Kokatat Gore-Tex Rogue Dry Top

Gaskets / Cuffs

The gaskets on all three tops are very serviceable. I haven’t noticed a big difference in gasket lifespan across the three tops, and I believe that their lifespan will depend mostly on how well you treat them (keep them out of the sun, lube them up regularly, etc.). I can typically get at least a season or two out of a set of gaskets.

However, the gaskets on the Rogue seem to have the most “stretch” to them, making them the easiest to take on and off without pulling out too much of my hair. This can end up being a non-issue if you break a lot of gaskets, however, since you’ll likely end up with whatever brand of gaskets your local shop has in stock (unless you send it back to the manufacturer for repairs every time you blow one, which would be time consuming and expensive).

This next feature may seem like a small difference, but it has an impact on comfort and utility. Whereas the NRS and IR tops have a Velcro wrist cuff to cover the Gore-Tex wrist gaskets, the Rogue simply has a soft “super stretch” neoprene fabric wrist overcuff. This overcuff requires no thought, so I never end up pulling the top over my head when taking it off only to realize that my wrists are still securely velcroed in.

I’ve also had the experience in other tops of being served a violent thrashing from the river gods only to emerge with the Velcro undone and the additional cuff fabric flopping around in the water. This would make it even more difficult to swim after an unintentional “freestyle” session.

Tunnel

Each top features a perfectly serviceable double tunnel to integrate with your spray skirt and, if you own a pair, your dry pants.

All three of the “inner skirts” of the double tunnels are elongated so as to stay below the spray skirt, but the Rogue seems to provide me with the best seal between spray skirt and dry top.

The IR also performs admirably on this front, but its double tunnel does have more of a tendency to allow the skirt to slip down, while the NRS seems to be the most likely of the three to allow leakage between the skirt and the double tunnel. I think this is because the outer tunnel of the NRS does not come down as far on my torso, leaving less contact between the material of the drytop and the material of the skirt. These results have been consistent across my choice of spray skirts from my IR Lucky Charm, SnapDragon Armortex EXP, and my ancient MountainSurf rand skirt.

The tendency of a dry top to let a the skirt tunnel slip down is crucial to me, especially when playboating. Many freestyle maneuvers, such as the loop, require motions that cause skirts to slip down the paddler’s torso. During a long session at the playhole, I hate having to reach down constantly to awkwardly try to slide my skirt back into my tunnel after each ride. That isn’t to say that the skirt will never slip out of the Rogue’s double tunnel, but in my experience, it happens less frequently with that top.

Other Features

The Rogue and the IR have self draining, zippered chest pockets with a key lanyard. The NRS, on the other hand, has a “splash proof” pocket on the left shoulder. I guess that is a fancy way to say that the pocket is “mostly dry”—don’t go putting your iPhone in there. The shoulder pocket is a great idea because your items will not create bulk underneath your PFD. However, it can also be annoying to have any significant weight in a shoulder pocket.

Personally, I do not use the pocket features very often because I don’t boat with my keys and I prefer to keep snacks in my PFD pocket. However, for those who do like to keep their keys close or do not have a great pocket on the PFD, this feature could be really useful.

Durability

In addition to being less flexible, I have to say that the heavier / thicker fabrics of the NRS and the IR also seem to be significantly less durable. With approximately 25 days on this particular Rogue (this is my second one), it is still dry as a bone. (My best estimate would be that my previous Rogue lasted me about 300 days over three years before I retired it, and it remained very dry throughout that time period, albeit with two trips in for minor repairs).

The NRS, on the other hand, has about 20 days on it and already leaks a bit through the elbows and through the double tunnel. Similarly, the IR top has about 25 days on it and consistently leaves me with a damp torso, though I believe this to be the result of water leaking through the skirt / double tunnel interface and not the fault of the material.

This marked difference in durability is the reason that I find myself favoring the Rogue more and more whenever I go for a paddle. After all, at approximately equal levels of use, the Rogue keeps me significantly drier.

Obviously, these results may not be definitive. For instance, BLISTER reviewer Tom Neilson’s IR Comp LX has lasted him through 80-plus days of hard use, and still keeps him warm and dry in cold New England weather.

In addition to being durable, it is easy to send the Rogue in for repair. I like to send my Rogue in every couple of seasons for a repair session where Kokatat will pressure test the garment and seal up any leaks they find. They typically do this for a pretty bargain price (it’s usually about $15 to have it tested and taped) and turn it around in less than two weeks. This really helps to extend the lifespan of my tops, since I’ll typically send mine in roughly every other season.

Bottom Line

Overall, the Rogue outdoes the competition on pretty much every aspect of design, fit, and features, but the difference in durability is the only really big reason that I see to shell out the extra cash. If each top had an equal lifespan, then I could understand overlooking the other small issues with the NRS and IR tops. But, since you’re probably going to have to replace those other tops sooner than the Kokatat anyway, I think you might as well go for it right off the bat—if you have the cash on hand.

That being said, the NRS and IR tops are still really excellent choices and will serve you admirably while they last. This is especially true for folks who live in warmer climates like the Southeast, who only occasionally have to deck themselves out in expensive waterproof equipment in order to get on the water.