Question First drysuit Seaskin Nova comments

[rob.mwpropane]

What are you using to hang your suit if you have neo socks?

Apparently his gigantic mini me

 

[lexvil]

I suspect (remember?) he uses tennis balls which just made me think a good option maybe those wool dryer balls which my absorb some moisture while in there.

 

[Litefoot]

Rolock 90 for the win to intergrate with the Si-Tech QCS oval cuff rings

Be sure to purchase a couple extra sets of the Si-Tech silicone wrist seals and a couple of Si-Tech silicone neck seals...the price coming SeaSkin is too good to pass up the opportunity to stock up on these critical spares (1 set of each should be in your save-a-dive kit), if you don't purchase them, you will kick yourself later on when you need them.

Attached boots are easier for donning the suit, but can be a pain if/when the boots wear out, and make it a bit more challenging when cleaning/drying the inside of the suit....with neoprene/fabric feet the suit can be more easily turned inside-out for such purposes. Rock boots give one the ability to explore options....I would really only recommend attached boots if you have really wide or really long feet as those issues could make finding a rock boot that fits over the neoprene feet a challenge.

Be advised that you might need larger fins regardless of whether you choose attached boots or neoprene feet+rock boots.

As others have mentioned, many folks have found the reinforecments to be unnecessary and some have found them to be problematic...I would recommend skipping these.

Call me a ludite, but I still prefer a brass zipper to the plastic ones.

There has been discussion in the past about the "warm neck" options....some recommend against the warm neck as they don't provide much thermal protection and get in the way of dealing with neck seal issues...given you are going with the Si-Tech Quick neck you won't have these issues unless your neck ring ever needs to be reglued.

Perhaps others can chime in whether SeaSkin include the Si-Tech tool with the neck seal system, or perhaps a quick email/phone call to SeaSkin to verify, otherwise this is good to have on hand when the time comes to change a seal, particularly a neck seal:

View attachment 807177

-Z

@Zef
Do the integrated neoprene socks fit snugly on the feet? I’ll definitely need rock boots when I go dry, but I was wondering how they would feel over the socks. Sorry OP for the slight derail.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

@Zef
Do the integrated neoprene socks fit snugly on the feet? I’ll definitely need rock boots when I go dry, but I was wondering how they would feel over the socks. Sorry OP for the slight derail.

I measured my feet and they have enough room for a thick pair of socks (think wool socks). If I wear a thin pair of socks I have a little extra room before I put the rock boots on. After, it feels like,... well socks.

I had attached boots before. I'm glad I went with socks on this suit. It's "one more thing", but I can always change boots and the suit packs up tighter.

 

[Boarderguy]

What are you using to hang your suit if you have neo socks?

I'll take a pic of it tonight when I get home. Basically it's a 18" x 1" pvc for the neck hole. 12" x 1.5" for shoulder cross bar I think. 5' x 1" for each leg with a 90° fitting in the end. It only hangs upside down temporarily if I need to dry it inside vs my shed (winter vs summer).

Summer time, and where it currently resides because I'm lazy) is with a 6' x 1" pvc through the arms and a strap through the neck. I hang it that way from the rafters to hose off and dry until I remember to bring it back inside.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

I'll take a pic of it tonight when I get home. Basically it's a 18" x 1" pvc for the neck hole. 12" x 1.5" for shoulder cross bar I think. 5' x 1" for each leg with a 90° fitting in the end. It only hangs upside down temporarily if I need to dry it inside vs my shed (winter vs summer).

Summer time, and where it currently resides because I'm lazy) is with a 6' x 1" pvc through the arms and a strap through the neck. I hang it that way from the rafters to hose off and dry until I remember to bring it back inside.

View attachment 807375

That suit is way too clean

 

[Boarderguy]

That suit is way too clean

Because I'm cheap. It gets hosed off after each dive day along with my wing getting fully flushed. I don't want to convince the wife I need a new suit after not being responsible with my current one. Took me long enough to get permission for this one and now my DPV in December.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Because I'm cheap. It gets hosed off after each dive day alone with my wing getting fully flushed. I don't want to convince the wife I need a new suit after but being responsible with my current one. Took me long enough to get permission for this one and now my DPV in December.

That's right, you dive salty stuff mostly? That makes sense... I think I would rinse it too.

I'm mostly fresh with the occasional salt, but a fresh dip is just about weekly so I don't bother rinsing anything anymore.

 

[Boarderguy]

That's right, you dive salty stuff mostly? That makes sense... I think I would rinse it too.

I'm mostly fresh with the occasional salt, but a fresh dip is just about weekly so I don't bother rinsing anything anymore.

when I dive fresh it's in a 3mm jump suit and I'm doing dock repairs or moving buoys. Everything else is salt.

 

[Zef]

@Zef
Do the integrated neoprene socks fit snugly on the feet? I’ll definitely need rock boots when I go dry, but I was wondering how they would feel over the socks. Sorry OP for the slight derail.

Good question. Unless you specify as a customization the feet of your suit should not be snug/tight. The suit manufacturer should size the feet of the suit off the shoe size/foot measurement you provide, and will add a small allowance for socks/thermal protection to be worn underneath your suit.

Finding the correct size and fit for rock boots can sometimes be a challenge due to the size of boot needed to fit over the neoprene socks. When buying/sizing rock boots, one often needs a size or two larger than one's normal street shoe size....this often leads to the need for new fins with a slightly larger foot pocket.

Some folks have success with using neoprene wetsuit booties over the sock-feet of their drysuits...this is certainly a viable option and can make it easier to fit at a more reasonable price, and one may find they don't need larger fins going this route. Larger booties than one uses with a wetsuit will most likely be needed though.

YMMV,
-Z