Are semi-dry suits that much...
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superstar
Contributor
I have a semi dry and water eventually gets into it, I think its water, maybe its sweat. I paid $100 for it on a clearance sale, its 7 years old and not shredded yet, Not a waste of money. I have not tried a dry suit yet so no comment on that one. I don't need to dive that bad, I'll wait till the water warms up.
Tassie_Rohan
Contributor
I went from a two piece 7mm to a 'semi dry' (mares isotherm). Both were similar in warmth (i use that term lightly) but the semi dry was more flexable. Both are wetsuits and both leave you wet and cold when you get out of the water.
I used the semi dry for a total of 12 dives before I bit the bullet and went dry: theres a huge difference between the comfort and warmth of a drysuit and of a wetsuit.
I wouldn't waste your money on a semidry useless you can get a cheap one - if you can afford it go dry and you will find yourself diving more often and the dives (and especially the surface interval) will be more enjoyable.
Cheers,
Rohan.
I used the semi dry for a total of 12 dives before I bit the bullet and went dry: theres a huge difference between the comfort and warmth of a drysuit and of a wetsuit.
I wouldn't waste your money on a semidry useless you can get a cheap one - if you can afford it go dry and you will find yourself diving more often and the dives (and especially the surface interval) will be more enjoyable.
Cheers,
Rohan.
tiburon72157
Guest
i've always used wetsuits, ever since i was a kid surfing. and am more or less used to "feeling" the water. i recently purchased a semi-dry suit. i find that a semi-dry is a bit better than a standard wetsuit, but in no means is it a huge leap in comfort and warmth. as in all matters of "suits", fit is everything. i have an athletic build, and i have found that the tilo's suits fit me great. better than the "name" brands. both my wet and semi-dry are tilos. this is a largely unknown, little advertised brand. and the quality and price are excellent also.
I have found that the Akona 7mm semi dry that I have is very good at keeping the water that gets in, inside instead of good circulation. It keeps me very warm and ive been all the way down to around 42 degrees and was still warm.
The only fault I find with them is that they are sometimes harder to get on. The "seals" on the wrists and ankles make it a bit harder to get on.
Now even though the new henderson insta-dry suits arent semi-dry ive heard great things about them between dives due to it being dry for the 2nd dive. The only downside is that they are very expensive and henderson suits tend to break down a little faster than other suits.
As with any gear it comes back to you need to check it out yourself and see what works for you.
The only fault I find with them is that they are sometimes harder to get on. The "seals" on the wrists and ankles make it a bit harder to get on.
Now even though the new henderson insta-dry suits arent semi-dry ive heard great things about them between dives due to it being dry for the 2nd dive. The only downside is that they are very expensive and henderson suits tend to break down a little faster than other suits.
As with any gear it comes back to you need to check it out yourself and see what works for you.
One of the biggest advantages IMO of a drysuit is that at the end of the dive you get out and you are dry. Now if you live and dive someplace temperate and standing outside by your car dripping wet is not uncomfortabel then a semi-dry may be a nice way of getting a very warm suit without some of the disadvantages of a drysuit.
A wet or semi-dry will never disappoint you because of a small leak. Depending how warm you want to be in your drysuit will influence the undergarments (more to maintain) and the loft of those garments needs to be offset with weight. You can see that in the right conditions not going dry can be appealing.
Once you get down below 50F changing out of a wetsuit or semi-dry is more of an adventure than the dive and it gives you a while new respect for the magic of neoprene.
So if you are in coldwater /cold air territory I'd skip semi-dry and go dry. If I were someplace temperate I'd consider one.
Pete
A wet or semi-dry will never disappoint you because of a small leak. Depending how warm you want to be in your drysuit will influence the undergarments (more to maintain) and the loft of those garments needs to be offset with weight. You can see that in the right conditions not going dry can be appealing.
Once you get down below 50F changing out of a wetsuit or semi-dry is more of an adventure than the dive and it gives you a while new respect for the magic of neoprene.
So if you are in coldwater /cold air territory I'd skip semi-dry and go dry. If I were someplace temperate I'd consider one.
Pete
caveseeker7
Contributor
The name semi-dry is both dumb and confusing.
