Bare XCD2 Tech Drysuit?

[JRSly]

Well, I am looking around and trying to find the right drysuit for me. I am thinking of getting a Bare suit. I am looking at getting either the XCD2 Tech of XCD2 Pro. I was offered a new XCD2 Tech with hood, dry gloves, and undergarments for $1300, what do you guys and gals think? Is that a good price, and is it worth the extra cash to get the Tech?

Sly

 

[bogrady]

I bought 2 of them - one for me and one for my son. Our criteria went like this:

DUI or Bare? Bare is equal quality for much less money.
Trilam or Crushed Neo? While the trilam is lighter and dries way faster, my son is moving to upstate NY next year so the added warmth of the crushed neo was preffered.
Front (Tech) or Back (Pro) zip? We went with the front zip. It was only $100 more but it is WAY easier to deal with. It is SOOO much nicer to zip yourself in and out. Go for the Tech

The result - the Bare XCD2 Tech was our choice. We got them for $1250 each, no undergarments, so your deal sounds good.

 

[Rainer]

One of my suits is a Bare XCD2 Pro. It's a nice suit. I bought it used (for less than half price). I prefer a front zip, but really it isn't a huge deal at all. It's a 2mm suit, so the crushed neo doesn't really add much thermal protection.

 

[crlavoie]

$1300 is about what I paid for my my XCD2 Tech with undergarment, hood and Trek Boots.

In my group of 4 guys that I dive with every weekend, we all have XCD2's and they are great suits. I am the only one with the Tech. The other 3 have Pro's. I guess the front zip is OK but it's really not a huge deal unless you intend to dive alone. Frankly, I think that the Pro is actually more streamlined if you have it fit right. Also, the extending torso on the Tech is a bunch of crap so don't get hung up on that.

Boots (Trek or Integrated) - I happen to have skinny feet / ankles so I had to go with the Trek boots in order to minimize air migration to the feet. Sure, you can over come that with gaiters but then you might as well have gone with the boots. Personally, if they fit right, I would go with the integrated boot. They are plenty durable and it's one less thing to deal with.

Thermals - I use a combination of Polartec Power Stretch and the CT200 Polar Extreme in temps from the mid 30's to high 60's by varying the layers. It's very versatile but does require some weighting adjustments depending on the combination I choose for the conditions. I should also go on the record and say that Bare's undergarments suck like none other. Yes, they are warm but if you can get a different one, do it. I would give you mine but I don't know you well enough to do something that mean.

Suspenders - DON'T buy them. They SUCK (they're $50!) and you can make them for $3 and literally 5 minutes of time. No kidding.

I would definitely buy one of these suits again. We use them in very harsh conditions (rocky shore entries, lobstering, wrecks etc.) and they are bullet proof. No 2 ways about it.

Bare's HD Tech Trilam is also very nice if it's in your budget. Don't worry about warmth. Just adjust your thermals accordingly.

 

[The Kraken]

Sounds like a pretty good deal.

I have an XCD2 Tech and love it.

Sturdy stuff, that compressed neoprene.

the K

 

[Tod]

I have the XCD2 Pro version and I'd say that crlavoie hit the nail right on the head with that opinion.

I was talked out of a front zipper from my LDS when they claimed they tend to not last as long as the back zippers do (mostly because of the bending forward). Whether or not this is really true, I cannot say.

I, too, have the lace up Tech boots. I do a fair amount of walking around in rocky areas (when I dive in the mountains), and I wanted something I was sure would securely fit my feet while in my suit. In hindsight, the standard boots are pretty tough and much easier to in and out of. Bending over to pull on and lace up the boots is a little time consuming. Not the end of the world, but doing so makes it diffilt to talk yourself out of getting out of the suit between dives if you don't have to. I wished I got the built-in boots, where I could then get in and out of the suit more quickly. I may send it back and have the standard boots put on. Divetank.com says they'll do it for about $100 - so keep that in mind when placing your order.

The suspenders are a joke. I didn't get them at first (because others said they were a joke). Then I noticed (because I didn't want to hassle with the boots) that I was staying in my suit between dives and I wanted to open up the top. So I broke down and bought some suspenders for $26. The weight of the suit/zipper just pulls down so hard on those elastic suspenders so much that they're worthless. I am going to try and just replace the elastic suspenders with some nylon webbing and hope that I don't really need the flexibilty of the elastic so much when I zip up (I may just have to loosen them up before I zip up). They are easy to make yourself - and I think the newer bare suits already come with the loops pre-installed.

I got a releaf zipper. With those damn Tech boots, the zipper is a good option. Enough said.

It's the only drysuit I've owned, so I cannot say with much experience that it's the best. The suit is pretty durable. I stay pretty warm in mine, even with pretty light under garments on. I have big legs and the Bare T100 under garment really tends to bind up in my legs when I use it. I also have some light weight polar fleece that allows me to move much easier. If you have special non-standard size needs, you may want to look into a custom fit suit. Divetank.com has a pretty good deal on this.

Tod

 

[Rainer]

To follow up on Tod's post (which is well stated), I'd also suggest not buying the Bare suspenders, but making your own. I followed Chris' advice (search, it's in an old thread I started), and now have nice $3 suspenders (yes, the new suits come with pre-installed tabs). I'd also suggest a p-valve in place of the relief zipper. Good luck.

 

[texdiveguy]

I own a BARE Pro also...great suit and the back entry is not a big deal. I payed cost so got a super deal ....I have the attached moon boots/they are fine and got the suspenders.

 

[Matt S.]

I was considering this suit but I am now looking more at the USIA Techniflex or Pinnacle Evo 2. They are bag suits though, not compressed neo. Both are a tiny bit more, going for about $1350 online... But both include suspenders and pockets. They each have great word of mouth, too.

 

[Rainer]

Again, suspenders can be added for $3. Pockets were included into with my suit. That said, there are advantages to a trilam (which is why I bought a TLS as a second suit). The XCD2 is rather heavy (dry or wet), and isn't great to travel with. I go back and forth from MA to CA (girlfriend) pretty often, and taking the crushed neo suit each way proved to be a pain. If travel isn't in your cards, then the durability of crushed neo is hard to beat.