what drysuit would you choose

[Dive Right In Scuba]

Another bonus to external boots is that you can, to a certain extent, size the boot to match the fin.

Can you Fusion owners comment on how easy it is to layer with the fusion? I dive cold water and chill very easily, so I'd REALLY like to pack in something like a weezle in there (so for any drysuit I'd normally go the larger if I'm in-between). OTOH the same drysuit would be used to dive Florida springs with little underwear. It seems to me that the design of the Fusion should be able to handle both?

Handles it EASY....and the suit always looks like a custom suit regardless of the undergarment. I have gone from a lightweight undergarment to full blown ice diving gear, and the same suit fits like a champ and is still more flexible than other suits I have worn with the same undergarments.

Also for boots, they have the best boot system out. You can do either an attached boot or unvelcro it and use a rock boot

http://www.diverightinscuba.com/catalog/fusion-boot-upgrade-repair-p-2631.html

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Another bonus to external boots is that you can, to a certain extent, size the boot to match the fin.

Can you Fusion owners comment on how easy it is to layer with the fusion? I dive cold water and chill very easily, so I'd REALLY like to pack in something like a weezle in there (so for any drysuit I'd normally go the larger if I'm in-between). OTOH the same drysuit would be used to dive Florida springs with little underwear. It seems to me that the design of the Fusion should be able to handle both?

While Mike is correct that a Fusion will accommodate a bulkier undergarment, a Weezle isn't the optimal choice for that suit. The reason is because the Weezle is so easily compressed, which the Fusion will do because of its design ... reducing loft and making the undergarment less warm than it should be.

A MK3 or 400G thinsulate undergarment is a better choice for the Fusion in very cold conditions.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Peter_C]

Can you Fusion owners comment on how easy it is to layer with the fusion? I dive cold water and chill very easily,

What is cold water to you?

We dive 46+ degree water with a max of around 52 degrees. I use a fleece base layer (Sweatshirt, pants, and really thick socks), with a DUI 400g jumpsuit/400g booties. I would get either the Whites MK3 or DUI 450g today for better flexibility.

 

[zamburinha]

It boils down to personal preference.

Built-in boots are more convenient, because you slip into the suit and you're done. With rock boots you have another pair of items to don once you're in your suit ... not to mention you have to remember to bring them with you when you pack.

The advantage of rock boots is that you can "customize" the style of boot to suit your needs. Basically any boot that will fit over the neoprene socks installed on the suit will do. Some people use regular rock boots like these. Others use wetsuit booties like these. And many will choose some sort of inexpensive cloth sneaker like these. So the biggest advantage, really, is your ability to choose the style and price range that suits your needs. And when they wear out, you simply purchase a new pair, rather than having to send your suit in for an expensive boot replacement.

Oh ... and there's way more different styles of built-in booties out there than turbo-soles ... which are, essentially, neoprene socks with hard soles glued on the bottom. There are advantages and disadvantages to turbo-sole type styles ... the biggest advantage being better performance for "finesse" kicking, and the disadvantage being they don't offer much support when walking around in your gear ... nor do they tend to wear as well as most other options (either standard built-in boots or rock boots).

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Thanks, that makes sense. I like the idea of all built in and no "extra" shoes to worry about. On the other hand I have found that rocky shore entries with doubles are pretty hard on the soles of my feet and I appreciate some ankle support as well. And yet, I twice tried rockboots on a rental suit and they made my kicks more clumsy and it felt weird. That suggestion of a sock with some sturdy wetsuit booties on top makes a lot of sense, then I can use soft light booties for boat dives and sturdier ones for shores.

Deciding on a drysuit when you have very little experience with one is really difficult ... and most of us can't afford to go through a few and eventually settle in the ideal solution

Another question. When I dive in a wetsuit, I always have the pockets on neoprene shorts that I wear on top of the wetsuit. I like this arrangement because it means I keep my "pocket gear" all together and don't have to move things around if I change exposure suit. Would this work with a drysuit? Any reason not to use loose neoprene shorts with pockets on top of the wetsuit? Do people do this?

 

[TSandM]

I use X-shorts over my Fusion. It works fine, although it's one more thing to remember.

I won't use any kind of rock boot system again, after kicking off a boot (and the fin attached to it) 1000 feet back in a cave. Footgear stays attached to the suit, thank you.

 

[zamburinha]

I use X-shorts over my Fusion. It works fine, although it's one more thing to remember.

I won't use any kind of rock boot system again, after kicking off a boot (and the fin attached to it) 1000 feet back in a cave. Footgear stays attached to the suit, thank you.

Hmmmm, that is a good reason not to use a rock boot. I can't imagine that being too fun. Where you able to get the boot/fin back on? Is that a common problem? I know when I tried the rental drysuit with the rock boots, my left foot slip partially out of the boot and made it extremely difficult to fin, which eventually led to a calf cramp which in turn led to me surfacing uncontrollably (from 5 m in a lake, so no real danger). At the time I attributed it to inexperience with the suit and also to some size problem (suit too tall for me). Your experience gives a different perspective on that incident.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I use X-shorts over my Fusion. It works fine, although it's one more thing to remember.

I won't use any kind of rock boot system again, after kicking off a boot (and the fin attached to it) 1000 feet back in a cave. Footgear stays attached to the suit, thank you.

Hmmmm, that is a good reason not to use a rock boot. I can't imagine that being too fun. Where you able to get the boot/fin back on? Is that a common problem? I know when I tried the rental drysuit with the rock boots, my left foot slip partially out of the boot and made it extremely difficult to fin, which eventually led to a calf cramp which in turn led to me surfacing uncontrollably (from 5 m in a lake, so no real danger). At the time I attributed it to inexperience with the suit and also to some size problem (suit too tall for me). Your experience gives a different perspective on that incident.

Depends on the type of boot you choose. I can't see that happening with wetsuit booties ... particularly not the ones I linked to in my previous reply ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Garth]

White fusion for sure

Have you ever seen someone put on one of these. Doesn't look easy to me.

Most important is fit probably and comfort.

 

[Crush]

I would warn very strongly against a custom suit, unless there is no other way to get one that works. Custom suits are great if you're lucky, and a nightmare if you're not, and they are VERY expensive.

I chose a custom tailored suit (TLS 350 Signature) and I must be one of the lucky ones.

To begin, I concede Thal's point that, having spent the big $$$, a customer is likely to try to convince themselves (and others) that they were not foolish for spending so much money, therefore the purchased item must be excellent.

However, in my case getting a custom suit made financial sense within the constraints of what I wanted to purchase. I stated my pricing with a base-model TLS 350 - not cheap. I then began to add reinforced knee pads (for west-coast shore entries and exits), a comfort zipper (I was too scared to go with a pee valve at the time), and bellows pockets. I soon realized that the price difference between a base-model 350 plus these options was very close to a TLS-350 Signature, i.e., a custom-tailored suit which would allow me up to three options for "free." Since my proportions are a bit off standard sizing charts (medium here, large there, XL elsewhere) I opted for the custom.

In hindsight, the only thing that I would change is that I might not opt for a "comfort zipper" since the diagonal front entry zip on the 350 makes it easy enough for a male to relieve himself without completely removing the suit, and the zip introduces an additional expense and potential failure point.

BTW, Whites suits are made in Canada, in case this is important to you.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

Have you ever seen someone put on one of these. Doesn't look easy to me.

Most important is fit probably and comfort.

It is really easy. This vid is a couple years old. I can fully get into a fusion with undergarment boots and everything in about a minute without even rushing. Once you put it on a few times, and have someone properly show you how to do it, it is very easy...