Am I too picky on the fit of my drysuit?

[khacken]

I just picked up Bare XCD2 and it seems to be pretty good, but I have some quibbles and I was wondering it I just need to order a custom one. The thing with this is that I got a great deal on it, so part of me want to tough it out. However, the store is great in that they are letting me try it on with all the

The neo neck seal seem just a little too tight. Is it possible to stretch it a little? I have heard of putting the seal around a tank overnight to stretch it, but don't know how well that works.

Also, the torso area seems to have a little bit extra room, to where if I shrink wrap myself, I can see some folds.

I can not unzip or zip the zipper all the way by myself, I have to have someone help me out, even though this is "self-donning".

Finally, the arms seem a little stiff. I can reach my valves ok, but I feel like the kid from A Christmas Story when I try to put my arms down.

I am wearing Weezle Extreme+ under this, so I don't know if maybe that is just too much undergarment for the suit.

Thanks!

 

[JeffG]

The neo neck seal seem just a little too tight. Is it possible to stretch it a little? I have heard of putting the seal around a tank overnight to stretch it, but don't know how well that works.

Yep, it works for neoprene seals.

Also, the torso area seems to have a little bit extra room, to where if I shrink wrap myself, I can see some folds.

There has to be some extra material, to compensate when you bend over.

I can not unzip or zip the zipper all the way by myself, I have to have someone help me out, even though this is "self-donning".

Not totally unheard of.

Finally, the arms seem a little stiff. I can reach my valves ok, but I feel like the kid from A Christmas Story when I try to put my arms down.

I am wearing Weezle Extreme+ under this, so I don't know if maybe that is just too much undergarment for the suit.

Thanks!

If you can reach your valves, you should be ok. Weezle Extreme + is one of the more bulky undergarments around. DUI 400 gm are a bit worse.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Relax.

Neck seals often loosen with age. If its cutting circulation then you may need to trim it, but otherwise, put 30 dives on the suit then see if it still is a problem.

Extra material in the torso? Don't worry. The life of your drysuit, assuming its a high quality drysuit, is some ten years or more (replacing neck and wrist seals, etc. as needed). Guess what?
Over the next ten years or more, its remarkable how that damned suit might shrink a bit in the torso.

Lube the zipper religiously. The zipper gets easier to use over time also, although its nearly always easier to have a buddy help you with it. But stretching out a bit will help you also, lots of things become easier with experience.

If you're talking about reduced range of motion underwater, ("..stiff arms") try putting a bit more gas into the suit. I also use a Weezle undergarment, and the fabric of mine is not stretchable (although more recent ones may feature stretch nylon). In order to avoid feeling 'shrink wrapped' and constrained in movement, you will need to add slightly more gas to the suit to loosen it up.

(...this is not a bad thing, however, as Weezle undergarments require a certain amount of loft to function properly. Shrink wrapping them cuts down on their thermal properties - at least in my experience.)

Bottom line, put 30-50 dives on the suit, experiment with it, (enjoy it - a good drysuit with a responsive valve is a thing of beauty!) You'll get it dialed in after using it for a season or so.

Best,

Doc

 

[khacken]

Thanks guys!

The arms just feel a little bit stiffer, as if the weezle is too big for arms. If I wear fleece or wear nothing, I have no problems.

Also, with the Weezle, the venting seems to be slow. Should I use my soldering iron to poke some holes in the arm? Will that help?

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Before you get radical, look for a velcro/nylon band at your diveshop that sold you the weezle. It fits around your bicep, just below the valve. The velcro band helps prevent loose weezle nylon from being caught up in the valve mechanism.

Other than this issue, again, I'd use the suit for awhile before you make adjustments.

If you are absolutely horizontal in the water, rising extremely slowly like you should be, with your arms out in front of you also horizontal, (and of course the suit valve is dialed all the way open, right?) all you should need to do is to tense your right bicep and the suit should release gas through the valve.

The key with any drysuit is to never ascend faster than you can control the gas in the suit. It is not a BC, it has arms and legs, and any gas you put into it could conceivably be problematic if you don't have decent control over your bouyancy and trim. But assuming you've got bouyancy and trim nailed, and you're diving the suit with the absolute minimum amount of gas necessary in it, learning to use it properly is 90% thinking and technique.

You shouldn't need to melt holes in anything for it to work properly.

Just MHO,

YMMV.

Doc

 

[NudeDiver]

I just picked up Bare XCD2 and it seems to be pretty good, but I have some quibbles and I was wondering it I just need to order a custom one. The thing with this is that I got a great deal on it, so part of me want to tough it out.

I have this same suit. Paid $850 for it brand new - which seems to be a pretty good deal. I really like this suit.

The neo neck seal seem just a little too tight. Is it possible to stretch it a little? I have heard of putting the seal around a tank overnight to stretch it, but don't know how well that works.

Mine is tight too. I need to stretch it. One common technique is to use a tank and let it sit overnight. You can also trim it back a bit.

Also, the torso area seems to have a little bit extra room, to where if I shrink wrap myself, I can see some folds.

It's supposed to have some. It's party of the fitment. It has this "recoil" fold in it that stretches so you can put it on, and then "recoils" back to its regular position when you have it on.

I can not unzip or zip the zipper all the way by myself, I have to have someone help me out, even though this is "self-donning".

Me too. I think of this as a feature that gives my buddy an excuse to help me out.

 

[ZzzKing]

I can not unzip or zip the zipper all the way by myself, I have to have someone help me out, even though this is "self-donning".

Hey Kevin! My zipper was pretty stiff the first several times I opened and closed it but it has now loosened up nicely. (different brand, though) Just give it a little time.

BTW, several of us are going out to Terrell next Friday for drysuit tuneups if you want to join in.

 

[khacken]

Well, I got the Fusion. All issues are gone now. What a suit!

 

[sambolino44]

...Guess what?
Over the next ten years or more, its remarkable how that damned suit might shrink a bit in the torso...

:shocked2: Oh, no you didn't!

 

[sambolino44]

Well, I got the Fusion. All issues are gone now. What a suit!

I've been watching this. This thing really seems to be taking off. All I've heard is raves about this suit. No bad, no mediocre; nothing but love. It's pretty rare when a new design has such a reception. Everybody's big concern seems to be durability, but I'm still waiting to hear from anyone complain that their Fusion suit isn't tough enough. Wow.