Drysuit opinions sought

[rob1967]

Yeah, I was just going to say, Wet, if you are diving twin steels, that is a lot of weight!

Hey, BTW, our cousins to the south of us in the Northern California forum are having a similar debate as we are, with similar ideas/opinions bandied about.

check out: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/norcal/349018-any-reason-not-get-crushed-neoprene-drysuit.html

 

[Slamfire]

I use 31 lbs + backplate for both the Brooks 7mm neoprene and for the Fusion Bullet. I dive twin Al 80s. I use a MK3 with the Fusion and regular/everyday polyester fleece with the Brooks. With both setups I've gone down to 27 lbs and most of the time I'm ok, but there are those weird days when for some reason my body is extra buoyant (legume diet?). On those occasions I've had to stuff rocks in the suit pockets to avoid popping up at the end of the dive. This has happened with both suits.
For my feet, I use 2 pairs of Army and Navy's $1 thermal socks over 3mm neoprene socks when I use the Fusion. When I use the Brooks I just use 1 pair of thermal socks.

If you're going to go the neoprene way, why go crushed -- why not go full blown neo? At least in my own personal experience, I've found that the argument that you will be cold at depth is specious. I do not deny the physics that dictate that neo will be thinner at depth. But, at least to me, that has not translated into being colder at depth. I've taken the Brooks to the 160' range several times, and I've never been cold at depth. In fact, I find it much easier to get cold in the last deco stops (30', 20', 15'/10')-- due to inactivity.

 

[TheWetRookie]

The 27lbs+backplate+steel 100's (twins?) probably isn't far off from the 45lbs of lead I wear with no backplate and an Al80. I still don't understand why a drysuit system that is so much more bouyant than my old neoprenes can't keep me as warm, when I'd expect that all the extra trapped air should keep me warmer.
.

Sorry I should have specified, this is for a single tank. I can probably get away with less but I like to be comfortable. No suit sqeeze.

With my twins I have 17 lbs. I can get away with less with just diving the twins but when carrying stages and deco bottles I need the weight for when they are empty.

 

[jimmy71]

What temps are you guys diving? I have the whites fusion and have been very happy. I moved from a pinnacle trilam and have dove the DUIs quite a few times. I have to echo what others say which is the flexibility and air management is night and day with the whites. I use the MK 2 undergarment and have no trouble down to the upper 40s for approx 30 min. I do not use the neoprene socks. They seem silly to me. A nice pair of wool socks get the job done. I will admit that i have never used a crushed neoprene suit.
I have a tendency to fluctuate a lot with body weight and like the fact that the suit grows and shrinks with me. Growing or shrinking by 30+ pounds does not bother my whites fusion. Does the guy from BC want to sell that whites?? I am buying. I need one for my GF. I am going to be selling my pinnacle trilam as soon as i get the seals fixed.
Jimmy

 

[tkdgodess]

What drysuit do you currently dive and why? Oceaner 7mm titanium Neoprene, attached boots, neoprene fold under wrist seals, neoprene neck seal. I had it custom made 7 years ago. (had 3 years of "break" due to pregnancy-baby-pregnacy-baby so suit is still nearly new..). I don't like being COLD. At All. I tried a trilam with proper underwear with latex seals. Brrrrrr. I love that I can get soaked and still stay warm because it's tailored to my body. I know you aren't supposed to get wet, but OW students have a tendancy to force me to look up and neck seal is broken.

Did you get to dive your suit before you bought it? Yes I borrowed my friends'. (I lost 40 pounds 1 year after I had it initially custom made, oceaner was awesome in cutting it down to my thinner body, I will NEVER gain that 40 back)

If you could have your choice of any suit, what would it be and why?
I have no idea. I need new seals, which are cheap, and I've recently repaired the zipper myself, which is dry again, . All the "cool" kids seem to be wearing fusions, lol, the LDS rents fusions so I might try, but I kind of like the bare xcd2 pro dry, I want a self-donning suit next time.

diving is from the mid 40's to mid 50's, recreational dives are over 1 hour, teaching dives are from 30-45 mins, saturday I sat on the bottom doing aow navigational dives and I got cold.

 

[vjanelle]

Bare Trilam HD Tech Pro (what I have now), or a fusion with a tech skin if I was poorer.

Flexibility is amazing in the fusion though. It takes a little bit to get used to the idea that when you get in the water, it might feel like it's flooding. Getting them on and off is kinda goofy too.

Either way I'd put the sitech cuffs on them and use the silicone wrist seals.

Having to send DUI suits to the states for repair makes it kinda not worth it to consider them, apart from the excessive costs of the suit. People say good things about seatux too.

 

[Slamfire]

I do not use the neoprene socks. They seem silly to me.

I'll even wear them occasionally around the house during winters, when my feet get cold. They are sooo fashionable with sandals and flip flops.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

This was our group dive at Whytecliff in January:

http://www.unifiedteamdiving.com/gr...chment/download?id=2666155:UploadedFi38:51987 (Sorry it's a link and not an image, but the photo is too big for this format.)

The picture says a great deal, I believe. (And no, this wasn't organized by White's!)

Leave it to Peter, Brian and Richard to be the "odd men out" ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[BradnerBoy]

I thought I'd update my own thread with the results of my search.

Thank you to everyone who responded with their opinions and information about the suits they currently dive. It was all valuable.

I settled on a made-to-measure Santi eSpace and with only one dive on it so far, it's too soon to say if I made the right choice, however, donning it out of the water, I was very comfortable and then when diving, it felt extremely comfortable.

I'm heading to Port Hardy Wednesday and will be diving it exclusively, so I'll have much more to say about it when I get back.

In general, I picked the suit after Bob's (NWGratefulDiver) recommendation and I remember in particular his phrase about how his fit like an old pair of jeans. That stuck with me and I realized that's the kind of suit I wanted. It's not that other suits wouldn't fit the same, but no one expressed it quite the same way.

The suit is a tri-laminate composed of Nylon, Butylen and Polyester. I was impressed by the design characteristics (i.e. Y-shaped, not T-shaped, colours, etc.), as well as the various options available.

When I first held the suit, I was impressed by how "loose" and it was. The material was neither stiff nor course and very smooth, incredibly flexible and "floppy". When I donned it, I had a significant amount of flexibility, certainly more so than my previous Whites Nexus.

The sit came with two pockets; one with an inside pocket for wet notes and both large enough to each carry a spare mask, spool/SMB, etc., etc. I opted for the dry glove rings to be glued to the suit and selected Si-Tech glove system, flex sole boots attached to the suit, low profile Apeks dump valve and inflator, insulated latex neck seal and red sleeves, so's I look purdy underwater

Given the cost, I'm treating it as a long term investment that I hope to get many years of pleasure out of.

I'll post my impressions of the suit after 4 days of diving it in Port Hardy.

 

[Ta2ude]

Given the cost, I'm treating it as a long term investment that I hope to get many years of pleasure out of.

What was the final cost including everything??