Twenty-two minutes of humility

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It's just an inherent problem in the design of the suit. If you want to make 3 sizes that fit everybody, you're gonna have a suit that is the perfect size for 3 people, and varying levels of compromise for the other 97% of people. The problem in all of that excess designed for someone bigger has to go somewhere. The outer skin does a great job at streamlining the profile that sees drag, but does nothing for all of those potential air traps that comes with the excess material inherent to the trash bag suit design.

You're just going to have to be extremely judicious in flopping around to move all of that excess air to a position where it's able to be vented. It's just a fact that they are really good at trapping air, which equates to really poor performance if the suit is in any way too large, which they all are, unless you're one of those 3 people that perfectly fit in the thing. Unfortunately, there's really no way to minimize the amount of excess material in the suit. You could try and pay someone to cut out the excess, but then you're playing with fire when it comes to potential leaks.

What was it about a telescopic torso that you didn't like? Did you get to try any of the suit styles before your purchase? I find a lot of people buy Fusions because dive shops use them for rental suits. Instead of having to stock a wide variety of suits that fit, they only have to stock a couple sizes that mostly don't fit, but most people renting drysuits don't really know any better. A lot of those people then end up buying them when they finally decide to bit the bullet because it's the only thing they're familiar with. They don't realize the low price is a reflection of a number of compromises with the suit design.

Just a few counterpoints:

1. I agree that the core of the fusion suits are cut very big....and I dive one that is a size larger than I currently need (I bought a 2xl/3xl when I weighed 240lbs and now weigh @ 188lbs). I took the skin off mine to hunt for a leak before shipping it off for warranty replacement and the core is cut huge....

...However I don't find my suit traps air at all and I have not experienced any negative impact on my buoyancy management.

2. I find that the skin keeping the core streamlined slows the movement of the air bubble in the suit allowing me to be able to feel the bubble move slowly across my shoulders or down my back and legs. This allows me time to react and change body position to manage my spatial orientation and comfort in the water.

3. My wife has tried a tri-laminate suite and now has a custom made neoprene drysuit...the air bubble in her suit moves quite fast making the learning curve to control it steeper.

I believe the flapping around the OP mentioned is part of the normal learning curve of figuring out how to dive a drysuit. I don't believe this would initially be any different if she had a different style suit...but I firmly believe the way the Fusion is designed that it should help cut the time before she is able to dive her drysuit proficiently.

4. Fusion drysuits are far from "low price"...They do offer a nice set of features at a competitive price. I think they are well designed for folk who are not sure what kind of fit they want/need. Fusion suits can be one's first and last suit or they could be a stepping stone to figuring out what one wants in their next suit. The great thing about the Fusion suits is that one does not need to be uncomfortably snug or have lots of extra room and air to manage if their off the rack suit does not fit properly.

5. The fusion suits are designed to be adaptable to changing body morphology. Had I purchased a different suit back when I weighed 240lbs, I would be suffering on every dive now that my body size has changed. While I could use a smaller suit, my Fusion suit still works great...and will adapt to my body should my morphology shift in the other direction.

6. There is no one best suit on the market. What is ideal for one diver can be the pits for the next.

If I could go back in time to repurchase my very 1st diving drysuit, I would buy a Fusion again. Would I buy one for my second diving drysuit? Depends on how the suits I try on fit when that time comes.

-Z
 
Using diluted/undiluted baby shampoo will not cause a problem with the seals.

I use unscented baby/talcum powder. I filled an old dress sock that was missing its pair and knotted to make a dabber. I keep it in ziplock sandwich bag in my save-a-dive kit along with an extra set of neck and wrist seals. I liberally dab/ the sock to apply the powder to my neck seal and wrist seals before donning my suit.

I have never had a problem removing my suit but some folks have written that they prefer products like water based lubricant or baby shampoo instead of powder as they tend to be present through the end of the dive facilitating removing hands from the seals. For me the powder works well enough...but I recommend that you experiment and use whatever works best for you.

-Z
I like the sock applicator! I'm going to appropriate your idea. Thanks!
 
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So we went by the LDS to get more weights and while there we ordered the MK2 undergarments and a set of backup seals. Looked at fins but the owner recommended I try ankle weights first. He also suggested looking at a lip shield when I mentioned my face was cold.
 
Gaiters were a game changer for me when I had a Hollis suit. Just remember to put them on so the material is on the BACK of your calves, not the front like a shin guard. I would try that over ankle weights.
 
Ankle weights are a poor substitute for proper gear and technique. Barring some sort of physical ailment, you should definitely be able to get it sorted out without having to resort to ankle weights. If using proper negative fins doesn't work, and you're still trapping air in your feet, get a set of gaiters. What you don't want to do is add weight that if lost will screw with you in awkward ways, adds excess weight that will cause fatigue when you swim, only works in one trim position, more weight to climb a ladder with, etc. I'm not saying they never have a place, they should just be the last option, not the first.
 
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I think the advise for the ankle weights was to avoid another fin purchase since he knows I like my Mares. He was willing to loan me a pair of negative fins but the foot pockets were all too large on the pairs he has, even the ones for sale. It wasn’t as a solution for air trapping.

I want to try one more time without gaiters and more properly weighted. Then will wrap lower legs with ace bandages (i think it was Akimbo that suggested this option when I first started this process months ago) and see how my diving and trim differs. Then make/purchase gaiters if needed.
 
Rather than ACE bandages as a temporary gaiter, have you considered using transparent slightly stretchy tape that hockey players use on the outside of their socks to keep shinpads in place?
 
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Is there a fin somewhere between my light Mares and the very heavy traditional drysuit fins? I don’t need a large foot pocket.
I was going to suggest deep6 but the foot pockets on their fins are big enough to sail an aircraft carrier into. Maybe look into some other brand of jet fin knockoff (oms maybe?). I know there's a few that are neutrally buoyant out there.
 

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