CLX 450 - Hood / All Cordura

[srcalDiver]

I'm spec'ing a CLX450, my first drysuit.

-Do drysuit users prefer an attached or detached neoprene hood?
-DUI offers an option to cover the entire exterior suit surface with Cordura. Are you glad that you bought that option? -or- Do you wish that you had chosen that option?

 

[piikki]

I don't think I have seen anyone with attached hood to date. That must be somewhat special purpose.

 

[do it easy]

I have the detached neoprene hood and the warm neck collar. In fact, I don't really like the fit of the DUI hood- for my head, it's too tight in all the wrong places. I just use either my Henderson or Pinnacle hoods.(how did I ever end up with 5 hoods???)

I've never used an attached hood- I think they are suggested for people who get cold or dive in contaminated waters.

I do have the CLX450 and just got the standard overlay. I did get a signature series suit that has double layer trilam on the "knees" AND CF200 kneepads. I have no regrets about it.

As far as other options go, I don't like the zipgloves. Zipseals would be fine if I dove with wetgloves, but it's kinda annoying to leave the drygloves on during the surface interval. I'm going to replace the zips with DC suit rings, permanently mounted to the suit.

 

[Camerone]

-DUI offers an option to cover the entire exterior suit surface with Cordura. Are you glad that you bought that option? -or- Do you wish that you had chosen that option?

Have the all-cordura and love it. It's _very_ rugged. It's also a bit heavy if you travel, and it's definitely a little bit stiffer, but I don't have a problem with it.

I think it's a worthwhile option, particularly as it's not an additional cost, and it should greatly increase the wear/life of the suit. The crotch area and inseam on my previous suit (non-DUI) was the area that wore out the soonest, other than the zipper - which was fouled by an incompetent replcament job. The cordura bottom should keep that from happening.

Also - I would highly recommend not getting the QuickZip, and getting the normal "classic zipper" instead, if you're ordering the signature suit. The QuickZip is anything but quick or a good idea. The classic zipper will do just fine, and is easier to use and more standardized with how/where things ought to be.

 

[srcalDiver]

Have the all-cordura and love it. It's _very_ rugged. It's also a bit heavy if you travel, and it's definitely a little bit stiffer, but I don't have a problem with it.

Roughly how much does your suit weight?

Also - I would highly recommend not getting the QuickZip, and getting the normal "classic zipper" instead, if you're ordering the signature suit.

Getting the classic zip seems to be a common recommendation. How do you avoid the failure mode that the quick zip was designed to address?

 

[Camerone]

Roughly how much does your suit weight?

Approximately 10 or 11 pounds. I measured 12 this evening, actually, but I have Diving concepts wrist rings and a rather bulky hanger on it. For the record, I'm 5' 8", and around 150 lbs, although my shoulders are kind of broad for my size. In any case, the suit is cut fairly tight, although a stock medium is a good approximation, and I use TurboSoles. Hope that kind of helps set the expectations.

Getting the classic zip seems to be a common recommendation. How do you avoid the failure mode that the quick zip was designed to address?

What problem would that be?

Are you concerned about zipper tear at the shoulder? If you take care of the suit like any other gear investment, you won't have a problem. The shoulder is always a stress point in a cross-zip suit, but with any modicum of care (open it fully when doffing/donning, lube it regularly, etc) it'll last a few hundred dives. Be sloppy about things, and it'll last you 100, but that goes for any suit. There's nothing special about this zipper, but the suit looks and fits better with a standard zip, and the toggles don't dig into you in places that they shouldn't, unlike my QuickZip experience.

 

[do it easy]

This made me curious about drysuit dry weight so I weighed my two drysuits:

In the red corner, with DC gloves/rings, 5th-D pockets, and lots of extra glue in the crotch, is the DC Pinnacle 200- compressed neoprene, weighing in at 10 lbs!

In the white corner, with zip gloves, zip neckseal, DUI pockets, and CF200 kneepads, is the DUI CLX450 weighing in at 10 lbs!

Both suits have neoprene socks and weight is without the rockboots. The DC suit is at least 8 years old, while the DUI suit is about 6 months old, but I don't think that would affect the weight much. If anything, my DC suit might have picked up some extra quarry silt.

This confirms my suspicion that both suits weigh about the same, although the DC is a bit heavier when wet and stays wet longer.

Also keep in mind that you'll most likely need less undergarments in colder water with the neoprene suit.

Lastly, I have a "classic" heavy duty zipper on my DC suit (each tooth is individually riveted), and I have the Quickzip on my CLX. I prefer the classic style, but I also have roughly 400 dives with it and only a handful with the Quickzip.

The DC/classic zipper has a wear spot on the zipper tape near the shoulder from where the zipper thingee was rubbing the tape as I pulled it across. It never leaked, but just looked a little more worn out. I put a spot of aquaseal on it about 400 dives ago and it's been fine since. The rest of the zipper is another story.

In the CLX/Quickzip, I can feel the zipper between my back and backplate when I'm standing on land (double LP98s), but it's not uncomfortable. I don't notice it in the water. I find the Quickzip a little harder to start, but it could also be that I need a little more practice to get used to the motion.

 

[dannobee]

Since you're diving in my neck of the woods, get a 12mm hood from Otter Bay.

Wetsuits

Cricket will measure you and custom make one to fit you. Either stop by next time you're in Monterey or call and she'll give you instructions.

I also have a DUI hood and warm neck, but the Otter Bay hood is a LOT warmer.

 

[Iceland in a Dry]

i hawe a dui cf200x suit with attached hood.i dive in a water aprox 4-8c
newer been cold on the head:14:

 

[srcalDiver]

Approximately 10 or 11 pounds.

That weight seem manageable for traveling.

What problem would that be?

DUI isn't specific about the failure mode, other than to say that the zipper failure rate had dropped measurably.


dannobe, thanks for the custom Otter Bay hood tip.