Typhoon Drysuit warranty^

[Lindisfarne]

I recently sent my Typhoon Multisport 3 Dry suit off to the rubber man for a latex seal replacement and a pressure test for a few leaks. Upon receipt of the suit he called me to say that it had suffered from de-lamination and was leaking everywhere. It is only 2 years old and as these suits come with a "3 year watertight guarantee” I should send it back to Typhoon for replacement. He swiftly returned the suit back to me, at no cost…! What great service...

When it arrived back I bundled it up and attached a copy of my £400 + invoice and sent it off to Typhoon with a covering letter. I had a phone call from them within 5 days. Not really the reply I was waiting on though. I was told that the suit had indeed suffered a fabric failure and had several de-laminated areas throughout. This failure however is not covered under their “3 year watertight warranty”.

The Warranty document states………..

“Typhoon drysuits, wetsuits and lifejackets are guaranteed against faulty workmanship and materials for one year from the date of purchase. To receive an extra two years' warranty on workmanship, you must complete the following registration form. Warranties are valid provided the product was purchased as first quality originally. The warranty does not cover latex seals & socks and also fabric socks. This warranty in no way affects your statutory rights”.

Spot the get out clause? Only workmanship defects are covered for the extra two years, not material failure.
So there you have it, that was my second Typhoon suit and strangely enough it will be my last. Time to buy something made from a material that won’t fall to pieces after only two years use.

Wet Neil.

[RichJ]

Hi (wet) Neil,

Oh gosh, I rather saw your suit as my next purchase. I have a lomo (my second, following delamination) suit with the layers held together with glue (purchased from lomo). Several of my friends have been pleased with the Typhoon model ... And especially with the 'guarantee'. Delamination does seem to be a real threat to this type of product; but strangely never to my mountaineering jackets which have been totally abused?

This type of discussion seems to run and run (no pun!) In discussion, I find it is difficult to distinguish between years owned and days paddled.

Of the products I own;

Palm sidewinder cags: 1) delaminated ( my cost) 2) delaminated (palm replaced) 3 Small use and remains in action!

Palm Talisman: Early failure of neck seal. Palm repaired (no cost).

Palm sidewinder trousers: Regular use (every weekend). Socks a sod to get off. Socks failed after two years and replaced by Palm(£50) new socks easy to get on and off. Great product! ... Bought second pair.

Lomo dry suit. Suit 1) delaminated and replaced by Lomo. Suit 2) Quickly started to delaminate. I have stuck laminates together, but to be fair I have had the suit a few years BUT not used it. ie relatively long ownership but little use.

Kokotat tectour jacket. Great to wear! Light, comfortable and breathable. Hood delaminated caused by neck seal velcro system rubbing. Kokotat very defensive; even after I explained my comments were for 'information only'.

I feel very uncomfortable with this type of discussion. Good products and excellent companys can be unfairly damaged by inacurate reporting. These are my findings. Equally, this kit is rather expensive!

Richard

[Lindisfarne]

Hi Richard,

Some very good, interesting points you make there.

I must admit my suit has had a lot of use but I do only use it during the winter months, I just wear a cag during the summer when most of my paddling is done.

My main issue with Typhoon is that I regularly rinsed the suit after use, I have a big plunge bin I use outside my boat shed so it get's a rinse inside and out. So why has it failed? They have just told me it's a material failure. If I have done something to cause the failure then I would like to know what it is so my next suit can last a bit longer.

It averages out that I'm spending £200.00 per winter for the pleasure of owning a dry suit. I was thinking about taking the plunge and spending the grand on a Kokotat suit. If it lasted 5 years I would be no worse off, any longer than that then I would be in pocket.

I can accept that these things can fail and abuse is a major contributing factor. What I can't accept is that the makers have openly admitted to me that the material the garment is made from has delaminated and only carries a "1 year water tight warranty". The manufacturing of the garment, stitching etc, is the only thing that carries the 3 year warranty.

The plus side is they were very nice on the phone. When I called them back to ask about posting my drysuit back to me they said "Surely you mean your wet suit Sir"...! They did also send it back to me at no cost to my self.

As you also point out, companies can be unfairly damaged by inacurate reporting and that's not playing ball. The real test here is that another lad in the club has the same issue with his identical suit. His is now over 2 years old as well, I'll report the response he gets back.

Has anyone had any experience of Typhoon's aftersales service, good or bad ?

Neil.

[pamf]

My Typhoon drysuit is just coming up for 2 years of use. The only problem I've had so far was the stitching at the lower back giving way. Typhoon repaired it, no questions asked, and returned it to me within a week. If the warranty doesn't cover materials, however, that's disappointing.

