Well, after reading fdog's review of the Fusion, I was intrigued. So Tuesday, I drove down to the closest shop in the region that is a White's dealer, and I had a look at the suit. It was a fascinating concept, and very comfortable to put on in the shop. They didn't have an Mk3 undergarment to fit me, but Amy (the proprietor) promised me that she would let me know when she did.
So yesterday, I went with Peter to our closest local shop, so he could return a weight belt he had used while DMing a class in the pool. Turns out White's would like them to become a dealer, and had been in and left a bunch of the suits and undergarments for Bud's staff to try. I told him I REALLY wanted to try the setup, and since he hadn't really gotten a lot of bites from his staff (and since Peter, who is more or less staff, wanted to try one too) he let me take one to dive today.
The short story: It's going to break my heart to take it back tomorrow.
The long story: I did two dives in it. It is by FAR and away the most comfortable I've ever been in a drysuit. All of us who dive dry know how painful it is to strap yourself into thick undergarments and restrictive suits, and then work to try to get the mobility you need to function underwater. You don't do any of that in this suit. Put on the undergarment and the socks, slip into the bag, pull the Lycra up and zip it, and at that point, you have the same mobility you would have in a 3 mil wetsuit. (Only I think it's lighter.)
I was worried about a few things: I was concerned that the Lycra would compress the suit so that I couldn't keep as much gas in it as I might want. This is not an issue. I did dial down the dump valve a couple of clicks, but I do that in my other suits, too. I wanted to see if I could work the bubble around and put the air where I wanted it, and that wasn't a problem. What was unexpected and very cool was that, having no excess fabric in my legs, I could tip head down without disturbing my buoyancy or my trim. And doing a valve drill was so utterly trivial, I was giggling as I reached the knobs.
I wasn't sure I'd be warm enough, in a bag suit with just one undergarment, and it definitely wasn't as warm as the compressed neoprene suit (but I didn't expect it to be). The first dive was a problem, because the little neoprene socks they provide are NOT enough for Puget Sound water. But the second dive, I put on a second layer of socks, and my feet were fine. The hood they provide is not enough for here, either, but that's easily dealt with. The undergarment was pretty darned warm.
I was concerned about the Lyra catching on stuff, so I more or less deliberately dropped my knee on a piling, and it didn't catch at all. Nor was there any visible mark in the fabric after the dive.
I don't dive a rock boot system normally, and the first dive, I underestimate how much you have to tension the laces to make sure the boot is solid underwater. Loose boots are NOT comfortable, but that wasn't the fault of the suit or the boot, it was just user error. The second dive, I fixed that, and the boots were fine.
But I just can't say enough about how COMFORTABLE this suit was. It took away about 3/4 of the stiff, heavy, confining feeling that makes me so sad to come back to cold water diving after a tropical trip. I honestly think that, if it weren't for the p-valve issues, if I owned this suit, I'd never bother to dive wet. The suit rolls up in a ball and weighs very little, so it would be very easy to pack.
This is a super concept that White's has come up with. I just need to decide whether it's worth waiting for the tech skin and pockets, or whether the X-shorts will do just as well . . .
So yesterday, I went with Peter to our closest local shop, so he could return a weight belt he had used while DMing a class in the pool. Turns out White's would like them to become a dealer, and had been in and left a bunch of the suits and undergarments for Bud's staff to try. I told him I REALLY wanted to try the setup, and since he hadn't really gotten a lot of bites from his staff (and since Peter, who is more or less staff, wanted to try one too) he let me take one to dive today.
The short story: It's going to break my heart to take it back tomorrow.
The long story: I did two dives in it. It is by FAR and away the most comfortable I've ever been in a drysuit. All of us who dive dry know how painful it is to strap yourself into thick undergarments and restrictive suits, and then work to try to get the mobility you need to function underwater. You don't do any of that in this suit. Put on the undergarment and the socks, slip into the bag, pull the Lycra up and zip it, and at that point, you have the same mobility you would have in a 3 mil wetsuit. (Only I think it's lighter.)
I was worried about a few things: I was concerned that the Lycra would compress the suit so that I couldn't keep as much gas in it as I might want. This is not an issue. I did dial down the dump valve a couple of clicks, but I do that in my other suits, too. I wanted to see if I could work the bubble around and put the air where I wanted it, and that wasn't a problem. What was unexpected and very cool was that, having no excess fabric in my legs, I could tip head down without disturbing my buoyancy or my trim. And doing a valve drill was so utterly trivial, I was giggling as I reached the knobs.
I wasn't sure I'd be warm enough, in a bag suit with just one undergarment, and it definitely wasn't as warm as the compressed neoprene suit (but I didn't expect it to be). The first dive was a problem, because the little neoprene socks they provide are NOT enough for Puget Sound water. But the second dive, I put on a second layer of socks, and my feet were fine. The hood they provide is not enough for here, either, but that's easily dealt with. The undergarment was pretty darned warm.
I was concerned about the Lyra catching on stuff, so I more or less deliberately dropped my knee on a piling, and it didn't catch at all. Nor was there any visible mark in the fabric after the dive.
I don't dive a rock boot system normally, and the first dive, I underestimate how much you have to tension the laces to make sure the boot is solid underwater. Loose boots are NOT comfortable, but that wasn't the fault of the suit or the boot, it was just user error. The second dive, I fixed that, and the boots were fine.
But I just can't say enough about how COMFORTABLE this suit was. It took away about 3/4 of the stiff, heavy, confining feeling that makes me so sad to come back to cold water diving after a tropical trip. I honestly think that, if it weren't for the p-valve issues, if I owned this suit, I'd never bother to dive wet. The suit rolls up in a ball and weighs very little, so it would be very easy to pack.
This is a super concept that White's has come up with. I just need to decide whether it's worth waiting for the tech skin and pockets, or whether the X-shorts will do just as well . . .
