If you were buying a new drysuit today, which one would you buy?

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I'm gonna go against the grain a bit here and say that while I like the overall mobility of the Fusion, I find it more struggle than it's worth getting into the suit. The separate layers take some getting used to ... and even once you get it figured out the suit's just not that easy to put on. Factor in the problem of pocket sag (or in my case, choosing a suit without pockets and wearing X-shorts), and the inconvenience factor goes up a bit more.

I find myself diving one of my DUI suits (by choice) more often than I dive the Fusion because I just don't feel like working that hard getting dressed.

I'm leaning toward selling my Fusion and getting another DUI TLS350 ... overall I'd have to say the one I've got's been the best suit I've ever owned, but it's getting a bit worn out ... primarily because I dive it more often than either of my other two suits.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I would agree that it can be a bit tough to get into. Espically with thick undergarments. I just installed a p-valve into my Fusion and I went to dive it yesterday. The water here is 42* right now and I put on my light undergarment just so I did not have to work so hard for a 10 min test dive. Once I am in my suit though I am generally in it for the day and even with the thick undergarment it only takes a few min to get into the suit. With the light undergarment "Whties MK2" I am in my suit just as quickly as everyone else. The mobility and comfort are worth a little extra in the begining to me. If it is warm weather and you are diving cold water you will work up a major sweat getting into the suit though with a heavy undergarment...

Phil
 
Dan - on the boat I crew on here in NJ I'd say that it looks like DUI and BARE are the suits of choice brandwise, with about a 50/50 split between trilam and crushed neoprene.

Personally I dive a DUI TLS-350. With 200 or so wreck penetration dives in the last three years mine still is like new. (Other than the tiny hole I put in it while getting back on board a diveboat in Catalina - who the **** puts a rough wrought iron dive platform on a dive charter boat!?! Patched with a dab of aquaseal and ready to go again.) I had a BARE HD-Tech Trilam first, but ditched it after about 10 dives as it was a very stiff material and I didn't care for it. However their trilam material is probably a little more puncture/tear resistant than the DUI TLS-350.

Crushed neoprene is certainly a bit more robust for those that really like to crawl around digging inside wrecks, but there are drawbacks in terms of being a less flexible, heavier suit that takes much longer to dry after use. I travel a lot with my suit, so that wouldn't work for me.

If you want to split the difference between crushed neoprene and trilam you could go with a DUI FLX 50/50. Crushed neoprene bottom and polyester trilam on top, compared to the TLS-350 which has a nylon trilam top and bottom. I'd add the long length CF-200 knee pads to either suit for extra durability. Pass on butt pads and elbow pads.

Not sure exactly where you are in NJ, but The Scuba Connection in Hillsborough stocks DUI, BARE, and Whites. Call over there and set up some time to go in and review the various options, then "try before you buy" in their indoor pool. Tell them I sent you - they'll treat you right!

:D
 
I recently (last May) switched to a Fusion and in the 15 or so years before that dove various trilam suits, a couple neoprene suits and demoed crushed neoprene and vulcanized rubber suits.

I like the fusion in terms of swimability and range of motion. The combination of a fairly generously cut inner bladder and a stretchy outer skin lets you use a suit that is cut baggy but does not have the drag and air management issues that would otherwise accompany a baggy dry suit. The benefit is that a few sizes fit everyone well and the suit is very tolerant of weight or undergarment changes.

The downside of the Fusion is that it is indeed a PITA to get in an out of compared to a trilam or even a neoprene dry suit. It gets better with time and practice, but if you let the inner layer get too far ahead of the outer layer when putting it on, life gets intertesting.

A trilam is easy to get into but since the material has no stretch, it also has to be cut fairly baggy to allow a full range of motion. With no outer skin, this means lots of wrinkles, more drag more volume for air to migrate to during the dive. So the fit and cut of the suit becomes much more critical. Too snug and you will have limited mobility, too large and the suit will be excessively wrinkly, draggy and hard to manage. It is a fine line and a trilam suit is not real accommodating to weight or undergarment changes. You can get a trilam with a self entry zipper but the cross chest self zipper requires a longer torso than the non self entry across the shoulder zipper and that extra lenght has to be managed. In the case of DUI self entry trilams they go over board with it and then add a crotch strap to control the folded torso.

Andy's used to make excellent trilam dry suits and used a curving shoulder to shoulder front mounted zipper (just like the Fusion - I suspect Whites bought the patent on it). It made self entry very easy with no need for extra torso lenght.

