Yet another drysuit thread.

[CuNanoTube]

It has come to the time in my diving career as an Ontario fresh water diver that I must come out of the cold and drive dry. I did 50 dives this spring / summer in my 7mm farmer john and I have met my tolerance for deep cold dives.
My options based on research and talking with a few shops (so far, if you know a place that has a good deal and will ship to canada / is in canada I am game as long as I keep the warranty) are:

• Bare Trilam HD Pro Dry ~$1200 before tax
• DUI CNSE same price
• Bare Nexgen with underwear ~$1200 before tax
• USIA tech flex with underwear, custom, ~$1700 before tax

I am currently a recreational diver, but I don't know what I will get into in the future, so a "future resistant" suit would be the best bet. I need some opinions on the matter.
Off topic, the USIA suit impressed me when I saw it in person, it is made out of a different material, and it has a relief zipper, though I don't know if that is necessarily a good thing.
I am hoping to have the suit in hand for my new year's dive.
Thanks for the help.

 

[TSandM]

Well, I'm going to put in my usual plug for the Fusion. I've found the suit to be incredibly durable and very easy to repair on the rare occasion when it is damaged. With the SiTech neck ring system in place, you also can avoid the second most expensive drysuit repair, which is sending the suit to a shop to get the neck seal replaced. (I'm not so hot on the wrist seal rings.) With the Tech skin, the suit retains its flexibility, remains reasonably light, dries fast enough, and has very usable pockets. It may not be the easiest suit to get in and out of, but the thing dives DRY and does it over and over again, and that's a nice quality in a dry suit. (I also really like the MK3 undergarment, which so far, is the warmest thing I've tried.)

 

[CuNanoTube]

Many of the people I have dove with have sort-of turned me away from the fusion due to their problems with bunching and limited flexibility. It is also above my price range. As the cheapest I can get it here is 2K with the sport skin I believe.

 

[Shftrdog]

I really like the BARE drysuits, you will be pleased

 

[CuNanoTube]

Does anyone have experience with USIA suits, the custom made part really interests me, but I am worried about the fact I had not heard of them before today.

 

[TSandM]

I know a couple of people who have USIA suits. They aren't very tailored, but they are inexpensive. I haven't heard of any particular problems with them.

Regarding the Fusion -- bunching, yes. Limited flexibility? Only in the Bullet skin, at least in my experience. It's the most mobile suit I've dived.

 

[CuNanoTube]

Sorry, anymore opinions out there, I am trying to make a very well informed choice considering the cost.
Also: The Fusion is not being considered due to cost reasons, I am sure it is a good suit, I just cannot afford it.

 

[oslo_lau]

sorry to tag onto this thread but I had a question about dry suits. Ive never worn one, the idea worries me. I've moved to Norway and facing cold water for the first time. Do I have to complete a course, or is it something that can be picked up through some safe training dives with one? If anyone else dives in norway - can I get away with a semi dry for short exposure - what temp do these work too. Im pretty good at not feeling the cold! I think im just looking for excuses not to wear one...

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

Shoot me a call today after 11am central time We ship to Canada and I can help you wade thru all the suits.....even if you don't want to buy from us, at least I can go over them all. There is SO much info that I could write a book for you. Give me a call and let's see where the conversation goes:cool2:

 

[CuNanoTube]

sorry to tag onto this thread but I had a question about dry suits. Ive never worn one, the idea worries me. I've moved to Norway and facing cold water for the first time. Do I have to complete a course, or is it something that can be picked up through some safe training dives with one? If anyone else dives in norway - can I get away with a semi dry for short exposure - what temp do these work too. Im pretty good at not feeling the cold! I think im just looking for excuses not to wear one...

You can just wear a semi-dry, but you will get cold. With a wetsuit there is suit compression at depth, which means your toasty 7mm will be a freezing 3.5mm at 2atm, and a frigid 2mm past 3atm (generally, it is not that precise, and the material resists compression to some degree). I can stand 25 minutes in the water with a 30m dive.
Drysuits eliminate the compression by pressurizing the suit to ambient, keeping warmth.
As for training, you could pick it up from another user with some pool time.

Now, back to topic, which suit?