The best and worst of your dry suit

[buddhasummer]

I'm going to add to this, because I now have another dry suit, a Santi E-Lite.

I've had it for not quite a year, and have probably put about 40 dives on it.

My favorite thing(s) is the number of thoughtful little things on the suit: The rubber-lined key pocket in the suspender pad, the thumb loop for pulling on the boots, the stiffeners in the pocket flaps.

The only thing I don't like about the suit is that I elected to forego the user-replaceable seals (having experience with them) and now I have to send the suit in every six months for a neck seal Not the fault of Santi or the seals -- I have ALWAYS gone through a neck seal in about six months. Toxic skin oil or something.

Didn't even know that, thanks.

---------- Post added February 8th, 2014 at 01:14 AM ----------

Speaking of neck ring, I'm still on the fence about that one. I assume they only come in one size? Can someone tell me the diameter of the ring? I'm going to dummy up one and see just how it might sit and/or interfere with my harness. Cheers.

 

[KD8NPB]

1. What dry suit do you own? How long have you had it, and how many dives have you put on it?

Viking Xtreme surveyor (latex neck seal) front zip, polyurethane bilam, internally welded with tape over the welds for comfort, custom boots
Owned for a little over a year, about 100 dives on it

2. What's your favorite thing about the suit?

Custom boots at no charge! Boots are a VERY heavy duty vulcanized neoprene...VERY warm.
Zipper is a BDM medium-duty zipper, so I expect 5-10 years of faithful service
Welded seams! No worrying about seam delamination.
Extremely abrasion resistant. Material does not abrade due to its composition.
Decently lightweight

3. What's your least favorite thing about the suit?

Viking suits tend to be a little more box cut in the chest, so it's a tad big on me in that area.
The price was a little on the high side...$1600.

But, it is a very well made suit. I expect to get greater than 10 years of service life out of it. It is currently out getting:
Neoprene velcro warm neck installed
Viking Bayonet glove system

 

[Jax]

I thought this might make interesting reading for people considering purchases. Rules:

1. What dry suit do you own? How long have you had it, and how many dives have you put on it?

2. What's your favorite thing about the suit?

3. What's your least favorite thing about the suit?

Short, and sweet.

All my leaks are the seals not sealing on my scrawny neck and wrists.

Use XS Scuba Highland shorts instead of pockets on the suit - works great on wetsuits, too.

1. Fusion, sport skin. 4 years, ~150 dives. No leaks.
2. Can wear undergarments to fit the situation. Dries quick.
3. When I get wet, it's darned cold.

1. Pinnacle Black Ice. 1 year. ~40 dives. Only leak was a kitten bite on the toe . . . . (grumble)
2. Merino wool lining. Even when I get wet, it still is warmer.
3. Cannot put on as many undergarments . . . but I don't need them because the suit is warm.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

DUI CFX

Best part P-Valve and front entry zipper as I dive solo. Also the price (used) was pretty good.

Worst part, the thing is big and bulky. Part of that is being used, it is sized for someone taller (I am short for my weight). The thing is a tank though, and it has performed flawlessly. My leaks were all me (not zipping up or having the neck seal askew). If it was not so bulky I would travel with it more, now I only use it local or if I want to pay for a 2nd bag on the airline.

 

[j2s]

1)DUI (front entry), years, hundreds... 2)warm and dry...3) As w/any dry suit, more hoses, not streamlined......

 

[sunnyboy]

Some updates.

I dive my 2009 TLS350 for all my fun dives. Prism Topaz, 90+ minutes. Found I was freezing last year and this. Tried a UTD heated vest, but the external wet-plug connectors simply don't last in salt water. Now diving with a Thermalution Red and loving it.

The CF200 is just the teeniest bit too short (like less that 1/2 in) but that makes a huge difference to getting in, and even more getting out of it. I dive this suit for all my OW teaching as it's pretty much indestructible. I discovered my old Mares fins (my first SCUBA fins) fit the rock boots perfectly. I also got a pair of turtles but I find they are just too huge for my liking.

Weird thing is the right dry glove ALWAYS leaks on the CF200. Why that's weird is its the same glove I use on both suits. I have Skaana rings on both suits, zip seals on both suits, same installation - but the CF200's rings weep while the TLS does not. I only just confirmed this a few weeks ago so have not yet investigated the reason.

