What was it like buying your first dry suit?

[Aqua-Andy]

The silicone neck seal will hamper mobility a bit due to the retaining ring, and it has received a few four letter words - but when I over-trimmed the seal the first go around I was able to change it out in under 5 minutes and still make the dive. Plus they're endlessly more comfortable than their latex brethren. I do notice, however, that since my wrist seals were installed aftermarket, the outer skin doesn't attach to the ends the same as it does with a factory job.

Looking back - I likely would have purchased one size smaller, even though I have no issues as it is now, and making sure that silicone seals were factory installed (at least for a fusion). As it sits, the ONLY other suit I would consider at the present time is the DUI Public Safety TLS, and that's purely out of envy since a dive buddy just got one in orange (I have a thing for orange stuff).

The cuff rings being installed after the fact from DRIS give you one very big benefit over the factory installed rings. See my post about my factory installed rings http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ex...ech-cuff-ring-modification-step-pictures.html DRIS installs this same wayand it makes the suit much easier to put on.

 

[dv]

What should be a great story alas was not meant to be.

I ordered my first drysuit last year at this time. Ah, the excitement begins. I start researching undergarments and buy a couple of different thicknesses. Awesome. I have my warm water solution and my cold water solution. The undergarments arrive in the mail, and I try them on. Good enough! Add more excitement.. 6 weeks later, I check on the status of my suit. Oh, they haven't started it yet. We'll get on that.... 4 weeks later, it arrives and I go out for my drysuit training day. I gear up, feel great, step in the water and boom, the cold water hits my toes as the hole in my boot opens up and lets the water in. Went through with my drysuit training anyway, had a soaked right leg after each dive. Gave the suit to my dealer and he attempted an aqua-seal fix, but alas we could not fix it. Then my dive season had to end for personal reasons. Now the suit is in limbo, waiting for the manufacturer to fix it. I had a whopping 4 dives in it.

Regrets? Absolutely. I should have bought from another manufacturer, but there is no way I could have known this. The manufacturer I bought from has a great reputation on SB, so I based my decision mostly on that. Most of the bitterness has passed, and I don't stress too much about it anymore. I still hold out for hope that the repair process goes through and the suit will come back diveable. The water & wrecks will still be there when I can dive again..

 

[tadawson]

My first was a DUI TLS-350, full custom fit. I had attended the demo days event, and considering that I am a pretty large guy, even the stock size that I had tried on had to be ordered as a custom suit, so for the same $$$, I did the full custom. With the promo from the demo event, I got a large thigh pocket and knee pads, and went with a rather colorful overlay, but that's it . . . I don't dive long enough to feel the need for a P valve (and seem to have amazing hang time as well) and can always add it later. Yeah, it was a couple of years debating with myself what to do, but I figured I'd shoot high and do it *once* rather than piss away money buying less than I knew I would want, and having to keep upgrading and taking a loss . . .

And I have a DUI BC that I have been in love with for years, and which just won't wear, so have had great results with the brand . . . (I just wish they still made the BC!) so DUI was pretty much a no-brainer of a decision for me. I tried on a bunch of other stuff, but nobody has a stock size that fit . . .

Between ScubaToys nailing the measurements, and DUI doing a great job, it fit perfectly from the get-go!

- Tim

 

[Colliam7]

When you were buying your first and next dry suits, what compromises (on features, age of the suit, etc) did you have to make to afford one?

None. I bought a new, custom fit, trilam suit from Diving Concepts 11 years ago. My only 'compromise' was hiding the purchase from my wife, by paying for it with a credit card she was not aware of.

Were the compromises worthwhile, that is, if you could go back, would you still make them or would get a more expensive model?

While I didn't make compromises on the suit, I did make choices. I chose DCI. I chose new rather than used. I chose custom fit rather than 'stock'. I chose back zip instead of front zip / self-donning. I chose integrated boots rather than socks. I chose not to go with dry gloves.

Today - I would probably make the same choices, particularly buying new, with a custom fit. Yes, it was a lot more money than a used suit off eBay. But, there were no hassles about fit, leaks, etc. If I buy a second suit (I would like to do that), I might choose front zip, and I might choose socks. I would still go with DCI, still go with trilam, still go new (unless I find a used suit, in good condition, that I know fits me to a 'T' before I buy it).

Overall, my question tries to explore if you were happy with your first dry suit and what made you want to upgrade? Perhaps, your first dry suit was not overly expensive, but was it nevertheless a good choice?

My first (and, still, only) suit was expensive. I would do the same thing again today. My drysuit is the single best investment I have made in scuba equipment.

 

[brrrandi]

I dive the Bare SB drysuit... If you have more questions about my own (and only my own) experience, please do not hesitate to reply (or anyone else).

I'm considering the Bare SB drysuit as my first purchase (I have rented twice before) and I'm so glad to hear of someone who has this suit.
The features all seem to be what I'm looking for and it's getting good reviews from those who own. I'm mostly concerned about sizing. I'm a short woman and this seems to always be a problem in the past - ill-fitting suits were really, really uncomfortable to the point where I have almost sworn off dry suits! How did you go about getting Bare to do the legs and arms extension? Did the distributor arrange this for you? Seems the local shops only carry one brand and can't seem to understand why proper fit (read lack of "discomfort to the point of disfunction") is an essential element for me.

Even if there were a slightly higher-than-normal number of returns from possible seal leaks (read this somewhere?), the lifetime warranty makes it a low risk, in my opinion.

Any thoughts you have on the SB system, including best places/ways to buy are greatly appreciated. I'm in the DC metro area.

