What dry suit to Get

[trooper925]

I am currently looking for what i hope to be my first drysuit and due to its cost my last ( ya I know ) So here is the questions. One zippers or seals? It seams to me that in the long run the cost of replacing seals could ad up so I'm leaning towards a DUI Also what boots are preferred also gloves. Do I want dry gloves ? Also I am 6'-3" and 170# according to size charts a proper fitting off the rack may be a challenge. With my wetsuits I go with a medium tall size its a little snug but its a neoprene wetsuit it should be I have not had any constraint problems down to 110 feet.And here is the last one for undergarments I have a ton of tight fitting fleece clothing for cycling that I'm thinking will work fine.A fellow diver suggested I get a diver specific undergarment because of the wrist and ankle seals on them. Any and all thoughts will be appreciated.

 

[TSandM]

Trooper, there are a lot of questions there!

First off, undergarments don't have seals. Layering fleece UGs from other sports will work, but you will pay an excessive weight penalty for doing that (purpose-made diving undergarments are generally more compact and less buoyant than multiple layers of fleece from other sources). In addition, it is EXTREMELY important to be sure that whatever undergarments you are using will remain as solid insulation when they are wet, because if there is anything certain in life beyond death and taxes, it's that a dry suit diver will eventually end up wet.

As far as seals on the suit go, it IS nice to have easily user-replaceable ones, especially if you intend to use the suit for travel at all. The SiTech NeckTite system, with the related wrist rings, are a really neat way to have quickly replaceable seals. Using those rings, you can buy anybody's seals and use them, and seals aren't very expensive. If you go with the DUI ZipSeal system, you are constrained to buy ZipSeals, and they aren't cheap. If you decide to forego rings altogether, wrist seals are not a difficult user replacement item. Neck seals are a bit more of an issue, because you need the proper form to get the suit to lie flat for gluing.

What goes on your feet depends on the suit you buy. I am a fan of attached boots or TurboSoles; I don't like the hassle of a rock boot type setup, and I really don't like having something on my feet that I can kick off and lose (and I have).

If you are diving Southern California for the most part, you may or may not want dry gloves. I prefer them; they are both warmer and easier to get on and off than wet gloves. The dexterity is no better and, depending on the gloves and liners you use, may be worse. Dry gloves are like dry suits, though; eventually, they will be wet, and wet dry gloved hands are miserable. In addition, if you do any kind of dry glove system that eschews the inner seal, a wet glove means a flooded suit.

Fit in a dry suit is very important, particularly if you are buying a laminate suit. Although you can live with a torso that is a little generous, you cannot live with one which is too small, as it will affect your mobility and that can have safety implications. Legs which are way too baggy or too long can cause air-trapping and poor venting. It is worth trying on a stock suit, if you are thinking of buying one from any manufacturer, or being extremely careful about both vendor and measurer for any custom suit. My custom suit nightmare is one of the big reasons why I dive a Whites Fusion, which is one of the only suits out there where fit isn't terribly important at all.

 

[al248005]

Trooper, I am the same build as you. I'm 6'2 175 and I went to the DUI Demo Days where I tried on the suits and learned a lot about them. I would recommend going to one just so you can test dive the suit to see if its what you want. It was only 10 bucks a ticket for unlimited dives in them. They have all of their suits there in most of the sizes. The staff there is very knowledgeable. They can even measure you up there. Getting back to the fit. I fit fine in a stock large with room to spare. If you are interested in attending a date, check out here for the schedule: 2012 DUI Demo Tour Participating Rally Dealers . The event was very well run and worth every bit of the $10 in my opinion

PS- Also for attending they give you special offers/discounts on drysuits if you purchase one within I think 60 or 90 days after the event. I can't remember the exact offer last year but there was two of them and you can use one and they both were very nice offers.

 

[Ouvea]

It's a difficult question to answer, because so much of what we purchase is based on "personal" preference. All manufacturers make quality suits. Some have features that you may prefer over others. As far as the fit of the suit, please look at this website from DIR Explorers. This will give you the basics of how a suit should fit. A drysuit that ill fits you is dangerous!!! Do not compromise in this area or you will end up buying another that fits correctly (hence waste your hard earned cash). Take it from a fellow cyclist, our winter apparel does not provide the insulation for cold water diving (45-60 degrees). Your Craft, Pearl Izumi or Assos baselayer will work fine at moving moisture away from your skin.

Ask yourself a few questions and it will narrow your choice.

1. Do I want a self donning drysuit (useful if you solo dive)?
2. Do I want removable seals (seems like a very good idea to me and is probably cheaper than sending off your suit to have seals replaced)?
3. Do I want dry-gloves (if you're like me that used 7mm gloves and still froze, then of course you do)?
4. Do I want to go with attached or removable boots (I think you have better choices with removable boots and most appear to have harder soles than their attached counterparts)?
5. Do I need something extremely rugged because the dive environment can easily damage the suit?

If you're interested in a couple of specific models, we can probably give you feedback on what some of us have used. I'm with TSandM in the choice of drysuit and currently use a Whites Fusion (Sport Skin). It's as streamlined as my wetsuit, is super easy to don/doff, has user replaceable seals, provides easy/unrestricted mobility and is super light weight.

 

[hoopa]

Bare SB system dry suit... BOOMMMM.. oh no i didnt-- ohhh yes i did

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

The Bare SB System seams like a nice suit because of stretch but the down side is that you can't attach pockets to the suit and i personanlly don't care for a rock boot style system or their bulkier attched boots.

I do a lot of North East wreck diving and my preference is the E.Lite Drysuit by Santi rip-stop nylon material, awesome pockets and Flex-Sole boots rock. This is by far the best drysuit that I have ever owned. If I wasn't diving my E. Lite, then I would be in an ESPACE Drysuit by Santi. Great suit for travel because it's light, trilaminate material is awesome w/Amazing flexibility and of course Flex-Sole boots.

 

[ddmattos]

The Santi E-Lite is an awesome suit. I choose this suit over the DUI Flx-Extreme and Whites Bullet fusion. The construction is rock solid.

As for undergarments, please get the one's made for drysuits. I use the Fourth Element system (DryBAse, Zerotherm, and Arctic). You need materials that will keep the moisture your body creates away from your skin to keep you warm. They also work wet just in case. Proper undergarments are not cheap but if you wash them with very - very little detergent on gentle cycle with a 2nd rinse, they will last you extremely long time.

 

[didi440]

I have a custom DUI FLX. I use the 4th element undergarments. These are made for diving and are compact and keep me warm if they get wet. It's what works for me in our frosty NY waters off Long Island. I will dive dry most of the year here. My wet suits are used either in the pool training or on trips. When you dive a dry suit, sooner or later, it will flood or leak because of a seal or operator error.

 

[Hollywoodivers]

Get the new flx extreme DUi I love it..yes I am biased. I own a dive shop. I wear a DUI TLS 350 and have for years. Whatever brand, make darn sure the one you buy fits well. If you buy the wrong size, you are going to HATE diving dry.
I am 6 feet tall and weigh as heavy as 185 lbs...I wear a stock medium size with large turbo sole boots. I wear a size 11 nike shoe. Halcyon Pee valve works like a charm. Finally being able to change out the neck and wrist seals on the fly during a day of diving is the key to loving your drysuit in the worst of times, when a seal breaks and threatens to ruin your diving. Look into that. Good Luck

 

[udi]

You will see some very good reviews of DUI suits, along with some extremely poor ones regarding their fit, quality and customer service. All in all they seem to be very hit or miss and overpriced considering the high quality of the competition, do take this into account. Good luck !