Either you're wet or you're dry. Wetsuits, including 'semi-dry' suits, work by the body heating up the water in the suit and the suit separating it from the colder water outside. 'Semi-drys' tend to do that more efficiently than 'normal' wetsuits due to the additional seals. There are differences, some like the Mares Isotherm have a drysuit zipper which makes a difference.
The only wetsuit I have is a 7 mm Scubapro. It has seals on the wrists and ankles, but a normal wetsuit zipper. The seals work fairly well, when exiting the water I usually have water collecting from ankles up to my knees, balooning the suit legs without leaking. But as soon as I get into the water I can feel it entering the suit in the back and neck area. I did have dives though where I would come back with dry spots, for example around my upper back, while the lower and chest area would be wet.
They tend to be expensive (especially with a ds zipper) and can be a pita to get into and out of.
I switched to a Mobby's Armorshell drysuit years ago. Front Zipper makes donning and doffing the suit very easy. It's a shell suit, so it's more baggy than a wetsuit. I cut a close cut one, though, and with thick underwear it's pretty much filled. Save for condensation it stays dry. The condensation isn't enough to get me wet, only makes the underwaer damp on the outside. Any perspiration gets pretty much whicked away. The trilaminate material takes about 15 mins to dry on a sunny day, so I'm not leaving wetspots all over the place, handy on boats. For me, comfort in and especially out of the water is vastly superior. You are pretty much dry when you get out of the water, there is no wet suit to donn for the next dive (the worst!), and I really prefer the thin shell over thick neoprene. Choosing the undergarment, layering it as needed, gives you a very broad range of temperatures to dive at.
The first three years I had the suit I would dive the 7 mil once in summer and ended up cussing like a sailor just as soon as I hit the water. I stopped that nonsense a couple of years back. So far I only had to replace the latex neck seal once, after tearing it with my fingernail. As Mobby's changed colors dealers were allowed to sell old stock at their leisure. My shop called me up and offered it to me for $850 instead of the $1,450 MSRP. I jumped on it.
There are several ds in the $1,000 range and I think most are a better deal than a $400+ wetsuit.
Either you're wet or you're dry. Wetsuits, including 'semi-dry' suits, work by the body heating up the water in the suit and the suit separating it from the colder water outside. 'Semi-drys' tend to do that more efficiently than 'normal' wetsuits due to the additional seals. There are differences, some like the Mares Isotherm have a drysuit zipper which makes a difference.
The only wetsuit I have is a 7 mm Scubapro. It has seals on the wrists and ankles, but a normal wetsuit zipper. The seals work fairly well, when exiting the water I usually have water collecting from ankles up to my knees, balooning the suit legs without leaking. But as soon as I get into the water I can feel it entering the suit in the back and neck area. I did have dives though where I would come back with dry spots, for example around my upper back, while the lower and chest area would be wet.
They tend to be expensive (especially with a ds zipper) and can be a pita to get into and out of.
I switched to a Mobby's Armorshell drysuit years ago. Front Zipper makes donning and doffing the suit very easy. It's a shell suit, so it's more baggy than a wetsuit. I cut a close cut one, though, and with thick underwear it's pretty much filled. Save for condensation it stays dry. The condensation isn't enough to get me wet, only makes the underwaer damp on the outside. Any perspiration gets pretty much whicked away. The trilaminate material takes about 15 mins to dry on a sunny day, so I'm not leaving wetspots all over the place, handy on boats. For me, comfort in and especially out of the water is vastly superior. You are pretty much dry when you get out of the water, there is no wet suit to donn for the next dive (the worst!), and I really prefer the thin shell over thick neoprene. Choosing the undergarment, layering it as needed, gives you a very broad range of temperatures to dive at.
The first three years I had the suit I would dive the 7 mil once in summer and ended up cussing like a sailor just as soon as I hit the water. I stopped that nonsense a couple of years back. So far I only had to replace the latex neck seal once, after tearing it with my fingernail. As Mobby's changed colors dealers were allowed to sell old stock at their leisure. My shop called me up and offered it to me for $850 instead of the $1,450 MSRP. I jumped on it.
There are several ds in the $1,000 range and I think most are a better deal than a $400+ wetsuit.
Thanks everyone. I think the best for me is to wait until I can afford a drysuit. I can deal with the Pacific North West along the west coast but these high mountain lakes are a little too frigid for me. Maybe I'll keep watching eBay for a deal.
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