Trilam vs. Compressed Neoprene

[BDub]

Look at Northern Diver's CNX. CNX

It's a 2.5mm compressed neoprene. It is very tough and extremely warm. I used to have a trilam and recently switched to the CNX and the difference in the insulation is incomparable. It is a 7mm suit that is compressed to 2.5mm. While it's not 'crushed' neoprene it will not compress at depth and and is not nearly as bouyant as a standard neoprene suit.

wn

 

[airbrnebkr]

I'll give a second on the Northen Divers CNX suit. the suit is very well put together, fits well and looks good. Lots of options to be had on your suit from Northern Divers.

 

[UP4AIR]

I dive the DUI CNse,which is also a hyper-compressed neoprene. The outer shell is tuff,and it has added material on the knees. My diving is done in a quarry here in Northern Va. where the water temp at 50' and below averages around 52 deg. I have been in the water where the temp was 42 deg and was plenty warm. I wear only a medium weight polypropylene undergarment under the suit which in most dives of 40min or less is more than enough insulation for me. The only slight complaint,if you call it that, is that I wish that DUI would have repositioned the exhaust valve on the shoulder. I would like for it to be a little lower on the arm of the suit...but thats just my opinion and not a functional problem with the suit. The suit ,I find, dries quickly..usually before I leave the quarry it has stopped dripping and is only damp. It is a significantly heavier suit than a Tri-lam...but it offers some thermal insulation that the Tri-lam does not. For what its worth...my 2 cents.

 

[Warren_L]

I'm going to have a look this weekend at the DUI and Bare suits. Definitely look at the CF200 and the CNse from DUI. I'm wondering now if the Bares XCD2 is going to be comparable to the CNse? I'm still leaning towards the compressed neoprene - I can deal with the weight and drying time if it gives me decent insulation, is reasonably durable, and is not overly buoyant.

 

[loosebits]

The only way a neoprene suit gives warmth is for it to be bouyant. The neoprene rubber itself provides little insulation, it's any gas bubbles trapped inside of the rubber. Of course, if there are gas bubbles, that means they will compress (losing warmth at depth) and the suit will lose bouyancy at depth (causing you to be overweighted). The warmest suit out there will be a 7mm foam neoprene suit but that will also have the worst bouyancy charateristics. Let the suit keep you dry, let the undergarments keep you warm.

 

[Warren_L]

So which material then would tend to be more buoyant given the same insulating factor? Neoprene or the undergarments (assuming the appropriate amount of each to achieve the identical insualting factor).

 

[jonnythan]

Crushed neoprene, ala DUI CF200 is *very* different from compressed neoprene. Crushed neoprene is for all practical purposes a very thick trilam. It's not stretchy or squishy. Compressed neoprene feels a while lot like normal neoprene.. just a little more dense.

I dislike compressed neoprene. It's too thin to give you good insulation, and it's too thick and tough to be very comfortable. It's stretchy but squishy and loses insulation and buoyancy at depth. It really does take forever to dry.

If I were you, I'd go with a heavy duty trilam.. in my Bare ATR HD I'm comfortable in water as cold as 50 degrees with just a layer of polypro. I'm sure the CF200 is similar. The Bare ATR HD can be had for around $1100CAN, whereas the DUI is much more expensive. Looks like a hell of a nice suit though.

Remember, undergarments are a lot more comfortable (and variable) than neoprene..

 

[diverlady]

jonnythan once bubbled...
Compressed neoprene feels a while lot like normal neoprene.. just a little more dense.

I dislike compressed neoprene. It's too thin to give you good insulation, and it's too thick and tough to be very comfortable. It's stretchy but squishy and loses insulation and buoyancy at depth. It really does take forever to dry.

It doesn't take THAT long to dry. I find it dries faster than my 7mm wetsuit and I don't find it uncomfortable. It is bulkier than the shell suits and more stiff but what kind of contortions are you planning on performing???

wlo93 - you said you were going to look at some this weekend. Take a look at as many as you can and if opportunity arises, try them out.

Diverlady

 

[vlada]

So which material then would tend to be more buoyant given the same insulating factor? Neoprene or the undergarments (assuming the appropriate amount of each to achieve the identical insualting factor).

Warren,

It is not the boyancy itself that you are after - it's the changes of thereof.

The problem with full and compressed neo suits is that they are loosing the boyancy with depth, forcing you to adjust.

Your undergarment, on the other hand will have constant boyancy, so in case of trilam suit of CF200, you don't have to adjust for changes of boyancy in the suit.

I have CF200 and love it for the Great Lakes diving. Currently buying the trilam suit as well - for travelling and for diving the river in the summer

I used to have the Bare CD4 and hated it - it hugely restricted my mobility

Whatever you choice is, have fun with it

Vlada

 

[Warren_L]

Hi Vlada,

Thanks for the input - I hadn't considered the change in buoyancy factor, as I'm so used to that with the wetsuit that I didn't consider that the trilam with undergarments would not behave the same way.

Were those the CF200s you and Tom wore when we went out with Big Jim? I was talking with Matt at Dan't dive shop in St. Catharines and he was selling me on them pretty hard, so I'm going to have a look at them tomorrow.

Given that this is my first drysuit and that I'm relatively new to diving, I just want something that is fairly durable and easy to get used to.