What is the best Dry suit

[scubachuk]

I am looking at purchasing a dry suit soon, and I was wondering if I could some opinions from those of you who have knowledge. I do alot of river diving in S.E. Idaho, as whell as mtn lakes. I am also a recovery diver for Bingham county. Any and all opinions would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Hoosier]

There are many personal preferences like a clothes...

My choice is DUI.......

 

[scubachuk]

What is it about DUI, that you like over other brands.

 

[jonnythan]

The best drysuit is the one that fits you the best. This usually means custom. Several companies do excellent custom drysuits.

Believe me when I say this one thing: diving a drysuit that fits well is orders of magnitude safer and easier than diving one that does not fit well. Do the drysuit right the first time and get a quality custom drysuit. It will be easier, safer, and more fun.. plus you won't have to end up buying two suits when you realize the one you have isn't perfect.

 

[Gary D.]

Hello my frozen desert neighbor to the south.

We have tried a wide variety of suits over the years. Back when we didn’t have take home cars we were in Vikings. They worked very well for recovery but being a rear entry took two people. Later when we went to issued cars we needed a change.

We tried at least a dozen brands and styles. Each company that would send us a demo we took advantage of that offer and tried it. We ended up settling on DUI TLS/350. At the present time I’m in a 50/50. I like it but it is a stiffer suit that is harder to get into. The nice thing is they are not size specific so the suits can fit a wide range of people. The biggest down side is their boots and cost.

Then DUI went way up on the cost so we tried White’s. Good suits but a bit on the puffy side. Like DUI they are not size specific. They have a much better boot and are more affordable.

So we are in the process of going back to a suit we had years ago, USIA. They are a local company, have a suit equal to everyone else and they are not size specific. They also have a great boot for climbing or walking in. They have great customer service and will talk to you all day if they need to. We can buy 2.5 custom made suits for the price of a single off the shelf DUI and are very tough suits. It looks like the USCG has just gone to them as well.

The bottom line is you need to get a suit that works for you and your team. When it come to boots a lot of people are going to say to go with the Rock Boots. Those are fine for sport but take much to long to get into for PSD work. Even though you’re on a recovery team you never know when you may be called for a rescue where speed is paramount. With a standard boot I can get on scene and be in the water in roughly three minutes. With the Rock Boots that time would be at least doubled due to two more pieces of gear to get on and laced up.

Contact USIA and see if what they have fits your needs.

Gary D.