos Drysuit 6-Month Review

[nootka]

My red kokatat drysuit has been to Surge Narrows 158 days and it has held up well. I aquaseal minor leaks as they appear.
The suit was purchased in 2009.
I don't capsize as much as I used to, but still get my hair wet most days.

 

[Mowog73]

I didn't buy the L6 Cronos because it was 'low end', I bought it because I didn't want the double tunnel waist band and it is made from the same material as their more expensive suits. Their dry suits have good reviews. It felt good buying from an Canadian company rather than a US one, and in terms of buying one one line, their return policy if it doesn't fit was great. And yes, the price was definitely a factor.

I was out in my kayak last weekend and did another dunk test (me splashing around in the water), and this time I did not have damp sleeves. Not sure what I did differently from the other time, maybe it is coming in around the wrist gasket.

John, did L6 mention if their more expensive suites use the same exhaust 2.5 fabric on that part of the sleeve as the Cronos?

 

[a_c]

The L6 Cronos is $840 CAD shipped to Victoria.

Their introductory $800 price point has now become $900, btw.

I picked up a Mustang Hudson (latex neck and wrist version) this week for $1039 on clearance sale, I plan on giving it a trial run this weekend. Will create a separate thread with first first impressions/review.

 

[JohnAbercrombie]

L6 Cronos:

Their introductory $800 price point has now become $900, btw.

Thanks for that update. I've corrected my previous post. Very opportunistic of L6 to stick an increase on the price so quickly,

I picked up a Mustang Hudson (latex neck and wrist version) this week for $1039 on clearance sale, I plan on giving it a trial run this weekend. Will create a separate thread with first first impressions/review.

Excellent - I'll watch for your review.

 

[JohnAbercrombie]

I didn't buy the L6 Cronos because it was 'low end', I bought it because I didn't want the double tunnel waist band and it is made from the same material as their more expensive suits. Their dry suits have good reviews. It felt good buying from an Canadian company rather than a US one, and in terms of buying one one line, their return policy if it doesn't fit was great. And yes, the price was definitely a factor.

Exactly my thoughts and motivation. I'd buy another Cronos if the wrist fabric issue was resolved. I'd prefer a version with no wrist over-cuff - even simpler. By 'low-end' - I meant pricing and 'no unwanted frills', not quality.

I was out in my kayak last weekend and did another dunk test (me splashing around in the water), and this time I did not have damp sleeves. Not sure what I did differently from the other time, maybe it is coming in around the wrist gasket.

Good to know. For me, the leak through the wrist fabric was only obvious on longer (>2-3 hrs) paddles - a rolling practice session didn't show any problems.

John, did L6 mention if their more expensive suits use the same exhaust 2.5 fabric on that part of the sleeve as the Cronos?

In one email exchange, I mentioned that my Odin L6 suit had 'suit fabric' (3.0 ??) in that spot. The response was that the thinner fgabric made it easier to construct the wrist area as it reduced the bulk of the fabric in the seams. L6 didn't state to me whether they now were making all their suits with 2.5 fabric in the wrists. BTW, that Odin suit is a few years old so current production may be different.

Slightly off-topic:
Has anybody else seen the 'review' of the L6 Emperor drysuit by Ken Whiting?

Apparently the key to top drysuit performance is to inflate the suit?

 

[Mowog73]

This fella also has an Odin suit and has given it a good review and has been using it for a year or so. His review was part of the reason that I bought the Cronos.

I saw Ken's video and got a good laugh from the inflated suit bit.

John, I like your idea of coating the fabric so that it is waterproof. If I find that the fabric on my suit permeates water, then I'll be looking to coat it as well. I will continue to watch for damp sleeves, probably not many more opportunities for kayaking this year.

 

[cougarmeat]

As a safety note on the inflated suit .., I had a friend who was new to drysuits and when he put it on, I suggested he “burp” it by either crouching down and pulling on the neck gasket or entering the water about chest high and doing the same with the neck. Because of “You’re not the boss of me.” issues, he did neither. When he tried a wet exit, there was so much air/flotation in the suit that it sort of pinned him inside the upside down boat for longer than was comfortable. I was there, ready for the three taps on the hull, but he made it out.

 

[JohnAbercrombie]

As a safety note on the inflated suit ..

Absolutely!
Once, I also had the 'feet up, head down' situation (when I volunteered to be 'the victim' in a demo) because I hadn't burped the suit well.
It wasn't a problem for me, but if the swimmer didn't know to put a finger inside the neck gasket and push their legs down in the water it would be disconcerting.

 

[JohnAbercrombie]

BTW, my Cronos seems to be working OK with the Aquaseal coating on the wrist fabric - I've paddled it a few times. It's a pity I had to do that, and it's something that a lot of paddlers wouldn't do at all.

Old thread, I know, but I thought I'd post an update on the Cronos.
I don't think I've worn it since I posted that comment about the Aquaseal fixing the wrist leak problem, until today. I was out for a ~3hr paddle in calm conditions, but the paddle drips and splashes were going in to the wrist 'tunnels'. I was pretty sure I could feel water on my forearms after 30 minutes or so. We took a shore break after about 90 minutes. When I stood up, I dropped my hands and could feel water running down to the wrist gasket. Pulled the wrist gasket open with a forefinger and water dripped out - a few tablespoons full from each sleeve. When I got home, I checked my base layer short-sleeve merino top and it was wet; the inside of the suit sleeves were wet also.
Conclusion: My Aquaseal 'quick fix' doesn't work.
BTW, I was out yesterday and wore my Chillcheater suit and all was dry.
This is quite vexing for me since I've been a public L6 'fanboy' in the past.

