I also have a neoprene neck seal with latex wrist seals. I like the combination and would do it again. Latex wrist seals are nice so that if you decide to eventually move to dry gloves you can do it without any suit modifications.
Getting serious about getting Dry
- Thread starter rab
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diver_paula
Contributor
Another thing to consider... dump valve location. I went with the standard wrist location for my Diving Concepts dry suit. YUCK!!!!!! Even though it is always open the location stinks. I have to practically get vertical to dump. Raising my arm doesn't cut it. & going vertical is NOT something I want to do when wreck diving. Worse, when ascending on a line I don't have much control over dumping air. Every time I raise my arm to move up the line I lose air whether I'm ready to dump or not.
Lesson? Go with the shoulder dump from now on. Then I just have to roll slightly to the right when horizontally diving a wreck.
Paula
Lesson? Go with the shoulder dump from now on. Then I just have to roll slightly to the right when horizontally diving a wreck.
Paula
ComputerJoe
Contributor
Rob,
I have both a Bare 4mm compressed neoprene and a DUI hyper compressed 1.5mm suit. The DUI is more strechy but not as warm. In the spring the DUI fits better...almost no wrickles at all for some reason.
A "perfect fit" is relative to the amount of woolies you have on. Neporene is warmer than a shell suit and less woolies are required. Neoprene suits strech, shells do not. Shells can dry a lot quicker than neoprene. You can dive a shell suit in Flordia, in a neoprene you would sweat..a lot.
Built on boots are one thing less to put on (or forget) and convient when the air temp is up...every second spent on the surface is like hell. Neoprene neck seals are less likely to restrict your circulation and will last longer, neoprene wrist seals are more troublesome donning than latex.
Up here your the sport of diving changes from being a 4 month activity to close to a year round one.
I have both a Bare 4mm compressed neoprene and a DUI hyper compressed 1.5mm suit. The DUI is more strechy but not as warm. In the spring the DUI fits better...almost no wrickles at all for some reason.
A "perfect fit" is relative to the amount of woolies you have on. Neporene is warmer than a shell suit and less woolies are required. Neoprene suits strech, shells do not. Shells can dry a lot quicker than neoprene. You can dive a shell suit in Flordia, in a neoprene you would sweat..a lot.
Built on boots are one thing less to put on (or forget) and convient when the air temp is up...every second spent on the surface is like hell. Neoprene neck seals are less likely to restrict your circulation and will last longer, neoprene wrist seals are more troublesome donning than latex.
Up here your the sport of diving changes from being a 4 month activity to close to a year round one.
As far as fins, either jets or turtles. I use turtles and like them alot.
jwalko
Contributor
Rab:
I just tried out my new dry suit at the Meet & Greet this year and loved it (Bare Nex-Gen...not an expensive suit, but good for a first suit if you don't plan on cave or wreck diving). I talked to alot of people about neoprene suits and many told me to go with tri-lam. They told me they felt like the Michelin Man with a neoprene suit. Also, with the neoprene, you can be too warm on the surface. Can't say too much about the neoprene neck seal...I have latex for both neck and wrist. I have a neoprene dry suit hood and it keeps the neck nice and warm. The only thing I had to do was put my backup reg necklace on after the hood, otherwise, it allowed water in (cold neck). No leaks unless I looked up alot and once I moved the neck seal down, it didn't leak even when I looked up.
I used typical wet suit gloves and was good for a little over 1/2 hour in 40 degree water. Just got the dry gloves, so we'll see how they work.
John
I just tried out my new dry suit at the Meet & Greet this year and loved it (Bare Nex-Gen...not an expensive suit, but good for a first suit if you don't plan on cave or wreck diving). I talked to alot of people about neoprene suits and many told me to go with tri-lam. They told me they felt like the Michelin Man with a neoprene suit. Also, with the neoprene, you can be too warm on the surface. Can't say too much about the neoprene neck seal...I have latex for both neck and wrist. I have a neoprene dry suit hood and it keeps the neck nice and warm. The only thing I had to do was put my backup reg necklace on after the hood, otherwise, it allowed water in (cold neck). No leaks unless I looked up alot and once I moved the neck seal down, it didn't leak even when I looked up.
