So i bought a drysuit, now what?

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theatis

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Location
Austin, TX
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OK, the thread title is a bit facetious; i'm looking for any and all drysuit tips from experienced users.

I just bought an O'Neill 7000X. What i would ultimately prefer is a shell suit but this was a very good price and the differential between that and even the cheapest shell suit was too great at the moment.

The suit fits me well which is amazing considering the trouble i've had so far; the only suits that fit me well are the Short versions that Bare makes (ML Short). But the O'Neill medium is just right including the boots.

I have MANY questions and i'll try to cover them all. Please excuse questions that seem too obvious as i don't have a manual for the suit.

1) What accessories will i need for the suit? Wax is a must, right? Any specific recommendations such as brands and tips for usage? I'm assuming the suit is to be hung upside down to dry, right? What type of hanger do i need for that or is a hanger unnecessary? Do i need an additional hanger for storage or should it stored folded?

2) The suit tried to strangle me when i first put it on! The seals are way too tight both wrist and neck. I'm assuming i need to trim them and that will help with the tightness. Is there any specific guideline for this? Can one go too far in trimming? I'm just scared i'll ruin the suit if i don't know what i'm doing.

3) What type of maintainance is required/advisable? Pre-dive, post-dive? Do i need to wash the inside of the suit? I use a combo of Woolite and Listerine when washing my wetsuits (Dettol when i'm in Europe which is a magic liquid), should i keep doing that?

4) Is drysuit training absolutely necessary or something that one can pick up with practice?

5) Will the ability to dive year round change my life? Can you tell i'm excited? :)

Thanks.
 
wax is a must, use it after each dive.
leisure pro dell hanger to hang your dry upside down
as for the trimming part ask your questions at the store you bought your dry
i rinse my dry on the outside after each dive
if it's possible try your dry in a pool before trying it in open water
yes it will
 
Yes you can trim to much.
Take it some where to have it done if you can.
 
james croft:
Do not pee in it.

I was going to say "And please don't tell me not to pee in it, i'm not a total idiot"; i knew it would happen, i didn't expect it'd be the first reply! :wink:
 
No talk...

Just dive dive dive.....

and think all things later...
 
I have a Bare NexGen, here is my experiences with it so far:

http://www.scubamage.com/files/Diving_a_Drysuit3.pdf

I have also purchased gaiters to prevent air migration to my lower legs causing a legs up ascent. So far it has been great to not worry about water temperature anymore.

The biggest thing is to get buoyancy under control.

Mike
 
theatis:
1) What accessories will i need for the suit? Wax is a must, right? Any specific recommendations such as brands and tips for usage? I'm assuming the suit is to be hung upside down to dry, right? What type of hanger do i need for that or is a hanger unnecessary? Do i need an additional hanger for storage or should it stored folded?
Yes it should be waxed at each dive day to reduce friction. A hard wax will be less likely to collect grit.

Powdering (talk, corn starch) the seals will get you in with less stress on you and the suit. Some even use Ky Jelly.

I have one of those big broad drysuit hangers. I hang my suit upright with the zipper open. This allows ventilation and allows the seals to rebound and not take a set in the compressed state. My hanger rod is set so that the suit stands on its own boots which takes most of the weight off of the shoulders. In the off season I store it draped over a large radius.

I am an advocate of wearing a weight harness instead of a belt. With a drysuit, especially a neoprene and garments below your hips will be masked and padded. Having a belt maintain position well is a problem for many. My DUI weight & Trim II was some of the best $$ I ever spent.

If your heels rock in the boots (remember neoprene will compress at depth) adjust your socks and maybe add some rubber "triangle" straps.

theatis:
2) The suit tried to strangle me when i first put it on! The seals are way too tight both wrist and neck. I'm assuming i need to trim them and that will help with the tightness. Is there any specific guideline for this? Can one go too far in trimming? I'm just scared i'll ruin the suit if i don't know what i'm doing.
Trimming the neck seal is common. I don't hear much about the wrists. Do you have neoprene or latex seals?

Lots of threads on this topic do a search. Big thing is to get a smooth cut. You don't want to leave any nicks that can initiate a tear.

Yes you can go too far and ruin the thing.

theatis:
3) What type of maintainance is required/advisable? Pre-dive, post-dive? Do i need to wash the inside of the suit? I use a combo of Woolite and Listerine when washing my wetsuits (Dettol when i'm in Europe which is a magic liquid), should i keep doing that?

I hang mine and hose the outside when I come home and let it dry. Leave it open to dry. I use mine in Maine winters when humidity is zilch, it dries well and fast. Big trick is to always dress clean so you don't leave oils and BO behind. If you get a good garment to wear under always launder the wicking layer. Clean breeds clean.

theatis:
4) Is drysuit training absolutely necessary or something that one can pick up with practice?
Being mentored and starting conservative is a way to go.
theatis:
5) Will the ability to dive year round change my life? Can you tell i'm excited? :)
It will extend your range, that's for sure.
 
theatis:
OK, the thread title is a bit facetious; i'm looking for any and all drysuit tips from experienced users.

I just bought an O'Neill 7000X. What i would ultimately prefer is a shell suit but this was a very good price and the differential between that and even the cheapest shell suit was too great at the moment.

I'm not an experienced drysuit user, but my girlfriend has the same suit, so I'll weigh in with a few thoughts.

1) What accessories will i need for the suit? Wax is a must, right? Any specific recommendations such as brands and tips for usage? I'm assuming the suit is to be hung upside down to dry, right? What type of hanger do i need for that or is a hanger unnecessary? Do i need an additional hanger for storage or should it stored folded?

In addition to wax, I also bought some McNett zipper lube and a small toothbrush to keep the zippers clean and free of excess wax (part of Bob3's drysuit care package).

2) The suit tried to strangle me when i first put it on! The seals are way too tight both wrist and neck. I'm assuming i need to trim them and that will help with the tightness. Is there any specific guideline for this? Can one go too far in trimming? I'm just scared i'll ruin the suit if i don't know what i'm doing.

I have not heard of people trimming neoprene seals, though I have heard of them cutting a triangular piece of neoprene off of them and then gluing shut to tighten the seals. I guess you could also do the reverse and add some neoprene to the seal, or maybe you could just stretch them out by stuffing bottles or cans in the wrist and neck openings (maybe something bigger for the neck).

I've also considered, but haven't tried (or my gf hasn't tried), using the wrist seals without folding them with dry gloves with latex seals to go over. So the latex would form a seal with the smooth neoprene. on the wrists. Something like this:

nddrygloves.jpg


Good luck.
 
*Floater*:
I have not heard of people trimming neoprene seals

When I got mine the shop trimmed it while I was standing in the suit. The seal is tapered and by trimming it have 1/4 - 1/2 inch at a time you reduce the minimum opening making it looser.

She'd make a trim and I'd pop my head back through. When I stopped getting red in the face and was comfortable with it rolled under we were done. She used a very long and sharp pair of shears. In all she probably removed about 3/4 inch but it made a big difference.

Pete
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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