Bare Trilam HD Tech Dry or Bare Neoprene XCD2 Tech Dry?

[DiveDiva_Ashley]

Alright, this Ohio snow bunny got a nice bonus at work and is finally going dry. I am buying Bare (this is already decided) to take advantage of the free undergarment special this month and have narrowed it down to two models: the Bare Trilam HD Tech Dry and the Bare Neopreme XCD2 Tech Dry. My LDS quotes a $190 difference between the two models. Does anyone have any experience with either or any comments on choosing between Trilam and Neoprene?

FYI- A little BG on me- since I'm sure that makes a difference as to what the ideal choice for me would be: I am a cold water diver. enguin3: I do mostly quarries and the Great Lakes. I dive with a steel 95 cylinder that I have a rough time slugging around due to weight. I am always cold and frequently shiver on dives in wetsuits even in the hottest part of the summer. I'm currently AOW and deep diver certified (do deep dives in the quarry) and will be doing Rescue, Search & Recovery this year and possibly working towards Divemaster for my LDS. Will be in lots of OW classes observing and assisting where I can either way. Someday, want to do advanced nitrox and deco, but that's more like a 5 year goal for me till I build up more experience. Also want to be an Instructor sometime in the next 5 or 10 years- again want to work up more experience.

 

[bogrady]

Excellent and incredibly tough choice.

I own them both. I bought the XCD2 first, one for me and one for my son, who like you gets cold in the sauna.

After trip to do some diving in New York with the XCD2 (Lake George, Long Island Sound), I came back home and bought the Trilam for myself. I had every intention of selling the XCD2 once I got the Trilam, but I haven’t yet.

Here’s the comparison for me:

The XC2 is a great suit – it’s more comfortable, flexible and warmer than the Trilam. Some folks will tell you that its all about the undergarments and the suit material don’t make a difference, but I’ve dove both suits on the same day in the same water, and the XCD2 is warmer.

So given all this, why did I buy the Trilam –

It’s lighter by a few pounds and dries a whole lot faster. Since I plan to travel with the suit, that was important. Second – the Trilam has a bit more “warm water range”. For example, I can wear it with a thin liner in warmer water. For me the XCD2 I would be a bit too hot. This is important in Texas where we can get days where the water is warm and the air is cool. Note that my son dives the XCD2 almost year round in Texas. He really is incapable of maintaining any body heat.

You may see some comparisons that talk about the XCD2 neo being a tougher suit. The general consensus tends to be – cold northern wreck diving is done in neo, and warmer southern cave diving is done in trilam. But don’t believe it – the new Bare Trilam material is like iron – this is not a typical “bag” trilam suit. The outer layer of the new Bare Trilam is very tough.

Overall - my humble opinion:

The XCD2 is warmer, more flexible/comfortable
The Trilam dries faster, is lighter and gives me more warm water options

But in the end, they’re so close that I kept them both. Why? – because I could. My plan is to ship the XCD2 up to my parent’s house in NY so it’s always there when I go north for the cold water season.

If I had to make a recommendation based on your profile – cold northern lakes and quarries (which oddly enough is my dream … warm blue water is for the weak … give me a cold northern lake wreck any day!) I would give a slight edge to the XCD2 since it will be the warmer suit.

Welcome to the Bare family – we’re way cooler than those DUI DOGS, and we have all that extra money we didn’t spend on our dry suits to go diving with.

 

[Tomeck]

I have a Bare XCD2, it is very good, I used in Antarctica with cold water of 30°F.

 

[Potapko]

I own the Trilam HD tech dry. If you have already decided that it will be one of these I recommend the XCD2. Flexibility was mentioned several times in a previous post and trilam has none. I have had the HD tech for a year. I am only 5' 8" and 175 lbs and an XL short doesn't give the flexibility I was looking for. I am waiting for my new Whites fusion suit specifically because of the flexibility problem. I love my Bare wetsuit but will never buy another drysuit from them. Just my opinion of course

 

[diving4heidi]

Alright, this Ohio snow bunny got a nice bonus at work and is finally going dry. I am buying Bare (this is already decided) to take advantage of the free undergarment special this month and have narrowed it down to two models: the Bare Trilam HD Tech Dry and the Bare Neopreme XCD2 Tech Dry. My LDS quotes a $190 difference between the two models. Does anyone have any experience with either or any comments on choosing between Trilam and Neoprene?

FYI- A little BG on me- since I'm sure that makes a difference as to what the ideal choice for me would be: I am a cold water diver. enguin3: I do mostly quarries and the Great Lakes. I dive with a steel 95 cylinder that I have a rough time slugging around due to weight. I am always cold and frequently shiver on dives in wetsuits even in the hottest part of the summer. I'm currently AOW and deep diver certified (do deep dives in the quarry) and will be doing Rescue, Search & Recovery this year and possibly working towards Divemaster for my LDS. Will be in lots of OW classes observing and assisting where I can either way. Someday, want to do advanced nitrox and deco, but that's more like a 5 year goal for me till I build up more experience. Also want to be an Instructor sometime in the next 5 or 10 years- again want to work up more experience.

Hi DiveDiva_Ashley,

I'm considering the same suits, and I'm wondering if you made your purchase yet? If so, what did you get? As far as I know, the XCD2 Tech Dry doesn't come in women's sizes, so if you went with that one, did you get a custom fit? Also, if you don't mind me asking, how much did you pay?

Thanks,
Heidi

 

[DiveDiva_Ashley]

Yes, I made the decision to go with the Neopreme XCD Tech- with front zip. I read lots of articles out there about how the Neopreme was warmer than the Trilam and there was a price difference of about 200 bucks too. The advantage of the Trilam is it's supposed to be more puncture-resistant, but I am very aware of my surroundings at all times and very careful with the suit anyways- I decided the warmth meant more to me because I am always, always cold in Ohio's water. I got a deal too- the month I ordered it Bare was giving away undergarments with purchases of drysuits, so I got the thickest polar wear they had also for free. It keeps me quite cozy. I still get cold, but only on areas not covered by the drysuit (hands and head). I will prob. add the dry gloves sometime down the road to it. I have been very happy with the suit.
No, I did not get custom fit, and you are correct- they don't come in women's sizes. I didn't want to pay the extra for the custom fit, so I went with the closest men's size my measurements put me into. It's a little long in my legs, but nothing I can't deal with for the price difference. It's a little tighter in my hips and bigger in my bust, but I blame that on myself for being pear-shaped. The difference in the measurements hasn't been enough to slow me down at all- I've learned to live with it. Someday when I have a bit more $$$, it would sure be nice to have a custom fit, but right now with gas prices and all that- I wanted to save as much as I could while still getting a good suit that would work for me.
I have a buddy who just bought the Trilam front zip, but he's only used it a couple of times so I can't really say how he's liking that. Right now he LOVES it, but it's because his last drysuit was... "semi dry" (big leak, made it mostly wet). lol
I think my purchase price from the LDS was like $1699 or something like that, but then I got tons of discounts and such because I'm going through DM training to work for him so he helped me out. I looked for the receipt but couldn't come up with it- however that 1699 sticks in my head.
Either way, both are great suits and you can't go wrong- you just have to weigh warmth over puncture-resistence. Both are excellent quality.

 

[Nemrod]

Would the XCD2 be suitable for California waters, Catalina, San Diego, Scripps areas year around? I have a mission there next year and I get cold easy. I would get that Fusion but it looks kinda---well--I am not going to San Fran.

All of my heavy wetsuits are dead or to little.

N

 

[Pepe von Bobr]

Hi, do you know appropriate weight of Bare Trilam HD Tech Dry? I would like to know it because of travelling. Thanks