Can you zip your back entry DS yourself?

[MASS-Diver]

Hello,

I've been diving with a nice old Whites drysuit for a while now. It's a back entry suit (zipper is right across the back of my shoulders). I normally have my buddy zip it, but, for dives when he isn't there I hate asking a wetsuit diver who may not undestand that the zipper is old and costs $500 or in the future I may be alone, in which case do you think I should be able to zip the suit myself?

Is it risky to reach back and zip blind? Do you do it? Anyone use a reaching stick?

Thanks

 

[trymixdiver]

i did my Viking back zipper myself every dive. i added a small leangth of cord to make it ez and i always checked it in my car mirror to make sure it was all the way over and not pinching my UG.

Andy

 

[Uncle Pug]

you can do it but... you run the risk of damaging your zipper and/or/by catching some undergarment in it.

When I zip folks up I always take care to pull the zip out away from the ug and run a finger inside as I zip to make sure that ug does not get caught. Hard to do this yourself though as Andy says it can be done.

One thing that I have used on the boat was a strategically place hook that I could catch the zipper pull loop on... that way I could lean away slightly while turning my body to zip the suit up.

The more important proceedure was self-un-zipping... and in the old days of same ocean buddy diving... before I had a front entry suit and a p-valve... it was a necessity.

 

[bwerb]

Uncle Pug once bubbled...


The more important proceedure was self-un-zipping... and in the old days of same ocean buddy diving... before I had a front entry suit and a p-valve... it was a necessity.

He's doing the pp dance!

I've heard in one of those "urban scuba legends" discussions talk of not unzipping the new guy...Yikes!:mdance: :banana: :cluck:

 

[Walter]

I have a buddy who will take your head off if you try to touch her zipper. She zips and unzips using a tool she picked up at a pet store. It looks like a very long (1½ - 2 ft) bolt snap with a trigger. It works well for her.

 

[MASS-Diver]

Thanks guys

 

[AzAtty]

An instructor I know uses snaps a carabiner to his truck and uses that to zip up his shoulder entry suit. Neat trick, but I would still prefer that something with eyes verify the zipper sealed o.k.