Which drysuit?

[RJP]

- crushed neoprene is a vastly better insulator than tri-lam material. If I wanted to wear this suit in warm water that would not be good. But, for use in cold water, it means I wear less undergarments than if I were in a tri-lam. That means I carry less weight. Win, win.

Of course, crushed neoprene is a "vastly" more buoyant material than trilam... so you'll carry MORE weight because of that. Net-net, you may well be carrying MORE weight with your crushed neoprene suit than someone diving a trilam suit. I know the folks I dive with who have crushed neoprene suits carry a lot more lead that I do... which is none, actually.

 

[stuartv]

Of course, crushed neoprene is a "vastly" more buoyant material than trilam... so you'll carry MORE weight because of that. Net-net, you may well be carrying MORE weight with your crushed neoprene suit than someone diving a trilam suit. I know the folks I dive with who have crushed neoprene suits carry a lot more lead that I do... which is none, actually.

Interesting. I had the impression that my suit is slightly negative, but I haven't actually tested that. With mine plus undergarments for water in the upper 30s (F), carrying a single HP120, I carry a SS BP (6#) and 12 additional #. I need to experiment a bit more, though. I think I may be able to shed 2 # of that.

It seems like I've read posts on here from folks in cold water in tri-lams that quite often have in the high 20-something pounds of total ballast.

 

[razorbackdiver]

Which drysuit is best for the pre-dive. I currently use a 7mil semi-dri when I need extra thermal protection. I have had to thumb a dive because of over heating when something has delayed my entry. Thanks in advance.

 

[decompression]

Pretty unlikely it's neg but stranger things have happened. With most of my trilam and bilam suits I was close to 40 lbs of ballast. That's before the days of BPW and large steel tanks.


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[dbulmer]

To the OP,
I just want to re-iterate a point made by AJDUPLESSIS. Assuming that a twinset (doubles ) is where you are heading make sure that when your drysuit is measured that you take into account the thickest combination of baselayer/undersuit that you will use. If possible wear it when you get measured or ask to borrow some kit.

Further down the line you have to be able to turn your cylinder and manifold valves on and off. If your baselayer/undersuit/drysuit is not right you will have physical difficulty in manipulating your valves because they might hinder the range of movement in your upper body.

Good instructors can help you along the way with skills/technique but a poorly fitted drysuit is something expensive that you have to fix.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I've only had 2 dry suits so far: ScubaPro Evertec LT (SCUBAPRO - Evertec LT) and a Northern Diver CNX FE (discontinued: Dusja .NET). The ND has served me well (my first and now backup, dry suit). In comparing the two, the ScubaPro is much more comfortable, but not surprising as it is trilaminate. How will it hold up long term? We'll see. I had mine replaced due to a manufacturing defect where the fabric around the dump valve came unglued (should have been sewn, my opinion).

If you are able to attend an event where you can try out different ones, that would be great. Great question, and you've already received some great advice.

 

[stuartv]

Pretty unlikely it's neg but stranger things have happened. With most of my trilam and bilam suits I was close to 40 lbs of ballast

That still sounds like a lot. I'm at 18# COUNTING my SS BP. The tank is -1.5# at empty.

Ray pretty much slammed that one point from my earlier post without providing any actual data. I'm curious what he is using, in total, when diving in water in the 30s. I mean, he said "none" which seems likely to be totally false. A neutral backplate and no other weight but a steel (presumably?) tank? And what kind of tank? Some steels are pretty negative, even when empty. And is that in water in the 30s or or even low 40s?

Saying that there are other people using more weight than him seems to be a case of saying absolutely nothing while trying to sound like you're proving a point. From what I hear, there are crap tons of people diving way overweighted....

Like I said before, I am contemplating adding a tri-lam suit to my collection, so I am genuinely curious about this. Since Ray hasn't provided any actual data to support what he said, is there anyone else that dives a tri-lam in water in the upper 30s or low 40s here who uses less than, say 20 # of weight (counting your BP)?

I have been pretty much assuming I would need more weight with a tri-lam than I do with my crushed neoprene suit (for the same conditions and gear). I would love to hear that that is a (possibly) false expectation.

 

[Dhboner]

With 2 HP100 steels sidemounted, I use no additional weight in my DUI FLX Extreme and Thermal Fusion undergarment. In general you can use lighter undergarments in a crushed neoprene suit as compared to a tri-lam (depending on your personal cold tolerance) as neoprene suits have some inherent insulation. However in theory if you use the same undergarment in a neoprene and a tri-lam you would need more lead in the neoprene.

 

[KevinNM]

I know 3 people who have custom ordered suits from bare last summer. All of them leaked. 2 of them got fixed after the first trip back to bare. One of them still leaks. Mine (off the shelf) doesn't leak, but everything they glued on it falling off because they use the wrong glue. I'd suggest DUI FLX extreme or Santi, based on my research that is what I'm planning.

 

[kwinter]

Comparing the amount of weight carried by different people is a fool's errand. Body types are vastly different. I use more weight than anybody I know. I've even had instructors tell me it's ridiculous. But when they remove a few pounds from me, their jaws drop when they see I can't submerge. Must be my buoyant personality. And a big fluffy Weezle suit. But even diving wet or with a heavy vulcanized suit, I need a ton of weight. Don't compare to other people. Compare to yourself with different exposure suits.


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