Bare D6 Pro dry suit: The real scoop? Other options?

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stuartv

Seeking the Light
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Scuba Instructor
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Location
Lexington, SC
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I have a bunch of training dives over the next 6 weeks in my local quarry. I'm told to expect water temps well down into the 40s (<10C), at least on the dives that go below 20'. I was at my LDS yesterday and asked them about my strategy for dealing with that, which is/was based around a core plan of using my 7mm wetsuit. A 7mm I bought used, at that, so is, I think, pretty well compressed compared to when it was new. They have gotten me fairly well convinced that, even with a hooded vest and Lavacore underneath, I am going to be a very unhappy camper at those temperatures.

I brought up consideration of a semi-dry like possibly the Hollis Neo Tek, thinking I might be able to afford $400 for one. The shop owner that I was talking to said I should really just go for a dry suit before spending the money on a semi-dry. He then pointed out a Bare D6 Pro he has that is a Demo suit with 2 or 3 dives on it, which he offered me for, well, a REALLY good price compared to the prices I see online for a new one. So, now I'm seriously thinking about it. The suit appears to be just my size, though I haven't tried it on yet. It has a neo neck seal, latex wrist seals, and the attached boots (not socks).

I did a bunch of searching and reading about the D6 and have been left with a few questions.

- Some customer reviews talked about the D6 as if it's 7mm neoprene. Others say it's 6mm "compression-resistant" neoprene. Looking at it in the store, it certainly didn't feel like regular 7mm neo. It felt closer to 5mm and very "hard". I think 6mm "compression-resistant" is the correct description. Is that the same as "crushed neoprene" which I've read about?

- Various things I read suggest that the neoprene in the D6 is not ideal dry suit material because the material will compress at depth, causing it to lose both warmth/insulation value and buoyancy. Is that really true for the D6? The material feels so hard it's hard to imagine that it would compress to any notable degree, even at 130'.

- And even if the D6 material compresses enough to affect buoyancy at 130', isn't the change going to be fairly small (as compared to the compression of a regular 7mm wet suit) and easily accommodated just by putting a bit more air in the suit (or BC)? In other words, even if it's true on paper, is it really ANY issue at all in real life?

From what I can tell so far, the Cons of this suit (as compared to alternative dry suits) are:

- heavy
- takes a LONG time to dry
- big/bulky/heavy if I ever wanted to fly somewhere and take it
- not as flexible (ease of movement)

The Pros seem to be (as compared to alternative dry suit choices):

- material is VERY durable
- material is better thermal insulation, requiring less undergarments, so diving in really cold water will be overall less bulky
- less overall bulk in really cold water means easier to control buoyancy (via smaller bubble)
- less overall bulk means more streamlined so easier to swim in (and better gas consumption)

I don't ever intend to fly anywhere with it. If I'm flying to dive, it will be somewhere warm. My expected usage would here in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. At least some of which will be going to wrecks off NC and/or up in the Saint Lawrence. For now, I'll be diving with steel tanks (HP100 or HP120 singles - and, eventually, assembling the 120s back into a double set). I'm only diving to Recreational depths, for now. Eventually, I want to take Adv Nitrox and Deco, but that won't happen until at least next year. Even then, my max depth will only 150'.

I have dived my 3/2 wet suit in water as low as 72 degrees and been totally comfortable. For a 3rd and 4th dive of the day at that temp, I put on my Lavacore FJ underneath. If the water were in the 60s, I would most likely just wear my 7mm wet suit, possibly with Lavacore. So, I'm not concerned about the performance of my dry suit in warm water. Certainly not in anything from 70 on up.

This all makes it sound like a very good suit for me. Is there anything else I should be considering?

The Bare XCS2 seems like it's a popular alternative to the D6 Pro. If I could get that for a bit more money, should I? Or is the D6 just as good (or maybe even better) for the usage I have in mind? The only real advantages I see for the XCS2 are being a bit lighter and being a bit less susceptible to the suit material compressing at depth. But the tradeoff seems to be needing to wear a warmer undergarment.

I may also have an option for a Waterproof D10 Pro non-ISS for similar money to the XCS2. Should I consider that instead? I REALLY like Waterproof wetsuits, and I suspect the D10 is just as high quality. But, will it be a huge PITA to deal with a manufacturer in Sweden if I ever have any issues?

Thanks for any info or insight you can share on this!
 
i'm hoping you will get some feedback on your posting
i currently dive a bare nexgen but would not hesitate to buy the D6
in fact my lds just made me an offer on a "made to measure" D6 that i'm seriously considering
i get cold easily so i need a neoprene suit for cold temps and the D6 is in my budget
most of my diving is above 60 F but the D6 would be perfect for spring, fall, and lake ontario (35 to 60 F range)
all drysuits, materials and options, have pluses and minuses
maybe try pasting this post in the "regional forum" section under "western canada"
Bare is located out there, vancouver, maybe you will get better feedback
maybe more divers have experience with the D6 out there
good luck
 
I recently acquired the XCS2.
I had the SB system drysuit before that.

Only one dive on it so far...Water temp was 1.1 C or 34 F, Max depth 108 feet, Average Depth 40 feet.

Comfortable and flexible, warmer than the SB system.

I do not know anyone diving the D6, but if you have been diving a 7mm wetsuit, then the transition to a 6mm drysuit should not that complicated.
 
Well.... I went to my LDS today and tried on the D6 Pro. It fit perfectly (an XL) ... except for the attached boots (XXL), which were way too big, even wearing my two thickest pair of socks.

Long story short, I ended up buying a new Bare XCS2 Tech Dry, instead. It was a good chunk more money than the slightly used D6, but even though it said it was the same size (XL), with the same size attached boots (XXL), the suit fit me just as well and the boots fit perfectly (with thick socks on).

