Did 12 dives in the suit in the Channel Islands over the weekend, including one to 120'. Water temp averaged 58F, and with a set of one piece 300 Polartec underwear from TJ's SoftWear, I was comfortable temperature-wise.
There was some initial dampness on the first few dives, but I found a random spot of glue on the zipper from manufacturing that was causing the zipper seal to fail - I picked it off with my fingernail, and the zipper then sealed perfectly - the only dampness after that was the occasional leak down the back of the neck if I looked behind me by bending down and looking back between my legs. But that's probably going to happen with any suit - craning your head forward like that is just too much for the latex seal after I trimmed it. Otherwise the suit was dry. The wrist and neck seals are latex. Suspenders are standard.
The boat swimstep required kneeling to get out of the water - I noticed some light scuffing on the ballistic nylon kneepads on the suit after the weekend. The kneepads appear to be replaceable, but I might add some kevlar kneepads over them anyway.
Because of the length of the diagonal front zipper (which has a velcro flap for a zip-protector the entire length), I was only able to add a pocket on the left thigh. I added a Fifth Dimension bellows pocket, which worked nicely. I attached the pocket using E-6000 industrial glue, which held up pretty well - two of the corners have just started to peel back off the suit, but I think that was my fault for doing a rush attachment job the night before the trip. Easily fixed, and that's no fault of the suit itself. Just a bit bummed I can't add a second pocket.
The attached boots are a size 12 - which while a perfect fit for my foot wearing Polartec socks - are too large for XL JetFins, and too small for IDI Turtle fins. I settled on a pair of XL TwinJets which fit perfectly. I bought the fins in a diveshop on the way to Santa Barbara for the trip, so I didn't have time to fit any spring straps to them - what a pain it was going through the kelp with rubber fin straps. Lost count of how many times I hooked a finstrap up on the kelp. The splits are not ideal for wreck penetration with a reel, but I'll have to deal with that when the time comes. The only penetratable wrecks I dive are prepared ones anyway (Yukon & Ruby E), so it's not too big of a deal at the moment. Wish Scubapro would bring out a JetFin with the TwinJet foot pocket on it! If the boots ever need replacing I'll get them replaced with neoprene socks. Better stick those stinky turtle fins in the cupboard for a few years. I wore Halcyon gaiters with the suit on the weekend, something I didn't do in the drysuit course, and they made a very noticeable difference in the drysuit characteristics for the better. I was able to dive in an inverted position while chasing bugs without getting floaty feet, something I experienced during the course.
Apart from the kneepad scuffing and lack of space for a second pocket, I'm very happy with the suit, and would purchase it again if doing it again. Definitely keep an eye out on eBay for them - I saved $200 than buying it directly from Divers Supply. All in all not a bad front entry trilaminate drysuit for under $600!
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