30 replies to this topic

[TCdamsel]

I'm getting ready to buy a drysuit.

I will be using it for water temps between 60 and 78. I'm inclined to go with a trilaminate and get a fitted undergarment vs a crushed neoprene type suit, because it seems to me that the former would be lighter to travel with, would dry faster, and would require less weight on my belt. I'll probably have to get a custom fit since I have big feet, am tall and thin, and not too many curves.

DUI is a great option, but there are so many to choose from and I can't really tell the differences. White's is out of the question because I'm not buying any Canadian products right now, though they do make a great product. Does anyone have any experience with the Bare SB system drysuit? It is getting a lot of buzz this year.

So my question for y'all is: what do you own? Do you like it? Why do you like it? What type diving do you do?

Thanks for your feedback!

[peterbj7]

I have several drysuits, though I now rarely use them as I'm in Belize. But when I'm in the UK I use my O3 crushed neoprene. Bullet proof (possibly literally as it's covered with Kevlar) but very heavy, and I couldn't dream of flying with it these days. One I travel with when I'm going to be diving cold, eg. Alaska, is a trilaminate made by Oceanic. Works well, but shares with all trilaminates a problem of weeping at certain stressed seams, purely beause it's stretchy and the seams can't fully cope. But it's OK. Under either I use a medium weight Polartech inner suit, and under that nothing (or as little as possible). I've had several DUI suits but couldn't get on with any of them and sold them.

What's up with not buying Canadian products? Sounds a bit extreme.

Edited by peterbj7, 11 April 2012 - 12:12 AM.

[grim reefer]

I have a DUI TLS350. It packs light, dries quickly, and was a very good suit for 4 years. In the 5th year it has started to have some problems (most are my fault for not properly maintaining). I'm having the zipper replaced right now.

[MNJoe]

I have a DUI CLX 450. I am told the 350 will stretch just slightly, making it easier put on and off. The 450 is slightly heavier than the 350, but much lighter than a neoprene. Yes, neoprene is heavy and takes longer to dry. I have heard the argument that if your neoprene drysuit leaks you still have a wet suit, but in my opinion it certainly isn't going to fit tight enough to work like a wet suit. I chose DUI because I was able to try out their products at DUI Dog Days. I was able to try a Whites when a Dive Shop did their own demo type of thing, but they only had the cheaper version of Whites. They were supposed to have their better one available, but someone at their shop was using that day? Anyway, with knowing what DUI porducts were like and how they fit, I was able to buy a unused Demo suit off EBay for a very reasonable price. DUI actually made me a new suit for the price of the demo because I wanted to add turbo soles, zip wrist and neck seals, pockets and a pee valve, so it was easier for them to just make a new suit, than to add so many options to an all ready existing one. Hind sight, I would go with rock boots, my poor feet are getting old and they need support the Turbo Soles don't have. The Turbo Soles fit into my Jet Fins, the Rock Boots did not.

I dive the suit in conditions ranging from Ice Diving to water as warm as the high 60's. Lake Superior, Pugent Sound and some local Minnesota/Wisconsin Lakes.

On a side note, I would still rather be warm water diving in minimal gear and thermal protection, but the drysuit allows me to be comfortable when diving locally.

Keith aka MNJoe

[WreckWench]

Ellen I dive a crushed neoprene and hand carry without issue all over the world. The advs of a high quality crushed neoprene is it feels like a wetsuit in the neck and sleeves and it provides enough thermal protection in many instances so you do not need add'l thermals underneath it. If you have a flood it still has bouyancy characteristics. The steel backplate you have will ensure you have less weight on your belt. The neck seal if you get neoprene seals feels like a turtleneck sweater vs a rubber band.

If you go tri laminnate keep in mind the ONLY thermal properties will be from the undergarments you wear. So expect to wear a lot of undergarments in order to be warm. Keep in mind DRY is an element of warmth and you will be DRY but you need undergarments to stay warm.

You should also consider the White's suits. They are form fitting and can often give you a custom fit for an off the shelf price. And while price is not as critical for some...its nice to know you don't have to go custom if you decide you don't like it and want to sell it down the road. White's also has some great ladie's options and some great colorful options.

The best news is that both White's and DUI are partners with SD so we can help you with either brand you opt for. I also have a partnership with the manufacturer of my suit which is High Tide. Trust me...I KNOW COLD and I KNOW HOW TO AVOID IT!!!

[peterbj7]

O3 are (I believe) unique in that they offer a bespoke tailoring service, or they used to. I had three fittings during the construction of my suit. They told me mine would be last of the line as their sewing machines had broken so many needles sewing the fabric, which was heavy duty crushed neoprene covered on the outside with Kevlar and on the inside with furry lining. The fabric was just over 3mm thick after compression, and the suit weighs a ton. But for diving the wrecks around Britain it's perfect - it's impossible to conceive of any edge jagged enough to damage the suit. It has of course neoprene seals, not those nasty latex ones that are both uncomfortable and the weakest point of the suit. Now if they'd thought to tighten the dumps before delivery instead of just enclosing a note reminding me to "check" them my first dive in the suit, a 2.5 hour 80 mtr rebreather dive, would have been pleasantly dry (as all subsequent dives have been) instead of my becoming totally waterlogged with English Channel before I ever got to the bottom.

Later on I'll tell the males amongst us of what happened to a friend of mine on another long deep dive in particularly cold water when he had a "pee valve" malfunction. Or rather a pee valve interface malfunction (not that his face had anything to do with it). An unpleasant experience for everyone concerned, which was everyone on the boat, a North Atlantic liveaboard with several days to run.

