First - my disclosure I'm a retail manager and one of the Instructors at Pro Dive International in Fort Lauderdale, an authorized DUI dealer, and we are one of the shops, if not the one PRE BC mentioned, that DEMO DUI Dry Suits year round.
Second - Being located in South Florida and running a dive charter that schedules 15 dive trips a week year round, we see up close the seasonal variation and individual differences in comfort levels between divers, particularly in women versus men. It is not at all unusual to see a diverse range of thermal protection (from skins on up) on the same trip, even in the winter. Although, none of the instructors here wear skins in January, I've seen it often enough to wonder at human thermal capabilities.
Third - Dog Rally & Demo Days are great and if there is one scheduled near you, you should definitely go. HOWEVER, if there isn't one near you or you just don't want to wait, you can demo the DUI 30/30 here at Pro Dive 365 days a year. To fill in the blanks on PRE BCs reply, We have a couple ways to try things out. If you are already a drysuit diver, show us your card and one dive with the 30/30 is on us. If you aren't already a drysuit diver, we will give you the drysuit specialty course for the price of a Discover Scuba and the use of the drysuit is free. It's an easy way to try a tropical drysuit before you decide whether or not to buy, it is that simple.
And fourth - while we feel our spot on the map is pretty priviledged when it comes to diving, many of you are not going to jump on airplanes and fly from where you live to Fort Lauderdale just so you can demo a drysuit with us. The bottom line is that it is very difficult for divers to find places where they can try before they buy high ticket items. As Susan said, the numbers are growing and we just happen to be one of the full service shops she is talking about that are committed to encouraging customers to look, touch, feel and use a product before making a large financial commitment. I would be very interested to hear from other shops offering free demos of either the DUI 30/30 or the Whites Tropical Explorer After all, a side by side comparison would be the best way to decide which suit has the best fit and function for your needs. Hopefully there are progressive dive shops in your area that both demo high ticket items and credit a portion of rental fees against purchase prices.
For local dive shops to survive against the pure price competition of the internet, they have to offer customer service that is so special that there really is a difference The days of dive shops surviving by guilting their customers into paying higher prices out of a sense of duty are long gone.
I would also be very interested in reading more testimonials from actual tropical drysuit users. Given that there have been almost 1,000 visitors to this thread. I am apparently not the only one who thinks this discussion has been extremely interesting and informative!