 

[AM]

Thanks, John, for the detailed update. My skin was crawling at your description of water running down your forearms: I absolutely hate that feeling. I had a similar experience with a L6 Superior semi-drytop on a very rainy day a couple of years ago — I haven’t worn it since.

I wonder if those combination 2- and 3-layer garments are prone to this sort of failure?

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[AM]

I wonder if those combination 2- and 3-layer garments are prone to this sort of failure?

Hm, maybe I’m mistaken about the fabric: is the Cronos fully 3-layer?

 

[JohnAbercrombie]

Hm, maybe I’m mistaken about the fabric: is the Cronos fully 3-layer?

It's advertised as :

Constructed using our eXhaust 3.0 waterproof breathable nylon

The problem with my suit seems to be with the thinner fabric that joins the wrist gaskets to the body of the suit.

 

[AM]

Okay, is that 2-layer fabric then? Again, on my mixed 2-and 3-layer L6 jacket, the leaking was considerable — I had something similar to your experience of water pooling at my elbows.

Not that the 3-layer fabric is above reproach. I wore my L6 Odin (entirely 3-layer) in May on one of the rainiest trips I can remember and my base layers were very soggy from socks to shirt. I can’t remember ever being that wet in my previous drysuit (3-layer Gore-tex by Kokatat).

I really want to pull for a Canadian company, but it seems that our shared experience is less than ideal.

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[JohnAbercrombie]

I have an extra pair of "Patti Sleeves" (Patti Stevens cuffs) which I may just graft on to my Cronos suit.

The Chillcheater suits don't have an 'over cuff' with Velcro adjuster and I find that more convenient - doesn't hide my GPS watch, and one less thing to adjust.

 

[Mowog73]

The majority of the drysuit is made from their exhaust 3.0 material, with the wrist fabric being their exhaust 2.5 material, which isn't as waterproof as the exhaust 3.0 material.

Fortunately for me, I haven't had the same experience as John, I am not getting wet wrists and forearms with my Cronos drysuit.

 

[a_c]

I really want to pull for a Canadian company, but it seems that our shared experience is less than ideal.

My experience with this suit is documented here, but this thread did remind me, I've been meaning to post a 6-month update on my Mustang Hudson review, which will now be more like a 1-year update...

(spoiler alert): I'm super pleased with the Hudson, it's been pretty bomb-proof so far. I'll post an update in that thread for anyone interested.

 

[JohnAbercrombie]

Cronos update: The butt/seat area is leaking now. Three paddles in the past week and every time my base layers had soaked butt area after a couple of hours. So I guess a single layer of 'breathable' fabric won't do in that area.

 

[Jurfie]

That’s disappointing. I’ve been considering a new drysuit as mine is over 10 years old and seems to not be as dry as it used to be. I’ve already replaced the gaskets, but the fabric now longer beads up and I think there is at least one pinhole leak. I might just try and seek out the leaks and try to renew the DWR and see how that goes. I’d rather save the new drysuit money for something else, but I was considering a Level Six drysuit as I’ve had good luck with one of their semi-dry tops.

 

[Mowog73]

This is very disappointing to hear. Will you be contacting Level Six about the latest failure of the drysuit? They do say their products come with a lifetime warranty.

 

[JohnAbercrombie]

Will you be contacting Level Six about the latest failure of the drysuit? They do say their products come with a lifetime warranty.

"Been there, done that". In the earlier parts of this discussion about the leaks in the wrist area- with clear documentation of water coming through the fabric-I posted the Level Six response. I'm assuming that the suit seat would still pass the 'blow it up and spray soapy water' test, and I would have wasted $50 in shipping costs.

Perhaps my expectations are too high, but I haven't had good luck with suit problems and warranty service.
I soured on Kokatat after my Meridian suit started 'wetting through' in the chest and back once the DWR coating wore off. I sent pictures of the saturated suit (outside and in) and then I sent the suit to Kokatat for warranty inspection. Their report: "Passed testing, no problems." They returned the suit with both wrist gaskets shredded.
Similar 'wetting through' in the torso with an earlier (5 years ago?) Level Six suit got a verdict of 'it's worn out', but they did give me a discount on a replacement.

I think double-layer seats are probably a better bet for 'breathable fabric' suits. The alternative is a fully waterproof fabric like the Chillcheater Aquatherm fabric which has worked well for me, though it seems better for cooler weather.

In general -over many years of use (and disappointments ) I've found that 'breathable' fabrics aren't very waterproof if there is contact and pressure. For instance, my Gore-Tex anoraks/rain jackets all leaked under the pack shoulder straps. It's almost back to the days of canvas tents which were waterproof - unless you touched the inside surface.

And it's not just me. My paddling partner on a wet 2+ week trip had a brand new Helly Hansen "Pro" GoreTex rainsuit which didn't do the job- and that was just worn around camp. It was replaced with a more 'rubbery' suit (Grundens?) after that trip.

I notice the Cronos is now $950 CAD.