I like the XCS2 better. It's crushed neoprene instead of just "compression resistant", which should be better at depth for buoyancy and insulation. It's a diagonal front zip and I can get it on and off by myself. It's a bit lighter. Being a thinner material, I think it should be more comfortable to wear during surface intervals. I have no desire to wear a dry suit in water over 70 degrees. I like my 3/2 wetsuit just fine for that. So, I'm hoping this will be the only drysuit I ever need to buy.

All that said, if the D6 boots had fit me, I would have saved the money and just gone with that. The shop could have sent the D6 back to Bare and gotten the boots changed for me, but then I would not have had it in time for my upcoming class. And I would have had to pay for all the shipping and the new boots, which meant the cost difference between it and the XCS2 would have been a lot less.
 
Last update:

I took the XCS2 to the pool yesterday and swam around the bottom for over 2 hours. I love it! I especially liked that I can get it on and off and zipped open/shut all by myself. And I liked that I could unzip and take a leak without having to take any part of the suit off.

I am taking the Dry Suit course next weekend, so there's probably someone on here who will read this and want to chastise me for diving in the pool before taking the course. Oh, well. I did get the book for the course on Saturday and read it all and did the Knowledge Review Saturday night. I really read it just to make sure there wasn't anything I needed to know that I had not already learned from my Internet reading. There was not.

While I was in the water, I practice hanging out completely inverted then righting myself. No problem. And doing a gear remove/replace, including disconnecting the suit LPI hose, while in the water. No problem. Rolling to my right a little and aising my left elbow to let the suit equalize on ascents was simple enough.

Now I am actually excited about getting in the quarry in a couple of weeks!
 
It sounds like you made your decision and are happy with your suit! I have several friends who dive the Bare D6 or some variation and they love them. One of them is extremely hard on his suits and his has held up well. He replaced it last year, and sent the original back to Bare where they did some work up (under warranty) and he's keeping it for backup.

I am a long time Viking user, and recently added a Santi suit. Your comments about the weight of the crushed neoprene suit mirror my own thoughts. Same with drying. One of the things I love about the Vikings is that they dry "instantly". I'm still getting used to having to hang up the Santi as it has some fabric covering.

I think you'll enjoy your suit. Bare is a very popular brand in Canada (since they're made here and everyone sells them) and by and large, people are happy with them. They aren't "fancy" suits, but solidly built with sensible features and great customer support.

As for being chastized about your pool dives... Pffft. The drysuit course, IMHO, is one of those courses invented to provide additional revenue to the agency. A competent diver can figure out a drysuit in one dive, with a 5-minute overview. I don't think this course even existed 5 years ago.

JMHO of course... ;-)
 
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stuartv
glad you got your suit all sorted out


Stoo (tobermory)
i have heard that in order of warmth, drysuit materials are as follows ...
(coldest) rubber, bilam, trilam, neoprene (warmest)
how is it that you dive in the coldest waters in ontario and choose a rubber suit
do you dive heated
just curious .. thanks
 
Stoo (tobermory)
i have heard that in order of warmth, drysuit materials are as follows ...
(coldest) rubber, bilam, trilam, neoprene (warmest)
how is it that you dive in the coldest waters in ontario and choose a rubber suit
do you dive heated
just curious .. thanks

The "philosophy" behind the use each of the materials is different. A shell suit (whether it be rubber or some other fabric) is designed to prevent water from coming in, and nothing else. The insulation comes from the underwear. If the water is colder, you add layers. On the other hand, a neoprene suit (crushed or otherwise) contributes to the insulation. The user can still add to it with more undies, but for many, they can dive with a light layer underneath it and be cosy. Neoprene suits lose some of their insulation with depth as the suit compresses. Shell suits don't, and the insulation is constant as you add air to the suit.

Bi and tri-laminate suits are an evolution of the rubber suits I suppose. They're easier to manufacture (glue and a sewing machine vs. vulcanizing.) and this allows for a lot more options, custom sizes etc.

My first exposure to diving dry was in the commercial area... I landed a job working construction in a polluted harbour about 2 weeks after I got certified. The "real" divers used Vikings and Gates suits. I was in a wetsuit initially, but moved up as I got experience. I have owned maybe 6 vikings over 40 years and still love them. I added the Santi to travel with since it's so much lighter. I can't honestly say I prefer it to my Viking Pro-tech... it's just a different tool. I dove my Viking this weekend and stayed warm and dry. I also really like the dry hood. Mrs. Stoo wears a Viking Sport suit that is over 30 years old... and it's still 100% dry!

I don't know if you are aware of this, but the vulcanizing process was invented by Mr. Goodyear of tire fame. As I understand it, the process uses heat and sulfur to somehow cause the pieces of rubber to bond together to form what is essentially one continuous piece of material. As a result, there are simply no seams left... and seams are where most drysuits leak. Vikings are made by a European company. Their main business is the manufacture of tires, followed by rubber structures and so on. They make haz-mat and diving suits in a tiny corner of one of their plants!
 
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Hi,

Sorry to be late to the table with this response--I didn't see the question last month.

I have a D6.

What I see as the advantages are:
-less expensive than most drysuits
-lots of inherent insulation on shallow dives
-I find it comfortable, flexible, a bit of stretchable

What I see as the disadvantages:
-compresses at depth reducing insulation
-compresses at depth giving a substantial buoyancy shift
-if it is combined with undergarments to compensate for the reduction in insulation at depth, then the buoyancy at the surface become quite high

I am pleased with this suit. I do a lot of cold, shallow (less than 50 foot) dives, and it works really well for these. When I do a deep dive, I just add more undergarments, add more weight, and suck it up.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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