[Nick P]

Not kayaking related but.....
My first ever diving drysuit was a Typhoon (can't remember the model name). It started leaking after 70 or so dives (just over 1 year). Laeks were mostly on creases in the fabric and fortunately could be fixed by application of Aquasure on the inside of the suit. Nevertheless it continued to develop more leaks - I christened it the Typhoon Tea Bag, and soon changed to a Northern Diver suit.
I had decided to buy Typhoon originally based upon my experience in the RNLI where we use Typhoon surface suits on the inshore boats. 20 years ago, they were good, tough, well made suits. Today they are of abominable quality! Seams fail, boots fall apart, retroreflective patches come off and we're forever changing seals. They have a very 'cheap' feel about them. Overall, I think Typhoon leave an awful lot to be desired IMHO.
I do not own a paddling drysuit, but have several items of Reed kit. I think if I were to buy a paddle suit, I'd seriously consider Reed.

N

[Sharpen]

Having ripped the seals on my one year old yellow and black drysuit (not going to run down the company!), I sent it to Rubberman for a new seal to be fitted. The drysuit had always been damp from new and so I asked Rubberman to test the seams etc. They rang me, and said that virtually every seam leaked, the material was porous, and several other seals were perished. They suggested that I might be better buying another suit.

I asked what they would recommend - they would not recommend one, but stated that (apart from the one they make themselves) they had least trouble with Typhoon.

[Hard Chine]

After 7 years of use my Kokatat drysuit was in need of repair. It had developed some spots of wear, needed new socks and seals, and had some minor delamination around the pee-zip. So I send it to the factory for a repair.

Kokatat's reply: a brand new drysuit! Very happy with that:)

[soundoftheseagull]

That’s very unfortunate and although a different make I decided some years ago never to purchase an alleged dry kayaking made suit.
I opted for Rubber Mans I thing brother or brother in laws suits, ok it’s not breathable but that’s another subject but guess what its bomb proof so for winter paddling etc and when playing around it does what it says on the tin.
Advice on storage unless you have a build up of salts throw it into a plastic bin type container and if you submerge it constantly in sea water he reckons 7 years life wow.

[MikeB]

After 7 years of use my Kokatat drysuit was in need of repair. It had developed some spots of wear, needed new socks and seals, and had some minor delamination around the pee-zip. So I send it to the factory for a repair.

Kokatat's reply: a brand new drysuit! Very happy with that:)

What great service - where are you based Hard Chine? UK? Canada? Europe? States? Thanks, Mike.

[hants]

It is quite interesting, as according to the EU regulations there is a statutory 2 years warranty on almost every purchase.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bill ... U-law.html

[Lindisfarne]

Thanks to everyone for your input and the sharing of your different experiences. I decided that the wording of the 3 year watertight warranty was a little misleading so I sent a polite letter to them explaining my situation. I asked them why they thought the problem had arisen so I could avoid it happening in the future.

I have had a reply today from the head of repairs who now wants the suit back again to personaly inspect it. I'll report back his findings as and when I hear back from them.

Neil.

[hants]

After 7 years of use my Kokatat drysuit was in need of repair. It had developed some spots of wear, needed new socks and seals, and had some minor delamination around the pee-zip. So I send it to the factory for a repair.

Kokatat's reply: a brand new drysuit! Very happy with that:)

What great service - where are you based Hard Chine? UK? Canada? Europe? States? Thanks, Mike.

He is based at Kokatat factory. :-)
Any new tread about drysuits - there is a brand new user describing his/her great experience with that company.

[MikeB]

After 7 years of use my Kokatat drysuit was in need of repair. It had developed some spots of wear, needed new socks and seals, and had some minor delamination around the pee-zip. So I send it to the factory for a repair.

Kokatat's reply: a brand new drysuit! Very happy with that:)

What great service - where are you based Hard Chine? UK? Canada? Europe? States? Thanks, Mike.

He is based at Kokatat factory. :-)
Any new tread about drysuits - there is a brand new user describing his/her great experience with that company.

It could well be the case.

There's another thread over on Inland which is interesting - in it, there is a link to a video of the boss of K/tat is being interviewed by a UK retailer - in the interview it's made clear that the expected lifetime of a K/tat suit would be in the region of 15 to 20 years. The thread is Here.

This contains the direct link to the vid.

We had a sneak preview of some of the Kokatat/Jackson designs a few months ago and they were a lot less garish than that!

