Thoughts on boots??

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DiveJedi

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So boots have long been a discussion with Whites....and most recently the Fusion has created more controversy....

Here's what I am interested in:

What are people wearing on their feet with the Fusion? Or other suits in general? Turbo Soles? wet boots? Evo II's or Altera's? Is there something we should be making instead?

What about Vulcanizerd boots for the Fusion? Would you pay more money to get Vulcanized boots on your Fusion??

Thoughts?

Tyler
 
personally I would go with the EVO boots. I like the hard bottom type boots, as far as the vulcanized boots go how much more would you have to pay verses getting the EVO boots.

tradewinddiver
 
That's a good question - as it stands now you have to change the order to a made to order - which adds $200 plus $140 for the boots (full MSRP)...and a 3-4 week wait.

I think what I am interested in is - In your perfect world what kind of boots would you have?? Would your perfect world boots be Evo's? would they be something different?

Tyler
 
I am fond of the EVO's & the Altera's, but what I would do to make it my perfect boot would be to do away with the laces all together and just have a couple of velcro straps insted of the laces & have the hard bottom. I have not used the Altera's but from the picture the whole looks to be a bit small and could be difficult to get on. My perfect boot could open up more like the EVO when you pull the strings back
 
Short version: I'm wearing Alteras with the Fusion and I pretty much like them.

My prior dry suits I've had attached vulcanized boots, Rock boots, Converse All-Stars, and wet boots.

My last suit was a CF200, which didn't have attached boots. I tried Rock boots with it (sole too wide for overall volume), and All-Stars (loved the secure feeling on the foot, but a PITA to get into). I eventually went to just wearing regular wet suit booties, great flexibility and fit.

So when I got the Fusion, I tried wet suit booties. Mistake - when you have lots of insulation under a bigger bootie, the fabric on the Fusion is slippery enough that they would slip off easily.

So I tried the Evo's and the Alteras. The Alteras are easy to get into and the fit into fins is really good. The downside is they don't feel as solid as I'd like at the top of the ankle, but despite this, they haven't tried to pop off either.

The Evo's do feel solid for me, but are way slower to put on. So, since I really hadn't had a problem with the Alteras, I went with convenience.

Vulcanized boots are great, but my prior experience was having to send the suit back to get the next-larger size installed when the chart-indicated size was way off. Once I did have the right size, they were warm and comfy and convenient. It was such a PITA to get them right, though.

Everyone's different. Some I'm sure would love to have vulcanized boots attached, and so would I if all I used the suit in was a single temperature water.

However I'm finding the Fusion to be far more versatile than I expected. I've spent a lot of time in warm water with it, and it's great when using a thin polypropylene sock under the suit and just pulling on my regular wet suit booties. Without all the cold water insulation this is very secure and seamless when transitioning between a 3mil wetsuit and the Fusion - same booties, fins, etc.

So, I'm not willing to give up the versatility I have now, by switching to attached vulcanized boots. Others that don't use the suit in such a varied way might opt for it.

Whew! Lots of talk there, I realized I didn't really come to a conclusion, but <shrugs> that's my experience so far. Versatility or convenience? Hmmm.


All the best, James
 
Here is the feedback I am getting...

Divers are split on the boots, down the middle. Half want EVO's, the others want Altera.

Lately, a couple of the new owners of the Fusion are going back to their wetsuit booties. They told me it keeps their feet warmer. The extra neoprene around their foot and ankle is making a difference this time of year. They told me that they are losing the support and sole of the boot. So, they are making tradeoffs. I suggested they put the neoprene 3mm on the outside of their drysuit...they complain it is an extra step.

There has only been 2 people to do this, so it isn't a huge deal. But, what if a thin (1mm) was built into the suit foot, or into the boot?

Random thoughts for your R&D department.
 
I bought the Alteras since I've always found EVO type boots to be a pain. My other drysuit has vulcanized boots. I like them a lot but the pitfalls are what Fdog mentioned. The other negative is having to replace them.

I love the ease of the Alteras but I don't feel secure in them with the bungee. Maybe it's all in my head.

The velcro idea sounds like a good concept.

I tried wearing just a polypropylene sock under the suit and Alteras. I don't know if I had a crease from the suit or a bad case of boot/suit squeeze but the top of my foot was killing me after ten minutes of finning around.

I don't think I would pay $340 for vulcanized boots.
 
Hey, here a little word from Belgium...Antwerp...
We have here a lot of stones and sharp shell´s on the boarder of the water...
For that kind of work, the EVO3 boots are really super!!!
We have also to walk quite a distance to most of the diving places....
For that kind of work, the EVO3 boots are really super!!!
U few friends of me who have other dry-suits then me (Catalyst 360) - have bought EVO3 boots instead of the boots of other brands, because the REVO3 boots are really "heavy duty boots".
They just fit and walk great...

Grtz

:14::wink:
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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