Review Seaskin Nova drysuit

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Change the wrist system to Kubi.
You will want dry gloves. Kubi is better that SiTech. Owned both. SiTech has hair thin sealing O-rings on plastic with plastic locking tabs that have to be "just right". Kubi has nice big O-rings and all aluminum.
 
^What @JohnnyC said about pockets.

I have a suit with velcro flap pockets and my Seaskin has the zippered pockets. I will never willingly go back to velcro flap pockets. The Seaskin zippered pockets do not have velcro on the outside (like some cargo pockets do) to hold them down flat when they're empty. But, if they are empty, well, they're empty. I don't find them to be in the way at all when empty. I do not believe you would ever notice them if diving sidemount and them empty.

Pocket shorts are a pain in the butt. You think keeping up with separate, non-attached boots would be a pain?! Ha ha! I would never order a custom drysuit without pockets.

I don't see the Telescoping Torso option in your specs. I have that and would get it again. But, I guess there's an argument that that is personal preference. I do think I saw some other post here on SB about the suit without the TLS and the poster was expressing regret for not having the TLS. That is, IF I remember correctly.

I also don't see Kevlar knee pads in your specs. I don't think the Kevlar pads are necessary for when you're in the water, but I think they are nice to have when you're on land. They give a bit of padding and make it nicer if you have to kneel down for anything.
 
Change the wrist system to Kubi.
You will want dry gloves. Kubi is better that SiTech. Owned both. SiTech has hair thin sealing O-rings on plastic with plastic locking tabs that have to be "just right". Kubi has nice big O-rings and all aluminum.

I have no experience actually using the Si Tech rings, but I have Kubi rings on both of my drysuits and I have never had a moment's regret over spending that money. They are awesome, reliable, and the only rings I know of where you can order your choice of size to fit you just right.
 
Thanks for the replies and comments, much appreciated.

So as background, I'm not looking to dive extremely cold - just colder than what I'm comfortable in in a wetsuit. Perhaps 15C or thereabouts (Tokyo winter) to extend my diving season here. When I was younger I had no problems in 17C water in a 7mm wetsuit (Brisbane winter) but I'm getting a bit wussy these days.

That said, I'm balancing budget against just adding everything - it's already a fair bit more than I was hoping to spend (instructor said £400-ish - well, yeah, that's the basic model).

So:
* Glove system - not really sure I'll need drygloves. Having the SiTech system was mostly to allow quick-changing of seals if one breaks (early spring one of the guys tore a seal on his drysuit and was effing and blinding, but managed to get someone to bring a replacement seal in time for the afternoon dive - so I consider that a must-have). So while the Kubi is definitely nicer, it's also 4x the price..

Q: Could it be retrofitted if at some future time i decide I'll be doing lots of proper cold-water diving and hence needing dry gloves? (I appreciate it'll be cheaper to get it to start with rather than later..)

* Thanks re all the pocket feedback; will go back to the zippered pockets. Not that much cost difference, was mostly a bulk concern.

* Telescoping torso: hmm, read a little bit about it and not sure; seems people are in two minds about it. Seems it's mostly to ease getting in and out of the suit?

* Kevlar kneepads: thought about them, but again, not sure I need them; don't kneel down in my wetsuit so not sure why I'd need to do so in a drysuit. And all the other reinforcements the manufacturer said aren't really needed so the suit sounds pretty tough to start with.
That said, they're not that much extra so if people think they are definitely a good idea then there's no point quibbling over a few quid.

Thanks again!
 
Re. drying boots on your suit. I made a simple suit dryer from a cable conduit, duct tape, one PVC t-piece and a hairdryer. Heat molded one piece of conduit to match hair dryer, to t-piece and stick conduits in each boot. Dryer is on cold (gets slightly warm by itself). Leave suit on the room floor or hang it upside down on drysuit hanger and voila!, boots get dry in about 90 minutes. I don't fly with my suit (yet) but it is not too bulky and besides people with hair usually use hairdryer anyway (not me).
Can you post a picture the next time you use it?
 
Oh, btw, about the PValve, was originally going for the SiTech Trigon one but read somewhere that it needs a rather large hole in the drysuit to fit compared to the Light Monkey - is that a valid concern or not really?
 
Q: Could it be retrofitted if at some future time i decide I'll be doing lots of proper cold-water diving and hence needing dry gloves? (I appreciate it'll be cheaper to get it to start with rather than later..)

Yes, everything can be retrofitted (with a price). Sitech ovals are not that bad choice. You can get other glove systems like waterproof Ultima and the new 4th element ovals. Ultima has got good reviews.
That said, kubi has only positive reviews.
 
Based on what you've just said, I would suggest to give some consideration to getting the Seaskin compressed neoprene suit instead of the membrane suit.

Get it with neoprene neck and wrist seals, zippered pockets, a pee valve, and the Kevlar knee pads.

Save yourself a bunch of money. For the water temps you're talking, you might not even need any undergarments, apart from shorts and a t-shirt. Maybe some basic long john underwear. Neoprene seals are much more robust than latex or silicone, so much less concern or need to have a replaceable system. And, the temps you're talking about really do not require dry gloves. Good wet gloves over neoprene wrist seals should do fine to keep your hands warm. You can possibly even get "wet" gloves that will mate up (just via overlapping sealing areas) with neoprene wrist seals so that they actually keep your hands dry.

With the trilam, in 15C water, you're probably going to want more serious undergarments, which adds to the overall cost as well.

If you get the trilam, you can definitely just have it with non-replaceable seals (neck and/or wrist) and have replaceable systems retro-fitted later, if you want. You can have the Si Tech wrist docking system and retrofit Kubi rings later, as well, if you want.

Personally, I have the Seaskin membrane suit and am seriously considering ordering the exact compressed neoprene suit I just described - for water temps just like what you're talking about. Very simple, robust, and convenient and only about 2/3 the price of my membrane suit. My only major hold-up is that I would REALLY prefer a front zip for self-donning. I really don't want to have to ask someone else to zip me up every single time I use the suit. But, for what it is and the price, I will probably go for it anyway.
 
Oh, btw, about the PValve, was originally going for the SiTech Trigon one but read somewhere that it needs a rather large hole in the drysuit to fit compared to the Light Monkey - is that a valid concern or not really?

I don't really know why a bigger hole for the pee valve would be a concern. I have the Trigon and am very happy with it. No moving parts. I don't have to remember to open anything. And it is much lower profile than my buddy's Light Monkey Tinkle Valve.
 
Can you post a picture the next time you use it?
I found this last year (generally a pretty neat channel):
(EDIT: DIY Drysuit stand around 16min into the video)
Add a computer fan into the bottom and you force air circulation.
 

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