Had the exhaust valve start leaking on the TLS350 just before New Years. Started flood my left arm really bad, so I pulled the valve (Apex high profile) and did a general clean up. Turns out the valve was fine, but the silicone used during manufacture had just fallen apart (tiny bits of silicone everywhere removing the valve, and it came undone way too easily). In the end I just put a new small bead of silicone around the threads and reinstalled the valve - it's no longer leaking.

I still love the TLS350 with the old style self-entry zipper (zips from waist to shoulder) MUCH, MUCH better than the new Shoulder-to-waist style on the CF200. I really hate starting that zipper, and it's a pain to get totally open after the dive. I also really dislike rock boots. What can I say?

Weirdest thing is the 2009 TLS350 is too long - it's a stock XLS and the arms and legs are about 3in. too long. So I just tuck them over the boots and wrist. Now I find I really love the extra fabric in the arms when wearing multiple guages/compass etc. My 2003 TLS350 is a perfect fit on the arms and I no longer like it because they are too "short".

 

[ajduplessis]

Scubapro Fjord Heavy Duty: 100 dives within 16 months

Pros:
-The suit fits like a tailored Armani (I have grown and added more thermal protection. My previous statement is no longer valid. The suit is to small)
-Very Durable with a soft Cordura shell (The suit is as tuff as nails)
-Self donning
-Socks
-No leaks (touch wood) (See my feedback below, seam leaks)

Cons:
-Pockets could be larger

Update: Firstly this suit started with leaks on the seams; this was fixed but the repair reduce the overall "flexibility" of the suit. The additional termal protection I now use and the fact that I have gained some muscle has resulted in a suit that is too small. The "small size" has put further strain on the seams (legs & knees, contributing to more leaks) and severly restricted arm movement. The later is a big issue for me and even thou I can perform valve drills, its restrictive and potetially dangerous.

I have been looking at options and after serious research and considerations I received my Fusion Bullet yesterday

Pro's:
The suit truely gives you tailored feeling no matter what you fit underneath. This is the greatest advantage IMO. Bonus is the SLT to fit silicone seals quickly. Very well made and thouthfull suit. I will dive this over the weekend and give my feedback.
Con's: The bullet skin dry slowly.

Unknowns: I still need to fit the boots and see how that pans out.........

 

[tkdgodess]

1. What dry suit do you own? How long have you had it, and how many dives have you put on it?

Bare hd tech dry. Front entry, soft boots, suspenders, flap pockets, dry cuffs, neoprene neck. 2.5 years, about 250 dives.


2. What's your favorite thing about the suit? It keeps me dry, its way lighter than all my previous 7mm neoprene suits. I am the warmest i have ever been. Flexibility is amazing vs 7 mm custom neoprene. Looks good imo. Easy to donn and doff. Pockets are super easy to use and generous in size. I like the soft boots with the bare trek boots, no more wearing thru the soles or wearing out the ankle seams and sending the whole suit in.


3. What's your least favorite thing about the suit? The zipper. Its got all these soft fray threads, but it continues to keep my dry as long as i dont get a thread trapped in the seal. I guess its better than my other suits zippers which would loose tiny bits of rubber off the fabric and i would get tiny leaks, but i sealed with marine sealant. Ive been told the zipper will work for years with these frays by friends with the same suit.

 

[tbone1004]

I thought this might make interesting reading for people considering purchases. Rules:

1. What dry suit do you own? How long have you had it, and how many dives have you put on it?

2. What's your favorite thing about the suit?

3. What's your least favorite thing about the suit?

Short, and sweet.

For me, the dry suit is a White's Fusion. I have two, one with the Sport skin and one with the Tech skin. I've owned a Fusion for five years. The first one had 4+ years and about 450 dives on it, when I traded up to a new one.

My favorite thing about the suit is that it's almost indestructible. In five years, I've had so few leaks that I can say the Fusion almost never fails. When I've had leaks, they've almost always been related to seals or zippers, things that are not suit-dependent. A suit without leaks is a very nice thing.

My least favorite thing about the suit is that it's harder to get on than other suits. I'm the last one ready on almost every dive.

1: Rofos RS450K from DRiS. Had it for just over a year but unfortunately wasn't able to dive it for the first 6 months, have about 50 dives on it now.

2: Price/Performance is spot on, overall very happy with the quality of the suit. Comparable to the TLS350 and a great cave suit.

3: Still on the fence about the Ti-Zip that's on there.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

1) DUI CFX 450 (thick and heavy duty)

2) Pee Valve is awesome (greatest invention since sliced bread), as it not freezing in winter dives.

3) Too dang bulky to travel with unless I check a second duffel. Made me feel like a newbie the first dozen dives (trim issues).