Are dry suits worth it?

[Marie13]

I have a man crush on DRIS, they are awesome. Always quick to answer questions and go out of their way to help. Good thing you are local to them. If I was local to them I would be divorced because I would always be "hanging" out there.

Mind you, I'm about 50 miles from them, but that counts as "local" for the Chicago area. I have found them to be very helpful. I deal with horrid customer service daily at work, so when I find a business with good customer service, I support it. They're certainly getting a lot of my $$ lately. Good thing I've been working a lot of OT!

 

[bryanmc57]

Mike is good people. When you see him next time, tell him the guy with the DRIS tattoo says hi.

 

[Marie13]

Mike is good people. When you see him next time, tell him the guy with the DRIS tattoo says hi.

I'll do my best to remember. The shop even has a resident dog - Mike's pooch Dante, a Wheaten terrier that is very cute, but very shy

 

[Compressor]

I don't think so ... in fact, I have TiZips on all three of my current drysuits.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Thank you

 

[JJ Wright]

JJ, thank you very much for your message. I just called the office and you were already gone for the day, but I talked to your boss, Kim. I'm going to keep the purple, as he explained to me that the pink they had would fade much quicker than the purple.

And Kim said there should be no issues having my suit in time for my OW dives. Outstanding customer service. Thank you!

Sorry I missed you. Glad you talked to Kim. He knows the materials best. Thanks for going with USIA Best Wishes!
-JJ

 

[horsediver1]

Being a Northern MN guy myself been diving dry since 83. Most important regardless of suit you go with is spend the extra bucks for undergarments, I currently use 4th element artic and by far as been the best for me. Dove CF200 dui until 2013 then switched to the USIA techniflex pro. Tried other makes but these two have been my favorite. By going dry in MN. you get about two extra months in the spring and 6 weeks in fall and ice diving to boot and still stay comfortable. I have close to 700 dives dry, you do have to realize there are certain issues that come with drysuits, such as extra weight, buoyancy control practice etc. But I have not regretted the extra costs once. Enjjoy

 

[bergersau]

@2airishuman, Is it worth diving dry? YES.

Does it have to cost a fortune ? - not necessarily.
I sent a few months keeping a regular eye on the ebay and gumtree 2nd hand listings. When I spotted a suit in good condition and in my size I jumped on it. $300au for a 'Waterproof Draco' (same as D10) and a set of new neck and wrist seals $300 or so, and I was good to go for around $600AU. Of course there were the added costs of, thermal underwear, a hood and new fins (My old ones wouldn't fit the drysuit boots. All told it probably cost around $1000 to go from wet to dry.

Oh - Almost forgot, I've been lucky and the only water I've ever had in my drysuit was when I had the inflator hose pop off due to not connecting it properly. When I reconnected the hose and inflated I got a couple of millilitres of water blow through the inflator valve. It really has been a drysuit.

 

[Vegan Shark]

Yeah, I try to imagine what it would be like to be underwater but not wet. Doesn't seem right, but of course I have known others who thought that way and soon changed their thinking after going dry.

I think "damp suit" is a much more accurate name for drysuits Even without a leak, most people find their bodies get damp to some degree simply due to sweat--there's no way for moisture to escape from your drysuit. If you're in an insanely cold climate that might not be an issue, but when I wear thick undergarments and have a climb down to the shore with heavy gear, I find I get nearly as damp as I'd be in a wetsuit before I'm even in the water.

Plus with the water on your face/hands you definitely feel wet the entire time you're diving.

 

[TMHeimer]

I think "damp suit" is a much more accurate name for drysuits Even without a leak, most people find their bodies get damp to some degree simply due to sweat--there's no way for moisture to escape from your drysuit. If you're in an insanely cold climate that might not be an issue, but when I wear thick undergarments and have a climb down to the shore with heavy gear, I find I get nearly as damp as I'd be in a wetsuit before I'm even in the water.

Plus with the water on your face/hands you definitely feel wet the entire time you're diving.

That's a different take on it for sure. I guess that would be a reason to dive wet if the climate absolutely dictates it.

 

[Scubadeep1]

Bought mine and the wifes Whites Fusions at DRIS Dive Right in Scuba and couldn't be happier. I have the Tech suit and have dove multiple time in a DUI and actually like the Fusion better, no bubble problem as I do in the DUI, the bag of the Fusion seems to hold air from pocketing in one area and spreads it out more, I also find I need less air with the Fusion. As far as donning and doffing the suit, some people will try to tell you the Fusion is a pain, it ain't rocket science, you put you leg in with suit rolled down and then pull up a couple time and reverse to remove it, OK maybe takes 3 seconds longer than a DUI or other mfg. sorry it's usually one extra pull/roll of the bag. I also like how the suit stays tighter on me instead of a bulky suit that has to be a foot to tall so you can get it over your head. I have the silicone seals neck and wrist and have had a couple seeping issues, by me not the suit, ie. rolled cuff not seated properly. For much less than a Santi or DUI, you can get a Fusion and be dry and very comfortable. DRIS gave me a great deal by just asking for it, Always ask for a deal, companies usually don't offer to give their money away unless you ask. I paid less for two suits and all the extras, seals, boots, gloves, hood, thermals the complete setup than I would have for one DUI suit. I offered to pay cash and that made a big difference also. Suit also came with their in shop warranty of free seal replacement and zipper warranty. can't beat that, I just send them the old seal and walla a new arrives. Also if the outer layer gets worn you can easily replace it with a new outer, takes about 10 minutes if you ever needed to do it. I didn't like the fusion boots/shoes so I bought rock boots from Whites Evo and love them.