Best drysuit

[OHIO DIVERS]

What drysuit do you like the best? Why do you think this suit is better than other suits (fit,material,durability,ect)?

 

[karstdvr]

Questions like this rarely will get you the information you seek,but personal testimonials. The reason why is most drysuit owners have't used many different brands for comparison,and when someone puts down 1k to 2k rarely will they say they have a piece of junk. I have owned or used 6 different dry suits,and that being said the best advice is talk to the people who repair drysuits for a living. They will see all the suits at their worst,and see how they are constructed. I have known Steve Gamble (gamblescuba.com) for over 10 years and asked him the question what was the best suit out there and he was pretty poingnant with some great observations. I asked him about the worst,and he showed me 3 racks of suits for repair,and I noticed several of the same manufacturer.

 

[FWADIVER]

The whites fusion are pretty popular here in the midwest. I would suggest finding a shop that rents drysuits and trying some demos, also whites and a few other manufacturers do 'demo days' where you can try the suits, I know they do some in Ohio in places like gilboa. I got to try my drysuit before I bought it, I love it and it works great for me.

 

[Spg01]

Questions like this rarely will get you the information you seek,but personal testimonials. The reason why is most drysuit owners have't used many different brands for comparison,and when someone puts down 1k to 2k rarely will they say they have a piece of junk. I have owned or used 6 different dry suits,and that being said the best advice is talk to the people who repair drysuits for a living. They will see all the suits at their worst,and see how they are constructed. I have known Steve Gamble (gamblescuba.com) for over 10 years and asked him the question what was the best suit out there and he was pretty poingnant with some great observations. I asked him about the worst,and he showed me 3 racks of suits for repair,and I noticed several of the same manufacturer.

So you have used 6 different suits, have talked to a guy who repairs them and got your questions answered about the best dry suit. But you do not share any of that information

 

[divingtpapa]

I have just placed an order for a TLS 350 drysuit yesterday. I will be getting codura overlay for the arms and legs, as well as crushed neoprene knee pads and a codura pocket for my sausage and thumb reel. I purchased this suit since I will be training and interning as a Divemaster in the local quarries of PA/MD/VA and doing some wreck diving with little to no penetration. I hope this helps.

 

[TSandM]

I asked him about the worst,and he showed me 3 racks of suits for repair,and I noticed several of the same manufacturer.

Of course, that might mean that that particular manufacturer's suits are more popular, so there are just more of them out there

It's really impossible to answer the question, "What is the best dry suit?", because which dry suit you will enjoy most depends in part on what kind of diving you are doing, and what other constraints (eg. budget) you have. Neoprene dry suits tend to be less expensive and have considerable intrinsic insulating capacity (but lose it at deeper depths), but they are heavy and dry slowly, and aren't very flexible in terms of using them in a wide variety of water temperatures.

Laminate dry suits are light and dry quickly, but they have no insulation of their own. They do not stretch, so they HAVE to fit. And they are relatively easy to puncture. Laminate suits range from inexpensive to EXTREMELY expensive, depending on manufacturer and options.

Compressed neoprene suits are tough, but heavy, and dry slower than laminate suits. They don't stretch much, so they also have to fit. They have some intrinsic insulation and lose little of it at depth. They tend to be on the expensive end of the price scale.

And then there are suits that don't really fit in any category, like the DUI 50/50 (which is laminate on top and compressed neo from the waist down), or the Whites Fusion (which is a large trash bag compressed by a stretch outer "skin", and is what I dive). Bare is about to come out with a laminate-type suit which is breathable and stretches, but it's going to be pricey.

So what suit you choose depends on what you want to do with it, and how much you want to spend. If you travel, lightness may be more important than durability; if you do wreck penetration in the North Sea, a durable suit with some insulating capacity may be more important than price.

 

[rhwestfall]

All true comments..... didn't get a specific answer? Try this:

Perhaps the better question to be asked by the OP is:

What are the qualities that you like/dislike about your DS? From there you prioritize what matters to you, and make a decision.

 

[DiverLS]

I'm on my second DUI suit. It's not the material that I admire, it's the valves. Set it and forget it. My first drysuit was a Harvey's "Aquacapcule" and you didn't dare put any air in it because you couldn't get it out.

About 15 years ago I was on a photographic trip and a DUI rep was on the boat. I was diving my 7 mil "semi dry". I preferred it to the drysuit because shooting to the surface like the Pilsbury Dough Boy is not recommended. This was in early April, probably the coldest the Pacific gets.

I dived Catalina just fine, dived Santa Barbara just fine. When I jumped at Anacapa I crawled back on the boat. I was too cold. The DUI rep told me she thought I could fit her suit. I did. That's when I realized it's the valves. Set and I didn't have to worry about it.

 

[CPH]

The best suit is one that fits YOU well and does what you need.

 

[OHIO DIVERS]

Ok------what drysuit are you diving? What are the pros and cons?