Neoprene suits (the uncompressed variety) acquired a bad reputation back when they were about the only game in town and when they had chest mounted exhaust valves and fairly baggy cuts. They needed large mounts of lead to get down. However the current crop of neoprene dry suits are cut very trim, relying on the natural stretch of the material to provide flexibility. Consequently a 7mm or 7mm/5mm neoprene dry suit will not require significantly more weight than a 7mm full wet suit and will swim much like a wet suit in the water but will be much warmer even with only light weight undergarments. They are however heavy, dry slow and leaks can be very hard to find. They only last about 1/3 to 1/2 as long as a trilam but then they also only cost about 1/3 as much as a trilam. The zipper option is also across the shoulders only. One les known benefit of the neoprene suit is that it is less prone to squeeze and squeezes do not have the sharp biting quality associated with a trilam. The Fusion is very similar to a neoprene suit in this regard.

Compressed neoprene is a bit of a compromise. It has some stretch and can be cut a bit snugger than a trilam, has some inherent insulation and does not sqeeze quite as bad as a trilam. But it is not as flexible as a neoprene suit and has the same heavy, slow drying and hard to find leaks qualities. But they are well known for durability.

Vulcanized rubber suits are incredibly tough, but have to be cut large as there is very little stretch to the material and are consequently baggy and draggy. Rear entry acreross the shoulders zippers are about the only option. They are very heavy heavy but dry very fast, are very easy to repair (5 minutes with a tire patch kit) and are the only suit you realy want in a contaminated water environment as they are easy to rinse and very chemical resistant.

On balance I prefer the Fusion over any other dry suit I have ever owned or currently own. It fills the same category of a due everything general purpose wreck/tech/rec dry suit as a trilam does, but has much more swimmability, comfort and flexibility in the water. You just have to put up with the slightly more bother some process of donning of the suit.

If I were just ice diving in the artic, I'd use a neoprene suit, and if I only dove in nuclear reactors or leech pits, I'd dive a vulcanized rubber suit.
 
Not that I can afford to drop a chunk of change down on a drysuit....but if I had the $$$$$....I'd be leaning heavily towards Whites Fusion.
 
I'm leaning toward selling my Fusion and getting another DUI TLS350 ... overall I'd have to say the one I've got's been the best suit I've ever owned, but it's getting a bit worn out ... primarily because I dive it more often than either of my other two suits.

How many dives you reckon you have on your TLS350?
 
I have a Whites Legend and it fits great.
They do cost a lot but, I feel mine was worth it.
 
Another vote for the Fusion. It was my first drysuit, so I do not have anything to compare it to, but I love it. I had only about 50 dives when I got it, but here in the NE I knew I had to pick something to extend my dive season :) As recommended previously I would either do the specialty or dive with an experienced drysuit diver to show you the ropes. Personally, I did not like the rock boots (not enough ankle rotation comfort) and use wetboots with mine, just to let you know the option exists.
 
I have a Bare XCD2 that I dive up here in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. I love it... definitely +1 for neoprene dry suits in very cold water. Water temperature is in the mid 30s right now and we're in our peak diving season!

If I lived somewhere with warmer water temps, I'd probably dive a trilaminate suit to save weight on the waist.

-B
 
Fusion does look interesting and I'd be more then willing to give it a try if I could find one nearby.

OTOH, I already have the Pinnacle Evo2 which is now 12 months old and in mint condition. If I had to consider another regular trilam drysuit, I'd buy it again. :)
 
Some great advice already - here's another vote for, you guessed it, the Fusion.

I only have about 10 dives on my fusion - after four years with an Oceanic Aerdura tri-lam - I did not like the tri-lam suit at all. It was difficult to dive and manage the air. The fusion is a little weird to put on at first, but after a few dives I have found that it is easier and faster than my old tri-lam. There is a trick to it - basically you roll the suit and pull up the inner bladder in your legs - and then 'smooth' the skin up your legs to fit correctly - I know it sounds weird, but it works for me. I also use regular wetsuit boots with mine as I don't see the need for the rockboots.

I have not tried the fusion with heavy undergarments - but I do not see this as a problem either. I find there is far less air moving to my feet with the fusion - it is actually very easy to manage the air movement in this suit.

Hope that adds to your confusion :wink:

Enjoy :D
 

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