Front Entry Drysuits

[TSandM]

I have a brand new Diving Concepts Pinnacle suit. I can get in and out of it pretty easily, but need help with the top of the zipper. It may get better as the zipper breaks in.

 

[Tamas]

Most 'self-entry' suits are mislabelled, as you can see by the responses above, majority of the people have problems with either starting the zipper or fully opening it - the rest is easy to get in/out but the zippers are issue when they go over the shoulder - thus they should not be labelled as such.

The smartest thing I have ever seen was an inverted zipper that was replaced on a suit after the initial one wore out. This meant that the suit when zipped up had the train on the shoulder with the loop hanging down so unzipping would be easy(er). When I observed the person donning the suit, he managed to get the zipper 98% to the top, but still needed help for the last 1" or so, but it was a lot easier then in my Bare....so that might be something to consider when you order, ask them to invert the zipper and see how that works for you.

 

[Jeremy Bouwman]

Andy's DS4 is different than all drysuits I have seen. I love mine, it is very easy to don and take off by myself. The zipper actually goes across the front rather than around the shoulder. just google andy's ds4 and it will come up

 

[TSandM]

Yeah, that's the way the zipper on my old dry suit works -- straight across. THAT one I can get in and out of and zip and unzip without the slightest difficulty.

 

[DiveJedi]

Might I suggest the brand new Catalyst 360 (a press release will be released very shortly). Front shoulder to shoulder entry. I have owned many drysuits in my day, and although I may be a bit biased, I can honestly say without a shadow of a doubt, that this suit requires no help from anyone!

I owned the original Whites Catalyst...great suit, but it is not "truly" self don and doff.

This suit is!

Happy Diving,
Tyler

 

[CrateCookie]

Getting in and zipping up is no problem. Getting out by myself can be another story.

 

[Darnold9999]

I have a White's Catalyst - I can get in and out by myself, but the last couple inches on the zipper getting out is tricky.

 

[dave4868]

I am interested in buying a drysuit. I do a lot of solo dives (no comments please) and believe a front entry suit will be easier to doff and don. The suits I've worn and all the used suits I see for sale have all been rear shoulder zipper.

I am willing to spend the money on a new suit if I can indeed put it on and take it off myself. What is the experience of folks with front entry suits?

Solo diving and self-sufficiency....I love having a truly "self-donning" suit.

My DUI CLx450 (and old spare TLS350) are both easy to don alone, but they are pretty roomy.

I made sure to get a size that had more than enough room for my winter insulation, which is close to twice the thickness of my summer insulation.

In the poll, I'd love to know if the reported difficulty with self-donning front-entry suits was due mostly to people choosing suits that were close-fitting, which seems to be the "style".

Or is the difficulty from suit design?

All I know is I'm very happy I don't have to ask someone to help me with my suit!

Dave C

 

[phillybob]

I've got a Northern Diver Cortex front entry. In and out no problem. The zipper is still a bit stiff . Only about 6 dives on it. I'm sure it'll loosen up. Nice suit !

 

[tedwhiteva]

I have a Whites Catalyst and use a short piece of rope that I keep in a pocket to manage those tricky inches behind my shoulder.

Small dog leash is even easier to connect to zipper pull. Don't need it for my drysuit, but did for my cross-chest semi-dry..