 

[lindenbruce]

I bought a new Bare Trilam from entry diagonal, hip to opposite shoulder, entry with latex seals and no dry gloves. I don't remember what I paid for it thought I think it was a good deal. The business I bought it from helped me with trimming the seals and the suit fits well. But, other than that it was "here you go have fun need any weights?" It was trial by fire, eerrr water, in learning to dive it. But I did it. B

 

[jaeckert]

I'm considering the Bare SB drysuit as my first purchase (I have rented twice before) and I'm so glad to hear of someone who has this suit.
The features all seem to be what I'm looking for and it's getting good reviews from those who own. I'm mostly concerned about sizing. I'm a short woman and this seems to always be a problem in the past - ill-fitting suits were really, really uncomfortable to the point where I have almost sworn off dry suits! How did you go about getting Bare to do the legs and arms extension? Did the distributor arrange this for you? Seems the local shops only carry one brand and can't seem to understand why proper fit (read lack of "discomfort to the point of disfunction") is an essential element for me.

Even if there were a slightly higher-than-normal number of returns from possible seal leaks (read this somewhere?), the lifetime warranty makes it a low risk, in my opinion.

Any thoughts you have on the SB system, including best places/ways to buy are greatly appreciated. I'm in the DC metro area.

I live in Idaho so I am afraid I do not have any suggestions for who you should go through. I would contact Bare (phone or website or possibly through the Bare vendor forum here) and ask them what shops they have a good working relationship with in your area. When I bought mine; no local dive shop stocked Bare on their racks. However, my LDS did have dealer access. The important thing was they had the time and willingness to help me and to asks lots of questions of Bare. In the back of the are dealers catalog there is detailed instructions on how to measure for a custom suit. As I recall they took about a dozen different measurements for my suit (be sure to wear clothing appropriate for this - not loose, baggy, bulky clothes). They put they measurements onto the worksheet and faxed it to Bare and after that there were still a few (3ish?) phone calls between Bare and the LDS to make sure it was exactly the way I wanted it. It came out perfect. This from a shop that had never ordered a single custom suit from Bare before (the LDS owner commented that it was a more thorough process than he had encountered with other manufacturers).

I guess the bottom line is if you can find a shop that is patient and willing to do the work; there is no reason you should not get a great fitting drysuit. Oh, and you will need a little patients as well. I think it took me about a month to get mine from the time of the initial measure session (which I thought as quite reasonable... and definitely well worth it).

Side Note: original silicone seals and still no leaks.

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

Just bought a DUI TLS 350 off of e-bay, with the Polarfleece 300 undergarment, thinsulate socks and rock boots. Suit fits perfect, functions perfect, is like new. Tested it in my 64 degree pool with nothing but a lycra skin, just to see if everything worked. I was dry, but boy was I cold! did not realize that the underwear is essential to stay warm. Also, discovered that condensation can form inside the suit making you damp as well. I guess this is why long-exposure divers post about needing undergarments that perform well when wet, as I can see you getting pretty wet even if no water gets inside the suit.

Still, wherever the air bubble was to get the suit off my skin, it was quite warm even with just the lycra. Now, more practice dialing in my weight with different undergarments and just getting used to the suit.

Oh, with proper weighting, I had no issue with the "feet up" issue. When my feet did drift up, it was easy to get them back down and properly weighted there is no ascent to worry about, just a change in position. I did not use my suit as a BCD, but had the valve wide open for minimal air in the suit and using my wing for bouyancy.

It will take a little getting used to, but not as much of a hassle as I feared.

 

[beester]

My first drysuit was a DUI CF200 SE (crushed neoprene, back entry) with no frills. It fit me quite well and has a bit of stretch. Undergarments have been fourth element artics. I glued on sidepockets myself and did alot of shore-entry, clawing over sharp oisters, North Sea wreck type of dives in it. Unless all my dive-buddys who would switch to diving wet once the water temp would go above 13°C (55°F) I remained dry. Much easier to dress, always warm, and if I limited the air in the suit it was very diveable. Valve drills were a bit of a pain because with backentry you don't have the telescoping torso so you have limited length to use. Next suit is my current suit, Santi E-motion. Made to measure, side pockets, p-valve, etc.. the works. If people ask me what's important in a dry-suit I'll always say... FIT... FIT... FIT!

 

[Divealpha]

The thread was started a while ago, but:
First suit ever was a 7+5mm wet.....so I started looking for drysuits for both my wife & me. I didn't want to do the same error buying again(only got regs left from the first kit).
Buying double of everything can be expensive, but I read a lot about the Whites suits, which then also was sold by Scubapro(Fusion). Found a very good offer in Germany on the Internet, 300 Euros for a Scubapro Fusion for my wife, but they did not have my size..so, I found a dealer in Austria who gave me almost 30% off on a Whites Fusion Tech...
Man, how people ask us about the Fusions(bought new skins when Whites had the $99,- offer). I think it's very few Whites users in Scandinavia..
Absolutely love diving them, everywhere..used it a lot on my Red Sea liveaboard last year, because of the cold winds topside. We have the version with latex seals, and they're good enough for the number of dives we are doing in cold water. The skin on mine is a bit worn on the knees, but, it's easy to replace. A dream to don, and a dream underwater for one who mostly dive wetsuits. We both have MK0 baselayers, and 4E Arctic undergarments. Would love to have the Thermal Fusion, but guess I'll wait until it's necessary, still warm enogh with the Arctic.
The fit and delivery time was a big issue when buying, and should I need to get replacement seals, I think it's possible in Germany, else DRIS will do the job. Not sure if I would upgrade to the SITech rings, as I think it may restrict movement a bit.
Where I live, people often have to wait weeks to get their suits because of modifications, so I can't understand why local shops don't sell them...even if the price went up when Aqualung aquired Whites.....