How long did it take you to become comfortable in a drysuit?
My first and only drysuit (custom DUI CF200 with DUI Thinsulate undergarment, purchased new ca. 1993) was at the time such an *expensive* purchase for me that I'm not sure if I was immediately comfortable wearing it, or if I simply convinced myself I was! I had been diving wet since 1987 at the time.
Joking aside, I think the fact that the suit was fit to me meant that I didn't suffer the same growing pains that a couple of my friends (who had purchased non-custom drysuits) had when we all began wearing our new drysuits. Maybe, as some above suggest, it was simply that the drysuit bubble I had to manage was much smaller. Or maybe it was simply that, because of the personalized cut of the suit, I didn't have to struggle to reach whatever it was I was reaching for. Or maybe it was because I had to wear significantly less Pb than my friends who had purchased trilaminate suits. (Crushed neoprene is a heavy material, and also a bit warmer so allows a bit thinner undergarment than a shell suit!) But, by the time my repetitive dive had ended on my first day in the suit, I was completely comfortable wearing it, despite the new "practicalities/restrictions" of wearing a drysuit (e.g., being mindful of turning leftside-up or feet-up, etc.).
BTW, I'm still quite comfortable diving the suit to this day, though it fits a bit tighter than when I first began wearing it. I had the zipper replaced once (when I had a zipper guard and pockets installed). And this year I'll probably have the neoprene fold-under neck and wrist seals replaced for the first time.
Safe Diving,
rx7diver
My first and only drysuit (custom DUI CF200 with DUI Thinsulate undergarment, purchased new ca. 1993) was at the time such an *expensive* purchase for me that I'm not sure if I was immediately comfortable wearing it, or if I simply convinced myself I was! I had been diving wet since 1987 at the time.
Joking aside, I think the fact that the suit was fit to me meant that I didn't suffer the same growing pains that a couple of my friends (who had purchased non-custom drysuits) had when we all began wearing our new drysuits. Maybe, as some above suggest, it was simply that the drysuit bubble I had to manage was much smaller. Or maybe it was simply that, because of the personalized cut of the suit, I didn't have to struggle to reach whatever it was I was reaching for. Or maybe it was because I had to wear significantly less Pb than my friends who had purchased trilaminate suits. (Crushed neoprene is a heavy material, and also a bit warmer so allows a bit thinner undergarment than a shell suit!) But, by the time my repetitive dive had ended on my first day in the suit, I was completely comfortable wearing it, despite the new "practicalities/restrictions" of wearing a drysuit (e.g., being mindful of turning leftside-up or feet-up, etc.).
BTW, I'm still quite comfortable diving the suit to this day, though it fits a bit tighter than when I first began wearing it. I had the zipper replaced once (when I had a zipper guard and pockets installed). And this year I'll probably have the neoprene fold-under neck and wrist seals replaced for the first time.
Safe Diving,
rx7diver
