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Choosing a Drysuit
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@maxpfc. couple things
ease of deflation, all suits that fit properly and have properly functioning dump valves will dump easily. It is up to you to get in a position where that valve is highest in the bubble, but they all dump quite easily. Some valves are better than others, IIRC Si-Tech dumps faster than Apeks, but I have no issues with the Apeks valves on my current suit, or the two prior. They will also likely be on my next one *though the inflator may be si-tech due to heated vests, tbd*
drysuits will always upset your trim. In sidemount, they do it for the better by providing more lift at your feet, in doubles, they don't. Fact of life. Your feet are the highest point in the suit, and you can only keep so much air out of them. Having a suit that fits is far more important and the actual suit won't really matter at that point.
Fit is crucial if you haven't spotted the trend. If you fit easily into off-the-rack suits, then you should be OK in a drysuit, however there is no real reason not to get a custom fitted suit these days.
comfort is something you need to care about. You're going to be moving around in these things for several hours at a time and if you are uncomfortable, you are going to be unhappy. If you're unhappy, you'll resent your suit. I don't really like my drysuit, but I don't really like any drysuit and consider them necessary evils. I like being wet. That said, my current suit isn't uncomfortable, so I don't mind diving it at all.
reliability:durability-they're all going to be pretty reliable and durable, but it depends on what you are doing with it. To use DUI's models for easy reference. My current Rofos is similar to the TLS350 *which is 2x the price. Brilliant cave diving suit, so long as you aren't squeezing around rocky sidemount passages. Probably not the suit I would choose to go wreck diving in either. The FLX is similar to my old USIA Techniflex *and also about 2x the price*, it is much more durable but it comes at the cost of being heavier/stiffer. It is up to you to weigh those two against each other. The CF200 is their crushed neoprene suit and that is going to be the most durable of them all, but it is also the heaviest and takes longest to dry. In many peoples opinions it is going to be the most comfortable, but you have to weigh the cons against the pros.
Zipper-again it's something you have to weigh. The plastic zips are very resistant to certain types of damage *mainly kinks*, and the metal zips are more resistant to others. Metal zips you have to wax regularly to keep them from binding, ti-zips need regular lube to seal properly. Ti-zips are much more flexible and are substantially lighter. It is all a balancing act. Current suit has ti-zip and have no issues with it so long as I remember to lube it about every other day when diving.
ease of deflation, all suits that fit properly and have properly functioning dump valves will dump easily. It is up to you to get in a position where that valve is highest in the bubble, but they all dump quite easily. Some valves are better than others, IIRC Si-Tech dumps faster than Apeks, but I have no issues with the Apeks valves on my current suit, or the two prior. They will also likely be on my next one *though the inflator may be si-tech due to heated vests, tbd*
drysuits will always upset your trim. In sidemount, they do it for the better by providing more lift at your feet, in doubles, they don't. Fact of life. Your feet are the highest point in the suit, and you can only keep so much air out of them. Having a suit that fits is far more important and the actual suit won't really matter at that point.
Fit is crucial if you haven't spotted the trend. If you fit easily into off-the-rack suits, then you should be OK in a drysuit, however there is no real reason not to get a custom fitted suit these days.
comfort is something you need to care about. You're going to be moving around in these things for several hours at a time and if you are uncomfortable, you are going to be unhappy. If you're unhappy, you'll resent your suit. I don't really like my drysuit, but I don't really like any drysuit and consider them necessary evils. I like being wet. That said, my current suit isn't uncomfortable, so I don't mind diving it at all.
reliability:durability-they're all going to be pretty reliable and durable, but it depends on what you are doing with it. To use DUI's models for easy reference. My current Rofos is similar to the TLS350 *which is 2x the price. Brilliant cave diving suit, so long as you aren't squeezing around rocky sidemount passages. Probably not the suit I would choose to go wreck diving in either. The FLX is similar to my old USIA Techniflex *and also about 2x the price*, it is much more durable but it comes at the cost of being heavier/stiffer. It is up to you to weigh those two against each other. The CF200 is their crushed neoprene suit and that is going to be the most durable of them all, but it is also the heaviest and takes longest to dry. In many peoples opinions it is going to be the most comfortable, but you have to weigh the cons against the pros.
