Aftermarket pockets on a Fusion?

[DiveJedi]

Thank you for your post Rick - Honestly I think it is great that you guys are out there test diving this stuff and giving your feedback -thanks for eluding to the velcro falling off....

Sticking anything to the outside of our fusion drycore is incredibly challenging - more often than not it may fall off if not done correctly.

We have tried multiple techniques - I can assure we are working on it - trying to find a solution for Fusion divers that already have skins, and divers that are now purchasing fusions - is not easy.

We will keep you posted.....

Cheers,
Tyler

 

[Rick Inman]

Thank you for your post Rick - Honestly I think it is great that you guys are out there test diving this stuff and giving your feedback -thanks for eluding to the velcro falling off....

Sticking anything to the outside of our fusion drycore is incredibly challenging - more often than not it may fall off if not done correctly.

We have tried multiple techniques - I can assure we are working on it - trying to find a solution for Fusion divers that already have skins, and divers that are now purchasing fusions - is not easy.

We will keep you posted.....

Cheers,
Tyler

Thanks. Tyler. As much as I've tried not too , I still love the suit.

 

[TSandM]

Rick, I went back and read your original description -- what contact cement did you use? Finding things that stick to the dry core is not easy.

 

[Rick Inman]

Rick, I went back and read your original description -- what contact cement did you use? Finding things that stick to the dry core is not easy.

I used the Weldwood brand (Home Depot). The reason I used contact cement was that I was experimenting, and I figured if it didn't work I could get the contact cement off. The real key was, I think, putting on a good base layer. I taped off the area, and then I roughed it up with some sand paper and cleaned it with rubbing alcohol. I did all this to the base layer, the outer skin, and the glued side of the Velcro. Warning! I have no idea if sanding the core or using rubbing alcohol on it is damaging to the material and against the manufactures instructions! Do this at you own risk!!

Then I let two base layers of the contact cement set all the way. Like, 12 hours each. Then I put two more layers over the dried base layers and let them each dry for, oh, 15 minutes or so. After pressing together, I weighted the stuff down for a couple of days to dry (I may not have the number of layers right, but you get the point).

My plan was, if this worked, to run a bead of Aquaseal around the edges, but so far I haven't needed to do so (actually, I haven't looked at it in maybe 50 dives, so today I'll go have a look-sey to see how it's holding up).

 

[TSandM]

Thanks, Rick. Like Bob, I have concluded that I really HAVE to do something about integrated pockets before my next cave class . . .

 

[denniscloutier]

I'm considering getting a drysuit, so I've been following this thread with some interest.

I've done a grand total of about 4 dives in a drysuit, so forgive me if this is a dumb suggestion, but couldn't you run some straps from the pocket around your leg? I'm assuming the sagging you're talking about is that the pocket hangs away from your body when you're in the horizontal position, not that it slides down your leg when you're standing. The straps idea would help with the first problem, but not so much with the second.

The straps could be stretchy, and hopefully you could find a level of tension that keeps the pocket in place without cutting off air circulation into your legs. Or, if the straps were not stretchy, then you could snug them up on the surface, and unless you cranked them down really tight air should still be able to move past them through your undergarment.

Installing straps would be pretty simple. You could just cut four slits in the sides of the pockets and seal them somehow so they don't fray. The straps could then be fed through the slits. A buckle could be used for length adjustment, or for that matter you could use a fixed length bungee cord and tie a knot in it.

Might this work?

 

[TSandM]

No, the problem is that the pockets sag down toward your feet, dragging the skin with them. Making straps tight enough to stop that would be quite uncomfortable, I think.

 

[Rainer]

Any chance we can expect a fix for the sagging pockets from White's, as opposed to the DIY fixes?

 

[Peter Guy]

Tyler -- is the patch material the same as the "baggie?" (And, now that I think of it, where can I get some patches here in the Seattle area.) I'm wondering if it would make sense to put patches on the outside of the baggie and then glue the Velcro to the patches (even doing the "sand paper" that Rick mentioned).

At the moment, I'm thinking of just staying with X-shorts.

 

[Rick Inman]

Any chance we can expect a fix for the sagging pockets from White's, as opposed to the DIY fixes?

We have tried multiple techniques - I can assure we are working on it - trying to find a solution for Fusion divers that already have skins, and divers that are now purchasing fusions - is not easy.

We will keep you posted.....

No, the problem is that the pockets sag down toward your feet, dragging the skin with them.

And mainly the problem is out of the water, not in the water, making it mostly a cosmetic issue. Yes, the pockets sag out of the water if you have a bunch of stuff in the pockets (you look funny hiking 'em up as you trudge back up the beach). But (as I recall before I did my DIY fix) it's not a big deal in the water. For me, even if I didn't have my Velcro fix, it's not a deal breaker for me.