crushed neoprene vs trilam membrane dry suit

[ztirfritz]

Hi to all

probably been done to death but cant find thread.

So pros and cons of the two types, kind of preferred the look of the trilam but am more into the crushed neoprene for its inherent insulation properties.

Looking into the othree suits, lloking into ordering soon, just wanted some feedback on the pro and cons.

Thanks guys

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Trilam travels much better (lighter, smaller and drys fast) than crushed, but is not as durable and requires a bit more undergarment in cold water.

 

[CPH]

The compressed is not quite as flexible. I have used BARE and Waterproof compressed neo suits but my new Scubapro EverTec is SOOOOOO much more flexible.

 

[ztirfritz]

Thanks for the feedback so far.

 

[Paco II]

I bought a compressed neo suit (Pinnacle Black Ice) a few months back as my first drysuit. Love it. I appreciate the flexibility and 'give' it has versus trilam. I also like being able to wear less undergarment. Feels really durable. Cons: bulkier than a trilam, and takes longer to dry.

 

[Camerone]

I've gone through four suits now - three trilam and one neoprene.

If you're planning on tech diving (seems like your profile claims you're registered for TDI tech courses...) you'd be much better off in the trilaminate. They're more flexible - easier to reach your valves or other equipment, lighter, and they are better able to cope with varying conditions. For instance, I wear the same trilam suit in the Florida caves (72 degree water), Puget Sound (48 degree water), and Antarctica (28 degree water). Neo suits are tighter fitting, and if you were to size for Antarctica, you'd be in something entirely inappropriate for the Florida caves, just as an example.

I also find the trilam suits are drier in the end. The neoprene failure mode seems to be "seepage", where leaks just manage to appear and water oozes in. Easy to fix with aquaseal, IF you can find it...which is the big "if." Trilam suits are much easier IMNSHO to diagnose and repair with a simple bit of aquaseal, and at worst, a bicycle tire patch kit. Frankly, in cordura, they're just as rugged as a neoprene suit as well, and have stood up for me in some pretty harsh conditions.

 

[vino21]

I've gone through four suits now - three trilam and one neoprene.

If you're planning on tech diving (seems like your profile claims you're registered for TDI tech courses...) you'd be much better off in the trilaminate. They're more flexible - easier to reach your valves or other equipment, lighter, and they are better able to cope with varying conditions. For instance, I wear the same trilam suit in the Florida caves (72 degree water), Puget Sound (48 degree water), and Antarctica (28 degree water). Neo suits are tighter fitting, and if you were to size for Antarctica, you'd be in something entirely inappropriate for the Florida caves, just as an example.

I also find the trilam suits are drier in the end. The neoprene failure mode seems to be "seepage", where leaks just manage to appear and water oozes in. Easy to fix with aquaseal, IF you can find it...which is the big "if." Trilam suits are much easier IMNSHO to diagnose and repair with a simple bit of aquaseal, and at worst, a bicycle tire patch kit. Frankly, in cordura, they're just as rugged as a neoprene suit as well, and have stood up for me in some pretty harsh conditions.

Thanks for this info. I really made my mind up in deciding between the DUI CF200X or the Santi E.space.