I need drysuit advice!

As a canadian diver who just did his first dive past 70' this past weekend, It has become all too appearant to me that my next purchase needs to be a drysuit. I am very interrested in the Pinnacle Evolution II, however everyone in these forums seem to say DUI is where it's at. Is this true? Is anyone familiar with both brands? Please help if you can.

Understand that every time you ask a question, the counter question will be "What type of diving are you planning on doing".

So, what are your plans for that suit?

I plan on doing mainly cold water reck diving, but down the road I would like to try cave/tech diving, and I don't want a closet full of drysuits (well.....I do, but I can only afford one). Thanks.

My advice is the following:

1. Take a drysuit orientation course. This course will teach you how to deal with issues that can happen when diving dry.

2. Once you know how to use a drysuit. talk to your LDS about the type of diving you want to do with a drysuit, and get their recommendation for a drysuit based on the type of diving you will be doing.

3. Rent the various drysuits you are interested in, then buy the one that works for you. Hopefully you have the option of "trying before buying" where you are at.

I had the opportunity to try some DUI suits during one of their demo days events. I was impressed with the DUI TLS 350. So impressed, I ordered one the following week. It's really nice to be able to dive Puget Sound (I'm in the Pacific Northwest near Seattle) and not being the least bit cold.

Good luck, and have fun diving!

Ron

I would suggest including a the following into your evaluation of a suit. Locate the nearest DUI Demo day event and go. http://www.dui-online.com/2007_rally.asp These events are designed exactly for you. PM me if you want to what suit I would recommend trying for your diving.

The fit of the dry suit is far more important than the brand name, so long as the suit in question is well made. The brand name may play a role in the available options, for example you can only get ZipSeals on a DUI brand suit. Other suits have their specific attributes, but generally any well made suit from a major manufacturer will be fine.

If you get a trilaminate type of suit, sometimes called a "bag" suit, then the undergarment will play a huge roll in determining warmth. If you get a neoprene, crushed neoprene, or compressed neoprene suit then the undergarment will still play a role in your warmth, but the suit itself will also have a part to play in your overall warmth.

For me, I happen to be the poster boy for the DUI extra large size. A nearly perfect fit in a stock suit. So guess what kind of suit I have? Your size and shape body will determine what suit will fit you best. Of course most of the major brands offer custom suits, and some do not charge too much more for custom. Do some checking with your local shops to get a little more insight. You can also check with local divers you might see on a dive boat and get their opinions as well.

Good luck,

Mark Vlahos

hockeynut recently purchased a pinnacle and very happy, in fact i was looking at the suit for myself today so maybe you can pm him to find out what sort of diving he does, ect

http://www.scubaboard.com/member.php?u=22689

cheers

Pinnacle is where its at.
My wife and I both have Pinnacle Evo 1's and love them. They still look new even with heavy use. Add that there almost half the price of a DUI suit.

There Merino line of undergarment is super warm, even Ice diving, there Evo undergarment is great for 45-55 and the fleece is good for 55-65.

I like my Bare Next Gen and use undergarments to keep the cold away. Of course what I am wearing underneath has to be delt with with wieght. Early in the season a layer of sweat pants and shirt work just fine for me, (28 lbs) as I add a layer or change garments I can be diving as heavy as 38 lbs of lead.(this would be with my heavy undies)

I just did the DUI Demo days ay Dutch Springs, it is worth the money to dive and try before you buy. Even if it is not one of thier suits you end up with but you will get to try diffrent suits and find something that works for you. My suggestion is to not get locked into a brand just yet. Get dry suit certified, some times you can even find a few good used suits that will work for you now, and then trade up.

I dive a XL TLS350 SE and have a custom Signature Series TLS350 front entry on order. I was close to going with a Bare or a USIA, but the shop here gave me a killer deal on my TLS! But if you want to save money, you could look at these two brands. A lot of people seem to be very happy with their USIA TechniFlex'es and various Bare suits.