We did a little video with Jeff Turner and asked him how they justify the price. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfIJwofgf_k (yes this video is a bit dry and yes we do sit quite close!)

Mike.

[ruralweb]

A mate of mine bought a certain dry suit 6 months ago and its been back to be resealed twice and still leaks like a sieve. When he spoke to the company he was told it was due to excessive use and they hung up on him saying that they would not give him a refund and to "Bring it on" when he mentioned trading standards.

I have a Typhoon Multi suit and a Reed paddle suit both of which have had far more use than his and show no signs of wear.

[MattB]

A mate of mine bought a certain dry suit 6 months ago and its been back to be resealed twice and still leaks like a sieve. When he spoke to the company he was told it was due to excessive use and they hung up on him saying that they would not give him a refund and to "Bring it on" when he mentioned trading standards.

Which suit, which company and which retailer??

[Jim Pullen]

Sounds very different to my typhoon experience. After 2 years and 9 months of regular use and no real care I ripped my neckseal. Typhoon replaced this bit at cost price and simultaneously pressure tested my suit, resealed the leaks they found and repaired some stitching on a knee pad all under warranty and sent it back to me in under a week. Great service.

[ruralweb]

Which suit, which company and which retailer??

I cannot say as the matter is subject to legal proceedings at the moment - but it's non of the suits mentioned on this thread. You can be sure though that once its sorted out the details will be posted as its a joke what he has been through.

[Fenris]

I have a Typhoon Multi suit and a Reed paddle suit both of which have had far more use than his and show no signs of wear.

Me too! I use the Typhoon one for white water and the Reed on the sea. No problems with either yet (3+ years of regular use). Look after your kit and it will look after you!

Jenn

[soundoftheseagull]

Me too! I use the Typhoon one for white water and the Reed on the sea. No problems with either yet (3+ years of regular use). Look after your kit and it will look after you!Jenn

I’m a great believer in that phrase but when a garment delaminates and it has been cared for then I’m afraid the phrase means jack!

[MikeB]

After 7 years of use my Kokatat drysuit was in need of repair. It had developed some spots of wear, needed new socks and seals, and had some minor delamination around the pee-zip. So I send it to the factory for a repair.

Kokatat's reply: a brand new drysuit! Very happy with that:)

What great service - where are you based Hard Chine? UK? Canada? Europe? States? Thanks, Mike.

I note no response, and indeed a pm hasn't been picked up - which leads me to question the validity of the statement - although of course I also hope it is indicative of the level of service we can expect from a premium product, priced at the upper end of the price range.

Me too! I use the Typhoon one for white water and the Reed on the sea. No problems with either yet (3+ years of regular use). Look after your kit and it will look after you!Jenn

I’m a great believer in that phrase but when a garment delaminates and it has been cared for then I’m afraid the phrase means jack!

I agree - and when I returned my ancient Thermarest, I was told that it had de-laminated, which was why it was leaking, and accordingly was being replaced.

Mike

[Lindisfarne]

It’s heartening to read some positive reports on Typhoons after sale service. It’s good to know that if you have an issue at least they will take the time to look at it and repair it if possible. The problem with my suit was it was beyond repair and was a bucket job…!

I had a phone call today from them. I sent the suit back again a week or so ago for a more in depth fabric analysis and they have now come to some conclusions. The fabric had indeed failed but a few points were raised during the inspection. Although the suit was two and a half years old they estimate it has had the equivalent usage of a suit that would be nearer six years old. It had been rinsed after each use etc, but has had excessive use for a suit of its age. I can’t really argue with their findings as admittedly I’m on the water quite a lot and can be quite hard on my equipment.

After a lengthy discussion Typhoon are going to sort me out with another suit. It seems I can be of some assistance to them as well. Because of the environment that most of my paddling is done and the frequency of use, they now want to use me to trial some new materials. That’s a great outcome for me and they seem happy that they have gained a crash test dummy that’s hard on his kit. Let’s just hope it doesn’t leak.. :)

Neil.

[RichJ]

Hi there,
And interesting to hear the response from Typhoon.
"Although the suit was two and a half years old they estimate it has had the equivalent usage of a suit that would be nearer six years old" ...... but has had excessive use for a suit of its age.

All interesting stuff!

As mentioned earlier, I plan to replace my drysuit and I contacted Typhoon to explain their warranty. The response I got was vague, especially when I asked about expected usage and likely longevity.

Could you make an estimate of how many days use you have had from your suit? It would be useful to quantify 'excessive' use. If my rapidly growing suspicions are correct, some drysuits are really very poor value for money!

