Does anyone make an uncompressed neoprene drysuit any longer?

[buddhasummer]

I believe O'Three out of the UK do. Their suits have a great reputation as does their customer service.

 

[lowviz]

... Don't you need substantial undergarments with your DUI or Pinnacle suits in cold water (45-55F)? I like being fairly stripped down, prior to donning the suit, to prevent overheating during the pre-dive phase, but also toasty warm during the dive.

Apologies, somehow missed/overlooked your question.

No, don't need substantial undergarments at all. 45-55F isn't all that cold. I start to hurt in the mid 30's. I use "Hotwool" tops and bottoms as a base layer on every dive. Nothing to them and they keep me warm. You won't overheat in them. They breathe really well. (Home | Aclima) If it is seriously cold, I'll add my Polartec one piece. Kind of a pain, though. makes me more buoyant than I care to be.

 

[Storker]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Scubapro's Everdry 4. Isn't that suit marketed on the West side of the Pond?

Anyway, the Everdry 4 fits almost like a wetsuit, so it's really, really easy to dive. It was my first DS, and I had practically no problems with trim or bubble control (but don't ask me about my learning curve when I switched to a trilam suit...). With a single layer of thin wool, it's fine for summer diving in Scandiavian waters (15-ish C water and air up to the low 20s C), and I've used it down to 4C water and -10C air with a few layers of thicker wool underneath.

The only problem I've had with mine is that since it's so snug, it's a real PITA to don with several layers of wool underneath. It's the full neoprene dance, only this time with a DS instead of a WS...

 

[buddhasummer]

Cressi Drylastic....terrible name, no idea about the suit, looks new.

 

[Redshift]

O'three does have good suits, but all back entry.

Teknodiver has some uncompressed models with front entry option.

TEKNODIVER - DRYSUIT

A lot of people have a lot of misunderstanding about neoprene drysuits and drysuits in general. Here is my take on drysuits based on 30 plus years of diving, over 5,000 drysuit dives and having used virtually every kind of drysuit made.

It is my opinion that neoprene drysuits make a better drysuit for most types of diving. Here is why:

1. They have less drag because they stretch.

You may prefer, but there is a limit to how much you can praise them, even for someone who sells them!

They have less drag because they don't fold as much. That will also make them not as tight around the body. The actual stretch is not considerable, especially in thick suits. And there are trilaminate suits with stretch fabric as well.

2. They are warmer because they have built in thermal protection AND you can add more warmth by adding more air. You generally cannot do this with a shell suit because of the buoyancy characteristics of a shell suit.

So can you with a shell suit! And the buoyancy will be affected by the volume of air inside, that is the same for any kind of suit.

4. The seals in a neoprene suit (if they are good quality 3-5 mm neoprene) are more reliable, warmer and more comfortable than latex.

Reliable in which sense? I've seen plenty of divers using some rubber bands over neoprene seals because they leaked. They are probably more resistant to abuse than latex seals, but many suits now have silicone seals, resistant, comfortable and easy to replace.

6. The costs of repairs to neoprene drysuits are far less expensive and most simple repairs to seals or suits can be accomplished at home or even at the dive site.

So do trilam repairs. There are patches to stick over punctures. Have used one that comes already with glue during surface interval on a boat and was dry for the second dive.

7. If a neoprene drysuit does become compromised at depth the danger to the diver is generally less catastrophic than it is to a shell suit diver.

Why is that? If the suit is by itself warmer, the diver will have less undergarments. If the suit fails and leaks, it will lose the suit's thermal protection and have a lot less underneath to give any insulation.

8. Neoprene suits, though generally better, actually costs less for a total package including suit, undergarment etc.

Maybe they are not better? The excuses of experiences from the past don't work nowadays with so many new divers and accessibility to all kinds of equipment. Still, divers are in general preferring trilam suits. Less bulky, lighter, faster to dry, allow for easier movement, better for buoyancy control when compared to thick neoprene suits...

 

[Storker]

Less bulky, lighter, faster to dry, allow for easier movement, better for buoyancy control when compared to thick neoprene suits...

We must have very different experiences with neoprene vs trilam. I'll admit that my experience is limited to one of each (a Scubapro Everdy 4 neo, and a Waterproof D7 trilam), but IMO my neoprene DS allows for at least as easy movement, has a lot less drag and gives me a lot less issues with bubble control than the Waterproof. OTOH, the Waterproof has bigger/better pockets, allows for thicker undergarments which is nice during winter and, yes, it dries faster. And it looks more 'tec' to the noobs in my club, for whatever that's worth...

Since I haven't been able to find a buyer for my old neoprene suit, I've kept it for summer diving. Donning the trilam on top of proper undergarments is not fun when the sun is shining and the temp is above 20C in the shade...

 

[Redshift]

I was meaning better movement of the body as in being more flexible, allowing for telescopic torso, longer sleeves, easier to reach valves, etc, not the actually gliding through the water. I think that's more what you are referring to?

 

[Storker]

Both. The suit I used didn't restrict my movement much more than what a 5mm WS does.


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[Redshift]

By the way, and now this will be a bit off-topic, do people wear neoprene drysuits much over there? Because I was surprised when I moved to Finland that no one was wearing neoprene. And in the two years I have been here I have seen zero neoprene drysuits. Due to their thermal properties, I was expecting to see more.

 

[Storker]

I don't know how it is on a country basis, but in my club I'd guess it's roughly a 50/50 split between neoprene and trilam. At least among the folks I've been diving with.

A decent neoprene suit is usually noticeably cheaper than a shell suit, especially if you add the cost of the undergarments. And most people already have a set of half-decent wool underwear, or they can find it pretty cheap if they shop around a little. Add that to easier bubble control when you wear a neoprene suit, and you've got a good case for choosing that.

Myself, I prefer a shell suit for cold water diving. You can stuff quite a bit more underwear into those bags, and it's a lot easier to fit dryglove rings...