Background: I'm a cold-prone tropical diver and a bit of a "pea princess" ala Andersen's Princess and the Pea, as in I get bothered by the smallest bit of discomfort. I hate diving in a wetsuit and try to wear as little as possible. My first wetsuit is a Billabong springsuit for surfing because it has a lot more flexibility.
Unfortunately, I got very sick during the last two years and can't handle the cold anymore. I'd been searching high and low for super warm but also super stretchy and comfy wetsuit. It should also be quite durable to last me many dives in 23-30*C water.
My requirements are:
What I LOVE about this suit:
Oh and you rarely have to because you don't really get overheated in this suit as long as you stay out of strong, direct indo pacific sunlight. I find the materials to be very breathable, and never had issues waiting around for other divers to roll. getting overheated while on land used to be a big problem for me.
So is there any issues? Well, there's no real ankle or wrist or neck seals. my guess is Probe decided to go with fully lined literally everywhere in order to maximize comfort and easy of don/doff. I'm not too upset about it, and in my diving conditions, it's not a real requirement. It's also just black, and I tend to prefer colors for better underwater safety and ID, but the cut is flattering and classic enough. I wish the tiny pockets were real pockets, but I realized I'm overly nitpicky at this point, and none of the suits I've worn ever had pockets.
Note that breaking the surface to descent might take a bit of time and some finning because of the air trapped. Take the extra two seconds and you'll be fine after the first 1m or 2. I'm usually a bit overweighted with 1.5kg lead in a 3mm suit. This 5mm takes 4kg. I'll try to see if I can kick it down to 3.5kg.
All in all, I think it's an excellent suit for creatures of comfort seeking a high-end product at very reasonable price point. i have yet to find another suit at a similar or slightly higher price points offering the same quality and feature of the iDry. All the comparable ones are somehow imperfect in many major requirements (notably Bare's many zips) and even after sale, are still way more expensive.
I also have the 5mm soft boots and the frogskin hood. both are great. the boots are Ugg-comfy and toasty withoutgetting hot. They don't dry as fast as the suit though. The Frogskin hood is not at all restrictive and works well for someone hating having anything around their neck like me. You can read more about the frogskin from @guyharrisonphoto's and @outofofficebrb's reviews here Probe Frogskins--Best Dive Skins Yet?
But if anyone tells you the iDry's lining is as comfortable as the Frogskin, well, they are flat out wrong, the iDry is WAY BETTER. While the Frogskin's lining feels "fine," the iDry truly feels heavenly amazing. It's no wonder I've become so evangelical about this brand. Their products are just THAT GOOD. If, say, Deep 6 go for a tech diver-maximalist approach with their wetsuit, i'd say Probe goes for comfort-maximalism with exceptional warmth.
Can I just be in this suit all the time, please?
Unfortunately, I got very sick during the last two years and can't handle the cold anymore. I'd been searching high and low for super warm but also super stretchy and comfy wetsuit. It should also be quite durable to last me many dives in 23-30*C water.
My requirements are:
- Full suit, 5mm, max 1 zip, no hood, semi-dry/semi-dry-style seals
- Fully lined with some sort of quick dry merino wool or something similar
- Doesn't look ugly on me, so I wouldn't dread putting it on
What I LOVE about this suit:
- Super soft and stretchy! It's as soft and stretchy as my 2mm suit!
- The lining is HEAVENLY!!!! It's like a thick, plush blanket hugging your body. Even when the water was really cold, I took comfort in imagining I'm going camping and curling up in my blankie and sleeping bag
- The best part: my legs would stay perfectly DRY for few minutes into the dive. If I don't move my neck too much, my torso would also stay 'semi-dry" for a good bit. While diving, it only leaks once in a while and the water layer trapped inside really does warm up. It's (one of?) the only suit that gets warmer during the dive even with stable water temp!
- The other best part: Yes the lining does dry almost instantaneously! I never have to put on anything wet.
- The back flap keeps things nice and warm even with back zip leakages
- Easy to move around in, no Michelin tireman effect.
- Don/doff: I dry run a few times while on land. First time was a huge struggle and I felt like giving up. Then i used the plastic bag trick, which makes everything slide super easily (I imagine a lycra sock wouldwork too). It gets easier after each time, especially after diving in it a few times. I have zero problem donning it now after 10 dives. It's also a semi-dry that I can don and doff completely by myself, unlike many other semi-dries
- Folds up very well, no tough spot making it difficult to pack
- Size chart is consistent with my other suit, fits even slightly better. It's the only full suit that has ever rolled up my thick thighs and wide hips easily. The women's cut was perfect for all the, err, puffy bits
- Dotted seams! not only help with durability and leakage, but also comfort. I hate threads scratching my skin.
- seems very durable. I happened to see another diver with an older iDry, and it hasn't lost any of its thickness and plush lining.
Oh and you rarely have to because you don't really get overheated in this suit as long as you stay out of strong, direct indo pacific sunlight. I find the materials to be very breathable, and never had issues waiting around for other divers to roll. getting overheated while on land used to be a big problem for me.
So is there any issues? Well, there's no real ankle or wrist or neck seals. my guess is Probe decided to go with fully lined literally everywhere in order to maximize comfort and easy of don/doff. I'm not too upset about it, and in my diving conditions, it's not a real requirement. It's also just black, and I tend to prefer colors for better underwater safety and ID, but the cut is flattering and classic enough. I wish the tiny pockets were real pockets, but I realized I'm overly nitpicky at this point, and none of the suits I've worn ever had pockets.
Note that breaking the surface to descent might take a bit of time and some finning because of the air trapped. Take the extra two seconds and you'll be fine after the first 1m or 2. I'm usually a bit overweighted with 1.5kg lead in a 3mm suit. This 5mm takes 4kg. I'll try to see if I can kick it down to 3.5kg.
All in all, I think it's an excellent suit for creatures of comfort seeking a high-end product at very reasonable price point. i have yet to find another suit at a similar or slightly higher price points offering the same quality and feature of the iDry. All the comparable ones are somehow imperfect in many major requirements (notably Bare's many zips) and even after sale, are still way more expensive.
I also have the 5mm soft boots and the frogskin hood. both are great. the boots are Ugg-comfy and toasty withoutgetting hot. They don't dry as fast as the suit though. The Frogskin hood is not at all restrictive and works well for someone hating having anything around their neck like me. You can read more about the frogskin from @guyharrisonphoto's and @outofofficebrb's reviews here Probe Frogskins--Best Dive Skins Yet?
But if anyone tells you the iDry's lining is as comfortable as the Frogskin, well, they are flat out wrong, the iDry is WAY BETTER. While the Frogskin's lining feels "fine," the iDry truly feels heavenly amazing. It's no wonder I've become so evangelical about this brand. Their products are just THAT GOOD. If, say, Deep 6 go for a tech diver-maximalist approach with their wetsuit, i'd say Probe goes for comfort-maximalism with exceptional warmth.
Can I just be in this suit all the time, please?