DUI TLS: sock & some sort of boot or turbo soles

[Layla]

Hi Everyone

My TLS is going back to the shop for 'something' after one lake dive

I have the choice of sticking with the turbo soles or swaping them for socks and I will have to sort out my own boots [rock or other]

My old dry suit had something similar to the turbo soles

So, what do you think .... socks or soles?

Thanks .... Layla

[Peter_C]

You can probably find about 30 posts covering exactly this topic.

My preference having used Turbo Soles for a couple hundred dives, and now socks and Chuck Taylors for flexibility, is Turbo Soles I feel are better for me. I can hike goat trails just fine in either setup. Donning and doffing are much faster with Turbo Soles. More flexibility in the ankle for kicking with Turbo Soles. With enough insulation the fins are locked onto my feet (Although that goes for the socks and shoes too).

[Mayor]

Turbo soles allow your ankles to flex and work very well. Just make sure you get a good fit.

[Scott]

I usually dive with socks and rock boots and have had no issues, then while my suit was in for repairs I borrowed a buddies suit with turbo soles. I agree with the comments about flexibility, it was noticeable.
My wife uses turbo soles and will use nothing else. She likes the comfort and the fact she doesn't have to change fins since the turbo sole is close enough in physical size to her wetsuit boots. It is possible you may have to spend some extra dollars on new fins moving to rock boots.

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I only have socks and boots. I wish I had turbo soles. Not only is gearing up more time, but its 2 big boots to carry in my baggage and special fins. A pain in the tocus.

[katepnatl]

Turbo soles allow your ankles to flex and work very well. Just make sure you get a good fit.

I concur, esp. with the bolded (emphasis mine) remark. I went back and forth between two sizes - SM and MED I believe - and went with MED per advice from manufacturer. I fought and fought and fought and fought those things... could NOT keep fins on - even with the smallest springstraps known to man (believe me - i know - went through six different pairs looking for the smallest ones). Was getting ready to put the rubber straps back on the jets (gasp!) when I found my weezle socks... I tried them one more time, with wool socks AND the weezles and I was good. So every dive I have quite a bit of material on my feet, regardless of water temp, but I'm not kicking my fins off constantly. And yes this is a long response but I had a long period of insanity due to poor fit. Hence, I couldn't agree more with Major regarding fit. I'd err on the smaller side if between two sizes, personally.

[Herb-alaska]

for me it is Rock boots for beach and walk in dives and Turbo soles for boat dives. I have two different DS for different purposes. So if I was buying one suit I would look at what I do the most of. I like the rock boots for ankle support while climbing in and out of the beach. I like the fact that the Rock boots are easily replaced. I like the turbo soles for ease of entry to the feet ( looser fit than my rock boot socks) More room to add thicker sock if necessary I think it all depends on the diving that you want to do

[mahjong]

Just get a pair of those triangle-shaped rubber fin-keepers (Riffe makes nice ones, better quality than Trident; $8 or $9), squirt them with some silicone spray to make them easier to don, and your Turbo soles will be locked down and never pop your fins off (you put them on over the Turbo soles, so they are inside your fins).

That said, if you like the feeling of being sure footed when walking and of having protected (at least somewhat) toes/feet, then you might prefer Rockboots. For a long time I had two DUI suits, one with Turbos and one with Rockboots. Turbo soles work. They are convenient, one less thing to carry and don. But I just don't like walking in them, esp entering and exiting the water on shore dives in 'iffy' conditions. I like be sure-footed. I just sent in my new (like new, actually) TLS350 to have the Turbo soles chopped off and drysocks installed.

The question I keep asking myself if why DUI can't make a better built-in boot. The Turbo sole is simply a slab of flat rubber glued onto a drysock with grooved bottoms to for some semblance of traction. Why not contour the rubber sole a bit, round off and extend up the achilles a rubber heel, round off the toe and provide some rubber protection over the toes, and (this might be but a bonus) perhaps even get innovative by designing some sort of built-in fin-keeper/strap so the boot doesn't balloon if not fully packed with insulation material? I believe some other companies have done this--something less than a rubber garden boot but more than a Turbo sole. This might salvage the virtues of the Rockboot (a better sense of sure footedness) and the Turbo sole (convenience, ankle flexibility in the water).

I concur, esp. with the bolded (emphasis mine) remark. I went back and forth between two sizes - SM and MED I believe - and went with MED per advice from manufacturer. I fought and fought and fought and fought those things... could NOT keep fins on - even with the smallest springstraps known to man (believe me - i know - went through six different pairs looking for the smallest ones). Was getting ready to put the rubber straps back on the jets (gasp!) when I found my weezle socks... I tried them one more time, with wool socks AND the weezles and I was good. So every dive I have quite a bit of material on my feet, regardless of water temp, but I'm not kicking my fins off constantly. And yes this is a long response but I had a long period of insanity due to poor fit. Hence, I couldn't agree more with Major regarding fit. I'd err on the smaller side if between two sizes, personally.

[TSandM]

I think I may have tried just about everything you can possibly put on your feet.

I use Turbosoles where I'm unlikely to have to walk on rocks. They have thin soles and no ankle support, which makes entries over dicey surfaces challenging. I like a thick-soled boot for entries over rocks, or uneven surfaces where ankle support is nice. I don't like anything that can come off in a cave. I hate bending over in thick exposure protection to lace up boots.

As a result, I have two dry suits. One has socks, the other has Turbosoles. The one that has socks, I can finish off with boots or Gill marine surf shoes, depending on the application; the one with the TurboSoles is ideal for easy entries and cave diving.

As I told our open water students the other day, ain't nothing perfect in scuba equipment.

[udi]

Hi Everyone

My TLS is going back to the shop for 'something' after one lake dive

I have the choice of sticking with the turbo soles or swaping them for socks and I will have to sort out my own boots [rock or other]

My old dry suit had something similar to the turbo soles

So, what do you think .... socks or soles?

Thanks .... Layla

The turbo soles on my TLS leaked constantly and were a pain to repair as the leaks were usually between the sock and soles. YMMV...

Udi