Anti-Hero
Contributor
Uncomfortable, thick, ill-fitting, Viking butyl rubber.
drysuits
- Thread starter Serdin
- Start date
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To answer your question Serdin and do my best to avoid a debate on the best suits to work in, I have two Vikings, a BARE, a Whites HAZMAT, a Whites Fusions and a crushed neoprene and a normal neoprene drysuit. We dive Viking anytime we work, but I dive whatever when 'play' diving. If you work in a Viking, it is not a big adjustment for you to jump into a Fusion to play. The only downside is after a few recreational dives, you'll put your good ol durable Viking on to work and it'll feel as flexible as a suit of armour
My team had a mix matched bunch of suits for a long time. We did some reseach and ended up going with Whites.
I use a viking for all PSD diving all year round. I have a Whites SAR with neoprene neck and wrists which I use for personal. Unless you are diving in really nasty stuff any of the USIA, DUI laminate suits will work as long as you are fully encapsulated with a hood and gloves so no water or nasty stuff in the water touches you. The tri-lams are more flexible than the vulcanized rubber but it repairs very quickly and feels very protective. I am very comfortable and like diving with my Viking. Hope this helps.
Good Luck,
Mark D.
Good Luck,
Mark D.
For PSD the team uses the viking - its necessary for the work (as is other rubber types - Gates & Whites) but I hate using it for sport diving -- I find it too cumbersome, heavy, limited mobility and I also don't really care for dry hoods (I find wet hoods more comfortable - especially with the half mask.
Would wear nothing else for PSD except the vulcanized rubber - we never know what contaminates we're going to get into (body fluids, vehicle fluids, herbicides, run-off etc etc). The trilams fit great but swim through 1 small fuel slick and the $2500 suit is garbage - you can't decon them properly.
Sports suits I use. All are trilams, front zip. I have 2 bare nex-gen which are still in good shape but rarely use (they're more loaners for friends). The fit is only average for me.
use a DUI 350 for a back-up suit - very comfortable but a little on the thin side and don't much like the turbo soles
Primary suit is the Diving Concepts Flex-pro. Absolutely love this suit. Got it with the cuff dump and they are built a bit thickier than the DUI with better boots.
Have had a neoprene suit -- hate them; rather use a viking
I also agree that back zips are more comfortable to wear (and easier on the zip) but the front zip does allow you to get it on yourself. Not sure why this is important as theres always somebody around to pull a zipper...
Front zips also get trashed easier.
If I was starting over everything would be back zip
I dive lots with both suits (viking and DC) so moving back and forth isn't a problem for me. They're all dry suits anyway - kind of like choosing a T-shirt or a sweater
Would wear nothing else for PSD except the vulcanized rubber - we never know what contaminates we're going to get into (body fluids, vehicle fluids, herbicides, run-off etc etc). The trilams fit great but swim through 1 small fuel slick and the $2500 suit is garbage - you can't decon them properly.
Sports suits I use. All are trilams, front zip. I have 2 bare nex-gen which are still in good shape but rarely use (they're more loaners for friends). The fit is only average for me.
use a DUI 350 for a back-up suit - very comfortable but a little on the thin side and don't much like the turbo soles
Primary suit is the Diving Concepts Flex-pro. Absolutely love this suit. Got it with the cuff dump and they are built a bit thickier than the DUI with better boots.
Have had a neoprene suit -- hate them; rather use a viking
I also agree that back zips are more comfortable to wear (and easier on the zip) but the front zip does allow you to get it on yourself. Not sure why this is important as theres always somebody around to pull a zipper...
Front zips also get trashed easier.
If I was starting over everything would be back zip
I dive lots with both suits (viking and DC) so moving back and forth isn't a problem for me. They're all dry suits anyway - kind of like choosing a T-shirt or a sweater
vablackwater
Contributor
Another fan of Vikings (Pro 1000) in terms of permeability, abrasion resistance and decon here. For fun dives, I love my Viking Extreme Front Entry (and have responded with it as well). Never had to, but understand a Viking is easier to patch in the field over non vulcanized suits. Having suits in the same product line allows me to interchange between team versus personal gear with the same inflator hoses (standard inflators and vikings don't play well together).
Most of my fun diving is in the same areas we respond too.
Most of my fun diving is in the same areas we respond too.
Yotsie
Contributor
We went from Viking 1050's to the DUI 1050's both in rubber. We learn the DUI TLS350 PS suit can easliy be decon'd too. We are now in the process of switching the Team to the TLS350s.
I've heard this claim Yotsie but I can't see how. Any fabric or material with woven fibres on the outside (pretty much all trilams I've ever seen) will trap and hide contaminates - which is why we use the vulcanized rubber. Seems like a logical argument to me but am I missing something here?
Scubamedicjoe
Contributor
our team uses the DUI TLS350s. which can be decomtaminated for that matter almost all can be deconed, we also have two whites to be honest we use our DUI more.
I'm curious, how can you decon the fabric surface?
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