Looking for a Drysuit that....

[amanphoto]

I'm looking for a drysuit to extend the already short season in NY's Lake Ontario. I currently dive in a 7mm wet-suit, but as I age, I would like to be warmer. I'm not sure of what brand or type to look at, but I need something very durable. Here are some key features I like, maybe you can give me some pointers on the pros and cons and direct me to something that incorporate them all and fit my needs.
1. I like Waterproof D1 hybrid's silicone neck and wrist seals along with the 3D Mesh inner lining.
2. I like the Bare SB - stretchy - more moment
3. I don't like the crotch strap
4. Self dawning so I can take it on and off myself
5. Dry glove locking system
6. Rock Boots - I walk around in it, but need fins also.
7. Thickness? I want to push my season. I don't ice dive, but want to be in once it's liquid.
8. Neoprene or try-laminate? - Need abrasion resistant and If I catch it, I don't want it to leak.

Thanks for the advice and I'm looking forward to your recommendations.

 

[tbone1004]

1. any suit can have silicone seals, 3d mesh lining is what it is
2. stretchy is relative, neoprene is stretchier than trilam
3. crotch strap is necessary for front entry suits to keep the torso in check
4. see above, self donning generally means front zip, which means a crotch strap. It isn't uncomfortable, especially since it is under the crotch strap of your plate
5. that can be put on any suit
6. can be put on any suit, just order it with neoprene socks
7. thickness doesn't matter for this, your undergarments do.
8. for what you do, I would go with Neoprene. O'Three is quite good, Pinnacle Black Ice is good, bunch of options. I'd call Cave Adventurers for the Pinnacle, Dive Right in Scuba for everything else, and also look at O'Three's website and maybe talk to Steve Lewis about them

 

[amanphoto]

crotch strap is necessary for front entry suits to keep the torso in check

I saw one drysuit that had elastic so the crotch strap was not nessary. The bare SB has none either, it's stretchy.

 

[Diver0001]

You didn't really say what kind of diving you're into. That's kind of key.

If you dive deep or engage in technical diving then a trilam suit is pretty much a must due to the buoyancy characteristics.

If that's not an issue then a crushed or compressed neoprene suit will give you the best durability. Thicker is NOT better when it comes to staying warm in a dry suit. Thicker is generally a liability for drysuits because the lousy buoyancy characteristics of neoprene. The most important thing about staying warm is the undergarment. This is also the reason I said to look for crushed or compressed neoprene. A 2mm compressed neoprene suit like the XCD2 will likely be more durable than it's trilam counterpart on the whole without sacrificing too much in buoyancy issues. Anything thicker (4mm, for example) will start giving large buoyancy swings even at recreational deep depths and are utterly useless for any kind of technical diving.

That said, trilam isn't a tea-bag. Most trilam suits are reasonably robust provided you're not crawling around on your knees or that kind of thing. In my experience compressed neoprene is slightly more abuse-resistant if that's your main thing. The thing that makes most drysuits leak are the valves. The large low profile valves like the Apeks have a (well earned) bad reputation for leaking. Sci-tech valves stick out more but they have a much lower rate of chronic leakage issues. .... and if you set out to, you can make any drysuit leak so good valves just improves your chances of being dry. In fact, they shouldn't be called "dry" suits at all, most models only "tend to be dry".

Fit is ALL important. For a suit to be perfect it needs to fit perfectly. If the suit is stretchy or not won't matter very much (if at all) if you get one that fits right. Be picky about this and the rest will fall into place. This same holds true of self-donning suits. It's only self donning (even if the zipper is on the front) if it fits right.

As for seals, boots and gloves, it's all personal preference. You should be able to specify your choice and get a suit fit with the seals you want.

As for crotch straps or suspenders, I don't like them either. The first thing I did with my current drysuit is remove the suspenders. Modifying your suit isn't a sin. Adding an after-market pocket is a common modification, for example.

If I were you I would look first at whatever 2mm neoprene suits are sold in your area and their trilaminate counterparts. That will give you a good baseline to start with and then you can go from there.

good luck.

R..

 

[tbone1004]

sorry, crotch strap is necessary with a telescoping core. Many front zips don't have telescoping cores, but without them, even in the bare SB there is restricted movement compared to one with a telescoping core. I'm a textile engineer, they can only get so stretchy with laminates. Maybe 10% stretch if they're under ideal conditions, i.e. really warm, but most likely it is less than 5%, and while that is better than 0% that the normal laminates have, it isn't great. If you want stretch, you have to go neoprene, which will keep you warmer anyway, be more stretchy than any laminate suits, and the biggest downside is weight, and time to dry. They are also much more durable and much easier to patch when they develop pinholes.

Call DRiS, talk to them. It will be the best thing you can do at this point. They probably move more drysuits than anyone in the country, and sell damn near everything.

 

[amanphoto]

Thanks for the info. I do a lot of Salvadge work. Crawling around on the ground in the mud. Fresh water diving. I don't want to limit myself to a depth, but I'm not a Trimix diver -yet.

 

[rhwestfall]

I am on the next lake west of you..... occasionally in Ontario....

I have a DUI CF200 (crushed neoprene). Some folks swear by them, some swear at them.... Me, I've had mine for over 10 years, and have been quite pleased. It's quite rugged. As others have said, its heavy and dries slowly (so bad if you want to travel by air with it), but the crushed neoprene really meets my needs...

Hope you find what you want. Been some good information presented here for you to wrap your head around.

 

[tbone1004]

if you're doing that kind of work you really need to go Neoprene for the durability. DUI CF200x is probably the best in the US but is very expensive. The O'Three suits are probably where I would go personally, but the Pinnacle Black ice would be a good option if Edd can hook you up with the rings for silicone seals when you order it

 

[Dive Right In Scuba.]

Call DRiS, talk to them. It will be the best thing you can do at this point. They probably move more drysuits than anyone in the country, and sell damn near everything.

Call the number in my signature line below and ask to talk to Mike or Chris. They know more about dry suits and all the options than anyone I have ever met. They will be happy to talk you through everything, and because we sell so many brands, we won't have any reason to push any one of them over any other for any reason other than meeting your needs.

 

[tech3324]

2. I like the Bare SB - stretchy - more moment

Bare SB is discontinued but might still be available from existing stock.