[Jerrymxz]

I have a Whites that I love. I dive it from 70 deg down to 40 deg as of now. I haven't tried it in water any colder than that. The wrinkled inner suit makes it very flexible but form fitting at the same time. My other dry suit is an old O’Neil 7mm neoprene suit. It has horrible buoyancy characteristics. It takes a ton of lead to sink it at the surface but once submerged you have to add a lot of air to offset the crush of the neoprene.

[TCdamsel]

What's up with not buying Canadian products? Sounds a bit extreme.

Fair question, Peter! I'm one of those card carrying PETA freaks and I'm generally boycotting Canada right now until the seal hunting stops. Officially, the boycott is on Canadian seafood, so yes, boycotting scuba gear can be considered extreme. This probably isn't the place to make a political statement. I'm open to a White's Fusion if it makes sense.

I'm confused, though about the Fusions. DUI makes it pretty clear on their site which of their suits are neoprene and which are laminate. I can't tell with the White's suits.

How much does your suit weigh, Kamala?

I have a Whites that I love.

Can you tell me more about that suit Jerry?

Thanks for the responses!

[Jerrymxz]

I'll do my best; the White's is a two piece design. The inner suit is a thin high tech plastic bag that would be too big if it were not for the outer skin of either a lycra or high stretch thin neoprene depending on the model of suit. The outer is only attached at the wrists, neck, zipper and ankles. This allows the inner suit to move like a suit that is too big but it is kept streamlined by the outer suit. The inner is wrinkled like a Sharpea’ (the dog). With mid level underwear on it has more flexibility than my 3mil wet suit. I can get to my valves on my doubles easier. I did a demo dive in one while living in NC and fell in love with it. I dive dry from 70deg on down. I have no need what so ever for 7mm neoprene. I hope this helps.

[TCdamsel]

I'll do my best; the White's is a two piece design. The inner suit is a thin high tech plastic bag that would be too big if it were not for the outer skin of either a lycra or high stretch thin neoprene depending on the model of suit. The outer is only attached at the wrists, neck, zipper and ankles. This allows the inner suit to move like a suit that is too big but it is kept streamlined by the outer suit. The inner is wrinkled like a Sharpea’ (the dog). With mid level underwear on it has more flexibility than my 3mil wet suit. I can get to my valves on my doubles easier. I did a demo dive in one while living in NC and fell in love with it. I dive dry from 70deg on down. I have no need what so ever for 7mm neoprene. I hope this helps.

So Jerry, is it a Fusion Sport or Tech or is it a Legacy Catalyst and what is the difference?

[georoc01]

As someone who can't purchase off the rack, I found a used custom DUI suit that was just my size. Needed a new zipper, but other than that has been great!

[lv2dive70]

I have a White's that has been sitting in my garage to be posted for sale on Scubaboard since I got my DUI I guess about 9 months ago. So you can guess where this is going My thoughts - and YMMV:

I personally hated the process to get the White's on and off, I found the garbage bag innards to be a PIA. For the size I needed, I ended up with a lot of extra garbage bag material which led to my second issue - I found it hard to control the gas in the whites bc it gets trapped in all the extra plastic.

Even so, I had no intention of buying a drysuit when I went to a DOG days demo and tried a TLS... unfortunately I quite simply fell in love. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the buoyancy characteristics of the TLS. I can easily control the gas in various undergarments (still working on perfecting it with 400G Thinsulate, but that is another story). Anyways,,, I made the best decision I knew to make at the time and I don't regret it - re the DUI, I got a great deal on a special edition suit and now I know exactly what want. But,,, all that being said... I rarely have a dry dive in my TLS350. From what I understand, the quality in the TLS's has gone down in the past few years. So I would not recommend that you purchase a TLS350. HOWEVER - every person I know that dives the FLX Extreme (and I know several) LOVES it. It's a little heavier than the TLS350 but you gain a lot in terms of durability. I will be buying yet another drysuit as soon as I lose another 20 lbs and it will be a FLX Extreme. Zip seals on the wrists - maybe - neck - no. Explorer pockets are a must, as is a p-valve.

Again, this is MY opinion, others have different ones, YMMV!

[grim reefer]

I agree 100% with everything Kate said. The cut and buoyancy characteristics of the TLS350 make it an absolute pleasure to dive in cool water (50-80). Just select the right undergarment and the suit basically dives itself. Quite a few people have had problems with the TLS 350 leaking. Mine never leaked until this past November (by coincidence the 4 year anniversary of buying it). It seems to be deteriorating quite a bit recently and will be relegated to be my backup suit as soon as I can afford a more durable suit with all the fixings that I require. Zip seals on the wrist are fine if you don't use dry gloves. I would not get a zip seal on the neck.

[MNJoe]

Sorry to hear that some people are having issues with their TLS 350. I have had my CLX 450 for roughly 4 years, only got a little wet once at the purge valve.

I am not trying to hijack this thread, thought this might add to it.

I have the Zip Neck Seal and I like the fact that if I am on a trip and my neck seal tears I can replace it. What is it that people don't like about the Zip Seal on the neck?

[shadragon]

Viking 1000 made of Vulcanized rubber (Seen in my photo to the left). Perfect for my old stomping grounds in the fish poo and freezing silt laden waters of Bay of Fundy. It is the same suit worn by people who work in sewage plants and contaminated areas.

The choice of a dry suit will depend on where you are going to use it and in what environmental climate. Plus, personal preference, of course. I believe there are female versions available which would fit a heck of a lot better. If I were to replace my Viking today I would go with a form fitting Whites brand.