My new Fourth Element Drysuit finally arrived!

[tstormdiver]

I finally got my new drysuit. Tried it on,... Yes, it is definitely a custom fit. With my thickest undergarment,I had just enough room to get into it,... nothing more. I only rarely wear the thickest garments, so my normal ones should be a good fit. The only downside,... the wait. I ordered the suit in mid March & it just now arrived. I have yet to get it in the water, but quality looks to be top notch!

 

[ajduplessis]

Fit looks spot on. Enjoy the suit

 

[tstormdiver]

Looking forward to getting it in the water this weekend.

 

[KevinNM]

Doctor letting you dive again? Cool.

 

[tstormdiver]

Doctor letting you dive again? Cool.

Yes. He was forewarned by another physician friend, that I am an avid diver. My glucose levels are now nearly leveled off to normal levels with no serious crashes. Plus, I constantly monitor my levels before & after diving & adjust my eating/ snacking accordingly to keep things on an even keel. I have gotten back into it gradually, slowly testing longer, more challenging dives.

 

[tstormdiver]

Well,... got the suit in the water. Only one complaint,.... I had latex seals installed & they put on heavy duty seals. Unfortunately the seal are (from the factory) cut much too big for my tiny wrists.I have to slide the seals nearly 1/2 way up my forearm to get it to seal at all. Otherwise the suit is a perfect, streamlined fit.

 

[Doby45]

Time to get rings installed..

 

[tstormdiver]

I will get Zip seals installed in the winter, when things slow down.

 

[opie712]

I've been eyeing this suit and a cf 200 to replace my tls 350. How does it compare to your old 350?

 

[tstormdiver]

The long run will really tell the story. When I got my TLS suits 7 & 8 yrs ago, I was at 230 lbs. Over the past 3 yrs, I slowly dropped to 175 lbs & the suits became very baggy. They were originally custom made to me. I was at 175 lbs when I was measured by Fourth Element & have lost weight to 160 lbs. The suit still fits very well with my fleece undergarments (about 350gm). I have had problems with my DUI suits springing leaks here & there & has been steadily getting worse. Each of my DUI's have about 400- 500 dives on them. They are just worn out. The Fourth Element suit, so far has proven to be tough. On one of my first dives in it, I tripped & fell onto my knees with my doubles,.. the suit passed that test,... However I will likely get knee pads installed, when I get the zip seals installed on it. The suit has very little drag & seems to be more sturdy than the TLS. I also like the slightly offset inflator valve. easier to find & get to, regardless of the configuration I'm using.