buying new drysuit

[jonahfab]

Looking to upgrade my drysuit. Right now I have a bare nexgen shell suit. It's not bad for the money I paid for it, but with it being a shell suit it has no inherit warmth of its own. Seeing as I am mostly cold blooded I get cold very easy. I would like to upgrade to a crushed neaprene suit. Some other features that I would like in the drysuit are latex neck and wrist seals because of my small wrists, soft socks, and suspenders would also be nice. I was also wondering if there was much difference in the integrity of the suit between the front entry and the rear entry. Are there more pros to one or the other or is it mostly just personnal choice. Lastly, I would like to keep the price within the $1500 to $2000 range, but will consider any suggestions. Alot of questions in alittle space, thanks for any help that can be given.

 

[Laser]

If your cold why not just urgrade your undies. Maybe some Thinsulate 400?

 

[JeffG]

Looking to upgrade my drysuit. Right now I have a bare nexgen shell suit. It's not bad for the money I paid for it, but with it being a shell suit it has no inherit warmth of its own. Seeing as I am mostly cold blooded I get cold very easy. I would like to upgrade to a crushed neaprene suit.

If you don't change your undies there will be little to no difference in protection...and you will have found out that you just wasted allot of money. By some new undies. Laser mentioned 400gm, also you could look at the Weasel Extreme

 

[jonahfab]

I have the weasel extreme now, and still get cold. So you don't think there will be any noticable difference between the shell and the crushed neoprene?

 

[Paco]

What temps are you talking about? I have the nex-gen as well and did ice dives with the bare t200 undergarments and was fine. Before dumping a lot of money on crushed neoprene, you're smart to investigate. Better undergarments may be what you need.

 

[JeffG]

I have the weasel extreme now, and still get cold. So you don't think there will be any noticable difference between the shell and the crushed neoprene?

Not much. Its the air in the neoprene that makes it warm, and the crushed (or compressed) has little air. They are shell suits, but they can take a bigger beating than the Tri/Bi lams. But they take longer to dry and weigh a ton.

I have the Next Gen and I use the Whites Cold Water fleece (36 oz something or other...I forget what they call the stuff). I add some extra fleece underneath, added some dry gloves and I'm good to 39 deg F. And I can tell you...I do not like cold.

Note: There is also Weezle Extreme +

 

[Boogie711]

What are you wearing under your undies? I have polypropylene undies that I wear under my undies - just a thin layer to wick moisture away from my skin. It makes a big difference.

I'm not a fan of Weezle - I find they need more loft in order to maintain warmth than I'm willing to provide, since I don't use my suit for bouyancy control. I would very highly recommend the new stretch thinsulate that Diving Concepts produces - flexible as heck and very warm.

 

[sndt1319]

You might also think about your hood. You didn't say what yours was but remember you lose a lot of heat through your head. Also remember to stay hydrated during your dive as dehydration will make you more suspect to cold. The next time you dive drink plenty of water the whole day BEFORE you dive. Most people suffer from cronic dehydration, I know I do if I am not careful.

Brian

 

[d33ps1x]

I would very highly recommend the new stretch thinsulate that Diving Concepts produces - flexible as heck and very warm.

Cool. You finally got yours in to try out?

 

[bcsean]

I dove the Nex-Gen in 34 deg water. I was wearing Polypro underwear, a thin fleece farmer-jon, and the T100 undergarment. I was fine. I also have drygloves installed.

You want latex wrist and neck seals? I wasn't aware the nex-gen came with anything but. Suspenders can be added quite easily if you want. Also, soft socks? I thought this was how they all were, which would explain why we dive with trek boots. Is yours a custom nex-gen?

Front entry to rear entry is really just personal preference. The main reason for front entry is self donning and doffing. If you don't have a p-valve and gotta go when you get up above, sometimes you dont want to wait for your buddy to unzip ya. I can't see a difference integrity wise.

Just make sure you weigh out your options before you go blow 1500-2000 on a new suit.