Good news for you that you have been identified a 'crash test dummy' I wonder what other trials they may have carried out on new fabrics and indeed why they should wish to change the current fabric? (!)

Richard

[Lindisfarne]

Richard,

I’ve had a look back and would roughly estimate the suit to have been donned in the region of 120 times in that period. That’s just an estimate so you could give or take 20 from that figure. An average use for that period would be a lot less than this, possibly nearer 40 times.

A friend of mine had a leak on his identical suit at the same time as me. He sent his back and has since had it returned repaired. It was a seam causing the problems and it was repaired without question. Another member in our club has a Palm Stikine suit that has been replaced once and repaired once in the same period of time as mine.

I think it’s a case of you pay your money and take your chance. They all have their good and bad points. It seems though that by reading through the feedback on this thread the general consensus is that Typhoon are fulfilling their warranty promise.

Neil.

[RichJ]

Neil,
Thanks for that. My usage sounds very similar to yours with only some items of kit carrying similar longevity! As you say, we pays our money and take the chance. However, at the price I am upset when (assuming reasonable care) products do not last this long. Accurate reporting on this forum does help purchase decisions.

All the best,
Richard

[mick m]

Hi there,
And interesting to hear the response from Typhoon.
"Although the suit was two and a half years old they estimate it has had the equivalent usage of a suit that would be nearer six years old" ...... but has had excessive use for a suit of its age.

All interesting stuff!

As mentioned earlier, I plan to replace my drysuit and I contacted Typhoon to explain their warranty. The response I got was vague, especially when I asked about expected usage and likely longevity.

Could you make an estimate of how many days use you have had from your suit? It would be useful to quantify 'excessive' use. If my rapidly growing suspicions are correct, some drysuits are really very poor value for money!

Good news for you that you have been identified a 'crash test dummy' I wonder what other trials they may have carried out on new fabrics and indeed why they should wish to change the current fabric? (!)

Richard

Althow not to do with dry sutes, re looking at new fabric, Im always looking at new sail fabrics , after testing Iv resently changed over to a new laminate , it gives me the ability to produce a beter shape. I also have ''crash test dummies'' our own Douglas Wilcox liked my gear so much I now youse him as a dummy , I also have other hevy yousers trying to distruct my sails. thers always new stuff being offerd to us manufacturers, wether its new fabric or new construction methods both of which need testing .

[Dave Thomas]

Hmm - manufacturer's assumed life seems to correspond to around £10 - £15 cost every time one dons a drysuit.

[Chalky723]

I’ve had a look back and would roughly estimate the suit to have been donned in the region of 120 times in that period. That’s just an estimate so you could give or take 20 from that figure. An average use for that period would be a lot less than this, possibly nearer 40 times.

40 times in 2 1/2 years? I can't be alone in thinking that isn't very much surely? I go (inland) paddling once a week in winter (Oct-Mar) and twice a week for the rest (Apr-Sep) This year I have been wearing the drysuit up to the start of June, most years I'd have been in shorts long before that. Anytime I'm on "proper" water, or where I know I'll need it it's on no matter what the weather. But even so, I would estimate I'm wearing the suit 40 times a year. If they're basing the longevity of the product on a usage of around 15 times a year then I think we're all being mis-sold their products!

Maybe the manufacturers should start to give a "life" of their product similar to some tyres. That way you could work out a "cost per hour" & buy the suit based on that.

C

[carpyken]

I’ve had a look back and would roughly estimate the suit to have been donned in the region of 120 times in that period. That’s just an estimate so you could give or take 20 from that figure. An average use for that period would be a lot less than this, possibly nearer 40 times.

Looking at previous posts you've put on here..and on other media I presume that's 120 times playing hard, upside down, out of your boat and sliding down the granite slabs found around Eyemouth and such like :-P

Sorry mate, your out three times a week ;-), even with my limited mathematical knowledge that equates to a lot more than 120 times :-D

luvs ya

K.

[carpyken]

Actually thinking on..... Is that just 120 times you actually manage to stay in your boat?

:-)

[ruralweb]

Althow not to do with dry sutes, re looking at new fabric, Im always looking at new sail fabrics , after testing Iv resently changed over to a new laminate , it gives me the ability to produce a beter shape. I also have ''crash test dummies'' our own Douglas Wilcox liked my gear so much I now youse him as a dummy , I also have other hevy yousers trying to distruct my sails. thers always new stuff being offerd to us manufacturers, wether its new fabric or new construction methods both of which need testing .

Interesting as I have a new Code Zero sail of yours and it's lasted about 5 hours before it broke!