drysuit options

i am getting ready to order a drysuit and was wondering about options. i have picked out the options that i think i want but having never used a drysuit i am looking for advice from people that have. i am located in maryland and will be using it for wreck, quarry, beach diving. here is what i am planning on ordering:

trilam cordura material
front zip
zippered cover for the front zip
latex seals - hd latex wrist seals
warm neck
relief zip
suspenders
bellows pockets on both legs on the side
changing mat/carrying bag

the things i cant decide on are:
rubber or neoprene boots
hd knee pads - the suit comes with polyurethane knee pads already
i can also option a flat pocket instead of the bellows pockets or have one put on the front of the thigh also

Russ

I would keep the pockets on the side of your thighs..One in the front would cause drag. And I would stick with the bellows on both sides..The flat pocket is a nice idea..But it doesnt fit very much...What brand of suit are you looking at? On mine, I hav turbo soles which I absolutley love. When I ordered the suit, I was very skeptical..My old suit had neoprene socks with rockboots...When I went to the turb soles, I got rid of my XXL jet fins and now use XL's...I think I would go with a neoprene sock before the moulded rubber boots some suits come with tho.

Ive been diving with a DUI CF200x drysuit for a few dives and it was a very comfortable suit. However, as it didnt really keep me dry (no obvious leaks from holes or anything), so I decided I wouldnt go for DUI myself. I ended up buying a BARE CD4 ProDry suit which im very happy with. Now thats a compressed neoprene suit, and is not as comfortable out of the water, but once i get into the water its not much of a difference. However, that suit is as mentioned not trilam and its front zipped either.
However, you might want to check out the BARE HD trilam techdry suit? http://www.bare-wetsuits.com/product_details.aspx?pid=011102&dept_id=2

A few of the guys ive been diving with bought BARE suits and seem to be just as pleased as I am with them, so it could be worth checking out..

Mine's a White's Catalyst. It only came with 1 pocket, but it is set up for another that can be ordered. It has most of what you want.

I have most the options mentioned on my TLS-350... IMHO, I'd pass on the relief zipper.. Just install a p-valve and be done with it... I'd also stick with the the 2 bellows pockets..

The boots are a matter of choice.. for me, Rock boots were better due to the amount of cave diving I do.. If you are going to be doing Beach / shore diving, a good hard boot would be a better choice. If boat diving will be the norm, a turbo sole boot will be fine...

As for the knee pads, how much are you planning to be on your knees? even when I do wreck dives, I'm not on my knees or even dragging them on the wreck...

just my 2 psi and worth exactly what you paid for it...

i already have the suit picked out and they offer all of the options i mentioned. the flat pocket not holding much makes sence and so does not up grading to the hd knee pads since it already has some on it. the boots are my biggest choice i am having a hard time with. they offer all three types of boots / socks. i know that i dont want a soft sock with a seperate boot. i do a pretty good amount of shore diving so a hard sole on the rubber boots might be better than the neoprene boots with their softer sole. im just not sure and really dont want to order the wrong thing.

Russ

Russ, just curious - what manufacturer did you go with?

http://www.seaskin.co.uk/acatalog/SeaskinNovaDS.html

i am going to order the suit this week from seaskin. they are in england. i have been on the english scuba forums and have seen a lot of positive responces about them. they make there own suits for commercial and military / police over there and have recently started offering suits to the public. i have also talked with divers in the UK that own their suits and have been emailed pictures of their suits and they look good. the price breaks down to this:

trilam front entry suit: $710
custom options: $250
shipping: $140
total: $1100

this is a made to measure suit with all the options i listed above. they also offer some others i am not interested in. they also offer a neoprene suit for around the same money. the biggest draw back is if i have to ship the suit back but i figure that for the price compared to what i will pay around here i have to give it a shot. i figure if i have a torn seal ect i will more than likely just have it fixed localy. i have cheched on local repair costs for seals, zips ect and even with that cost i am still a lot cheaper than if i buy a comparable suit in the US. with my sizing i dont fit into any stock US suits and when you add the custom suit cost it makes the price difference even bigger. they also make undergarments mtm.

Russ

WOW! That's quite a deal! Congrats on your choice. It looks to be quite reasonably priced.

Let us know how the Seaskin works out for you after a few dives, Its good to get feedback on stuff we never hear about in the states or Canada.