(2/12/02) How Many dry suit divers are out there? what kind of dry suit do you own?

[Sea View]

I'm tring to decide between the DUI TLS SE or the DUI CN SE. Shell or compressed neo. Any thoughts on this. Iv'e logged about 100 dives in my 7mm wet and am ready to go dry. I dive mostly around Lake Tahoe and Northern Calif coast. I'm diving mostly in cold water so when I go on a dive vacation you can bet it will be warm so taking these suits on vacation isn't an issue. Also thinking about upgrading these suits to zip seals, again any thoughts?? These suits are about the same$$ Help.............

Probably the wrong forum for this but I'll give my 2cents - I had a similar concern when I bought my last drysuit, I changed from Trilam to Crushed neo (DUI CF200) & I'm very happy with the current suit. I personally didn't care for the shell suit very much, found them to be a bit too restrictive for a close fit (little or no stretch) and too baggy if you got one sized for unrestricted movement.
Obviously there are the Pros & Cons for both; trilam dries fast, generally lighter, and more versatile as far as temp ranges (No insulation). The Neos (Compressed neo or crushed Neos) tend to take days to dry, little (2mm) to a lot (4-7mm) heavier, Less versatile in regards to temp ranges (insulation properties of the Neo depending on thickness) but they stretch and allow a much closer fit.
The later was important to me, I find it works very well for me w/ polartec 300 in 50 degree water and has far less drag than my old Trilam bag suit.
Zip seals are a cool idea if you can afford them (and the spares), I've seen them in action - a month ago a buddy put his thumb through his neck seal, he was ready to go in 20min after a dash to the car for the spare.
Personally I went w/o the zip seals, I had HD latex seals installed this time - no problems (tears or leaks) so far - pretty tuff stuff for Latex ...now that I said that I'll probably bust one next week
Any way hope that helps!

 

[Rec Diver]

My suit is a bare, tech 2 7 mil crushed to 2mil self entry. If you interested heres the web page for it. :yellow:

http://www.bare-wetsuits.com/bareshop/diveproduct.asp?dept_id=21010&pf_id=61316

Whites Nexxus

 

[TechBlack]

Bare trilam HD, self entry, latex seals all around, softsocks/trek boots & velcro bellows pockets on each thigh.

I dive dry year round, I upgraded to this from a nex-gen about 6 weeks ago, put about 35 dives on it since, and I love it. I have nothing bad to say about the nex gen either. lasted me 200+ dives with only a wrist seal change, can't go wrong for the price I paid for it. I've been a fan of shell suits over neo, they are more versatile IMO, as far as temp range goes.....

 

[simontripp]

Bare XCD-2 Tech Dry (2mm crushed neoprene). Very good quality for the price and has been truly dry on all my dives. DUI 300 weight undersuit. Only thing with the XCD-2 is that it is heavy -- that's the trade off for a tough suit that will hold up to abuse and abrasion. I got the fixed boots on mine, but would not do that again. I think a neoprene sock and rock boot would be better, keeping a nice tight fit around the foot to keep air out.

 

[Tod]

Bare XCD2 Pro Dry (similar to the Tech Dry but the zipper is in back across the shoulders). I have the socks and use the Trek Boots, which make for a nicer fit when walking around.

As for the undergarments, I have the T-100 polar wear suit which I find is kind of bulky at times. I perfer the lighter weight top and pant set that I got (Pioneer) that has kept me warm in 51 degree water.

Oh, and the releaf zipper makes life so much simpler between dives!

 

[Canadian Craigster]

Add my name to the list of Bare XCD2'ers.

Mine's an XCD2-Tech, self entry, with si-tech cuff rings installed by Bare. I wear a CT200 undergarment...toasty. Love the Trek boots, would never have the attached boots again. I also had the factory shorten the legs by 1", greatly improved fit !! (I'm a textbook XXL, but find a "stocK" suit can accommodate heights greater than mine to get sloppy between the waist and the ankles)

I agree it's heavy, and takes a while to dry out.....but it's more comfortable than the ATR HD I had previously.

Ciao,

Craig

 

[cmt489]

Bare CD4 Pro with CT200 undergarmets (including booties!)

 

[Kennyscot]

I'm also looking for advise for buying a dry suit..Cf200 or tls350 anybody have any opinions??

 

[erichK]

Bare XCD-2 Tech Dry (2mm crushed neoprene). Very good quality for the price and has been truly dry on all my dives. DUI 300 weight undersuit. Only thing with the XCD-2 is that it is heavy -- that's the trade off for a tough suit that will hold up to abuse and abrasion. I got the fixed boots on mine, but would not do that again. I think a neoprene sock and rock boot would be better, keeping a nice tight fit around the foot to keep air out.

Have the same suit and completely agree: great suit for the price, but better with the soft feet. Guess part of the problem is that I don't drive dry enough to really keep in practice, but I too often end up with boots full of air, especially on my first couple of drysuit dives of the year. Hate the feeling, even when its not enough to seriously affect buoyancy. Couple of my buddies have taken to wearing gaiters, but I'm sure that external boots would be a better solution.

 

[dbg40]

DUI CLX 450, Halcyon balanced P- valve