Advice needed ... Semi-dry Or Dry

[Kunundrum]

Hi guys,

I Am going to buy a new Exposure suit shortly and I am trying to make up my mind.

Right now I am Debating the Semi-Dry Bare 7/6 Vs. the Bare Nex-Gen Dry Suit.

Price is an Issue but not a major one I just can't afford to get a DUI or Whites Right now.

I don't get cold very easy, I Have gone down to high 40's in a 3.5mm without being too cold, (5mm would have been perfect IMO).

I like the flexibility of the 3mm Vs. the 7mm that I have used. Now to add insult to Injury, I need something in the XXL-Short and Bare seems to be the only one to offer these Off the rack or I would have the Aqualung Semi-dry / Blizzard dry suit on my list too.

I'm thinking that 3.5mm, 5mm and Nex-gen Dry suit will offer me the Temperature Flexibility do dive in most climates without any problem.

anyone see any flaws in my logic ?

 

[Splash-X]

I had assumed that you meant 40C beind that you're from Canada but thats 104F.

Then I considered that you have really meant 40F, but in a 3.5MM suit?

Maybe you can clarify your diving conditions, times of your you dive, water temp ranges (either C or F).


There is no doubt that a 7mm from Bare will feel constricting, thats just one of the cons to such a thick suit. There are pros and cons to both a semi-dry and a full dry.

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

Well my .02cents is this. I love the water but hate being cold. So IMO a drysuit is the next best thing since the invention of the p-valve.

 

[RonFrank]

I have a policy. If I can not dive comfortably in a 3mm, I go dry. IMO dry is the ONLY way to fly for water temps that can not be done comfortably in a 3mm. I also use the bare NexGen. For what I paid used ($350 with an undergarment) this is one of the best diving purchases I have made.

I'd go dry over wet in a heartbeat. It takes a bit of getting used to, but well worth the ability to exit the water dry.

 

[paddler3d]

Go dry.

I didn't have a ton of money when I got my semi-dry. It has served me well, however I wish I would have saved up a bit more for a dry suit.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

If you go Semi, you will still want and eventually get Dry....then your Semi will have been a waste of money. I suggest saving your money and getting the right tool first.

Check our website on Black Friday There will be some SMOKING deals on drysuits

 

[atlas750]

I have a 7mm semi dry that I used for several years. Now I am moving to a dry. The semi dry kept me warm, but was a huge pain to put on and take off. Cost was a factor for me at the time of my purchase.

 

[Kunundrum]

Then I considered that you have really meant 40F, but in a 3.5MM suit?

yes 3.5mm in High 40's as long as my hands and feet are warm I don't really feel the cold. (has 5mm gloves and 7mm arctic booties), We were diving a wreck Near Kingston Ont. and the surface Temp was in the mid 60's once we crossed the thermalcline it dropped to the high 40's quite shocking since we did not expect such a drop.


I do all kinds of Diving but Wreck is what I really like, though once I get my DM completed I will be assisting with Courses quite often and it's only fair to be wet with the students, but the quarry is pretty warm most of the time.

I am siding with the dry suit, the flexibility it offers can't be ignored Vs. a 7mm wet or Semi-dry.

 

[SurDo2]

Go dry. In my world there are two types of diving. If its not warm enough to wear only a pair of board shorts... I wear a drysuit.

 

[ScubaTerp]

I also recommend going dry. You get a lot more flexibility in terms of exposure protection, and it's just nice to get out of the water and only have to deal with wet hair and hands. Well, at least until the stupid thing gets a pinhole leak...