I used typical wet suit gloves and was good for a little over 1/2 hour in 40 degree water. Just got the dry gloves, so we'll see how they work.
John
I am diving latex seals on the neck and wrist seals. They seem to work well.
Also, I went with a tougher tri-lam because my old "beginner's drysuit" began to develop pinhole leaks after a few years.
As to fins, I am using Dive-rite fins and they work well.
My advice on undies is to use smaller layers. I dive dry in warmer water as one would encounter in North Carolina and Brockville. (I don't know or care what happened to my 7mm wetsuit.) That allows me to dive lighter undies in warmer water and "double up" in the cold water.
Also, I went with a tougher tri-lam because my old "beginner's drysuit" began to develop pinhole leaks after a few years.
As to fins, I am using Dive-rite fins and they work well.
My advice on undies is to use smaller layers. I dive dry in warmer water as one would encounter in North Carolina and Brockville. (I don't know or care what happened to my 7mm wetsuit.) That allows me to dive lighter undies in warmer water and "double up" in the cold water.
OP
rab
Contributor
Neff
Registered
My drysuit has a latex neck seal but a neoprine overlay for warmth. OK, so its so new I cant tell you if it really works but I dive in cold UK waters and its a favourite over here. Dry suit manufacturers over here, will fit any boots you want, onto your dry suit. I spec they do there too.
Neff
Neff
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Hey Dean, Is that ""self-donning"" comment pointing at me???
If you are looking at a Trilam suit, there are a couple of different weights and stretch. Diving Concepts makes basically two kinds (others do as well) one that's thinner and has some stretch, and one that is very tough, but little stretch.
I have the heavier suit, at the time I was working with classes, which meant time on platforms, bumping up against stuff, etc. So I went with the heavier material. No complaints in general about the suit other than I have to remember to get a bit of slack in my joints before I go under.
If I had to do it all again I would get the lighter suit based on what I know. However, I don't do much in the way of wrecks, definitely no penetration, I also don't do caves. And since I don't do classes any more, the tough factor isn't that much of an issue to me.
What you need to do is figure out what kind of dives you will be doing.
BTW, I have a wrist dump on my suit and it works fine. Like anything else its what you get used to. I was diving with my buddy this weekend who has a shoulder dump and he was moving around pretty good to get the air out of his shoulder dump. Me I just roll a bit, maybe go nose up a bit to get the air out of my legs and then raise my arm. Going up a line is no problem, I have this right arm that's not doing anything
. My left controls my BC and suit dump. Turns out most of the time going up I'll just leave my arm up and let it dump as I go up, the squeeze is about the same as you would get from your shoulder dump. I control my bouyancy with my BC generally anyway.
I have the heavier suit, at the time I was working with classes, which meant time on platforms, bumping up against stuff, etc. So I went with the heavier material. No complaints in general about the suit other than I have to remember to get a bit of slack in my joints before I go under.
If I had to do it all again I would get the lighter suit based on what I know. However, I don't do much in the way of wrecks, definitely no penetration, I also don't do caves. And since I don't do classes any more, the tough factor isn't that much of an issue to me.
What you need to do is figure out what kind of dives you will be doing.
BTW, I have a wrist dump on my suit and it works fine. Like anything else its what you get used to. I was diving with my buddy this weekend who has a shoulder dump and he was moving around pretty good to get the air out of his shoulder dump. Me I just roll a bit, maybe go nose up a bit to get the air out of my legs and then raise my arm. Going up a line is no problem, I have this right arm that's not doing anything
. My left controls my BC and suit dump. Turns out most of the time going up I'll just leave my arm up and let it dump as I go up, the squeeze is about the same as you would get from your shoulder dump. I control my bouyancy with my BC generally anyway.Similar threads
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