Cheap Chinese Drysuit

[Dominick Gheesling]

This is AWESOME!!! Thank you for sharing this experiment!

 

[Addison Snyder]

Just put it on (neck seal and all zipped up) with the gf. Gotta admit, the arms and shoulder areas are pretty chunky. I'm a super thin guy (130 lbs, 5'11"), so there is a good amount of space on the inside (granted I was wearing running shorts + T-shirt). After having it sealed, I squatted a few times to release a lot of air out of the neck seal, and it felt a lot more conforming. With 8mm, the extra material will likely be annoying for buoyancy like my previously oversized wetsuit. At least I'll be warm and on the cheap though. Not uncomfortable either. The arm length is too long by a few inches, but I can definitely cut that shorter. I'll give those seals a try in the water before I do so I can confirm the effectiveness of their length/tightness. I'm guessing that the sizing would be much more appropriate if A) my BMI was more normal, and B) if I were using this in colder waters with an undersuit and other layers. The neck seal was a smidge tight (not quite squishing the jugular, but close), which is perfect when I trim/stretch it. Forgot to take a picture, might post one later.

 

[Addison Snyder]

Worst case I can start lifting weights for all those massive GAINS

 

[lowviz]

Now that you have the thing, you can improve your experiences with it for just a bit more money: P-Valve in Neoprene Drysuit

 

[Addison Snyder]

Tried it on again this morning, this time attached and tested the inflator, which worked just fine. That also confirmed that I had a decent air-seal all around the suit. Also got some pics. There is a ton of room for me to cut on the arms (highlighted in red where the neoprene seal starts, needs at least an inch or two after that to fold inward), not quite sure I feel ready doing that just yet. I'm mostly worried that if I cut too much off, the larger circumference will kill the seal, and I'll have to resize it with a hot air gun and tape and stuff. Something I'd prefer to avoid.

 

[Addison Snyder]

Coincidentally got the wax in the mail today, used it liberally on the zipper. Link for folks seeking a cheap option:
US $2.08 15% OFF|Organic Beeswax Cosmetic Grade Filtered Natural Pure Bees Wax Bars 35 50g Jewelry Furniture Floor Polishing Wax-in Wax from Home & Garden on AliExpress
Was expecting something the size of about two dice. Got something more like 5 or 6 dice big. Will last a long time.

 

[Sunknown]

Addison,

Have you had the chance to get this thing in the water yet?

 

[Addison Snyder]

Addison,

Have you had the chance to get this thing in the water yet?

Sorry for the late reply. I took this into a local spring (72 degrees), and was nice and toasty. The seals were perfect, but I did have some water collecting in boots after I got out of the water, likely due to my inexperience with the release valve (I had it mostly set to open, and was really focused on playing with the thing to get an idea for buoyancy control).

Having no drysuit training but some reasonable experience with heavier wetsuits, I played it very cautiously (doing some basic descents and ascents from 15-30ft). I simulated out-of-control inflation and several other scenarios (all under supervision from a good buddy with rescue training). I let my buddy know about the possibility of tight neck seals and other drysuit-specific dangers.

As for actually running the thing, it was surprisingly easy to maintain buoyancy and trim after getting a feel for the thing. Coming from 5mm (and before that, uncompressed 2 piece with 13mm core), I think a lot of the fear and caution I've heard about uncompressed neoprene drysuits and their changes is a bit overstated. But then again, your mileage may vary.

One of the things that I'm still learning is how to properly clean/dry the inside. Started with a lot of wacky attempts until I finally resorted to turning it (mostly) inside out.

Since that time, I've bought and applied a neoprene pocket to one leg, which was a snap.

I've been trying to go out with it again, but my buddy hasn't been available.

 

[O-ring]

Does the exhaust valve have a backing plate or screen or something on it to prevent your undergarment from fouling it? Just hypothesizing what could have caused your wet boots. Was your undergarment wet anywhere (that's usually a good indicator of where the leak is)?

 

[Addison Snyder]

Does the exhaust valve have a backing plate or screen or something on it to prevent your undergarment from fouling it? Just hypothesizing what could have caused your wet boots. Was your undergarment wet anywhere (that's usually a good indicator of where the leak is)?

I was manually opening it a lot, as I was mostly getting a hang of how it worked and whatnot, so I'm guessing water might have gotten in then. I wasn't wearing any undergarments other than swim trunks, but will probably wear something next time. For simplicity and safety, I was being fairly conservative with squeezes and not adding too much air early on. But that gives me an idea, I'll see if I can't 'plug' the 3 holes and air inflate it to find potential leaks.