NRS Crux Drysuit
The NRS Crux drysuit is a front entry drysuit, the zip runs from right shoulder down to your left hip. This is the first time I have ever owned a front entry drysuit and I was a bit dubious of how it feels when paddling and whether it would get in the way or not. To my surprise this drysuit gives me so much freedom and movement, you don’t even notice the zip is there. Putting on the suit is super easy, step into the suit, pull it up around your waist and put your arms in first and then your head. To take it off do the reverse head out first, then your arms. Zipping and unzipping the suit is easy to do yourself. The zip is also covered up by a flap to protect the zip from wear and tear.
The suit is made from 4 layer eclipse waterproof and breathable fabric and is reinforced in the high wear areas such as the seat and lower legs. This material is super durable but at the same time super flexible which adds more of that freedom feeling when wearing it. I have been using the suit all winter running lots of white water safety and rescue courses and this suit hasn’t shown any wear or tears in the fabric. The feet on the suit have double taping in the heal and the toes to make them super durable but I also wear thin neoprene socks over the top to help stop wear and tear from small stones, grit and sand when walking around and have been doing this for years now and it definitely helps prolong the life of your dry suit feet.
Neck and wrists have heavy duty latex seals to keep the water out, I found the neck seal was so good on this drysuit that I had to stretch latex neck seal out before using it as it was a bit tight. To protect the latex the suit has punch through neoprene over cuffs which makes putting the suit on super easy and no faff having to do up Velcro, just slide your hand through and you are ready to go.
The waist tube tunnel on the suit has a super grippy inner neoprene to help hold your spray deck in place and then has Velcro tabs on the outside to secure the spray deck in place even more. Your spray deck is not going anywhere with both these systems gripping it and it also creates a nice seal around your waist.
The one downside to this drysuit is that the chest pocket is slightly on the small side. Which can be an issue if you like keeping your phone in there. To give an idea of the size it does fit my iPhone 7 in there with ease, but this is without its waterproof case on, once this is added it’s a bit of a struggle to get it in and out. It is perfect for putting your car keys in but if you’re like me and are sometimes forgetful it could end up being a bigger problem. This issue doesn’t really bother me to much as I don’t really like using pockets on dry gear and personally think that they don’t need to be there but I know that a lot of people do like them and use them regularly.
The Crux comes in two colours, dark blue and green in the men’s cut and purple for women’s cut. The women’s suit also has a drop seat zipper for convenience. It’s definitely worth going to a shop and trying the different sizes before you buy especially if your like me and are between sizes but I would always recommend doing this to anyone before they buy a dry suit, especially if it’s your first suit.
This dry suit is super simple, durable and comfy to wear. I cannot get over how much freedom of movement this suit gives me and how light and flexible it is to wear. It is a great all round suit whether you’re using it for white water kayaking, open canoeing or paddle boarding. This drysuit has now had a whole winter season of paddling and working thrown at it and has shown no sign of damage or weakness, I can see this drysuit last me a long time.
Words by Joshua Telling – Rapid Skills
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