Zipper-again it's something you have to weigh. The plastic zips are very resistant to certain types of damage *mainly kinks*, and the metal zips are more resistant to others. Metal zips you have to wax regularly to keep them from binding, ti-zips need regular lube to seal properly. Ti-zips are much more flexible and are substantially lighter. It is all a balancing act. Current suit has ti-zip and have no issues with it so long as I remember to lube it about every other day when diving.
There's like no difference between dump valves, and you don't need to have them dump fast anyway.
Bubblesong
Contributor
I thought dump valves were adjustable for dumping speed?
Another concern is how easily you can reach valves, knobs when all kitted up because some drysuits are more flexible, stretchy?
Another concern is how easily you can reach valves, knobs when all kitted up because some drysuits are more flexible, stretchy?
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they are, these were tested fully open. It's not something you should have to reach for in the water though. It's something you need to be able to reach, but basically you leave it closed at the surface if you are staying at the surface for an extended period of time for whatever reason, and then you open it all the way when in the water. Only time you wouldn't do that is if you had to be on your right side for an extended period of time, but either way it's not something you are touching on a regular basis
1) Take the heaviest undergarments you would ever wear under the suit with you and wear them when you try the suit on. A suit that fits great in your skivvies, but is too tight when you put on your undies is a waste of money.
2) I'm no expert, but the next time I try a suit on with the possibility of buying it, I will put on my thickest undies, put on the suit, put on my back plate harness (no wing or tank), kneel on one knee, and see if I can reach behind me and still touch my back plate. I have 2 dry suits now and both of them (as they came from the factory) would prevent me from reaching the valves on my doubles when wearing my cold water undies. That's a little bit about thick undies just naturally limiting your flexibility some, but it's a lot about the cut/fit of the suit. I'm not sure about actually being able to reach my back plate with undies on, but I would basically just be making sure I can reach far enough behind my head to be sure I could reach my tank valves.
3) I've had latex seals all around. With an untrimmed latex neck seal, my suits definitely felt like I was in a bit of a choke hold. I trimmed 3 rings off my latex neck seals and that made them totally tolerable and still never leaked. I recently had one of my suits upgraded to allow user replaceable seals and I got silicone seals all around. The untrimmed silicone neck seal was about as "tight" feeling as my trimmed latex seal. I trimmed the silicone seal and now it is totally comfortable. It doesn't feel like it's choking me at all and it also doesn't feel "pinchy" like the latex does. And it didn't leak on the one day of diving I've done with it so far.
4) One of my suits is a tri-lam. When I get in the water, it does feel like the external water pressure squeezes all the air out of it and it kind of shrink wraps onto my body. I feel like the result is less air trapped inside than when I wear my "compressed" neoprene suit, which fits me fairly snugly (as snug as you'd want a drysuit to be, anyway). I also got my tri-lam changed from attached boots to attached neoprene socks. The socks, with regular wetsuit booties worn over the outside, seem to allow less air (as in, pretty much none) to get into and stay in my feet area, so I feel less likely to have floaty feel turn me upside down. I haven't dived the suit much yet, since I got the neoprene socks, but right now I feel like I will buy all future suits with attached socks, instead of attached boots.
2) I'm no expert, but the next time I try a suit on with the possibility of buying it, I will put on my thickest undies, put on the suit, put on my back plate harness (no wing or tank), kneel on one knee, and see if I can reach behind me and still touch my back plate. I have 2 dry suits now and both of them (as they came from the factory) would prevent me from reaching the valves on my doubles when wearing my cold water undies. That's a little bit about thick undies just naturally limiting your flexibility some, but it's a lot about the cut/fit of the suit. I'm not sure about actually being able to reach my back plate with undies on, but I would basically just be making sure I can reach far enough behind my head to be sure I could reach my tank valves.
3) I've had latex seals all around. With an untrimmed latex neck seal, my suits definitely felt like I was in a bit of a choke hold. I trimmed 3 rings off my latex neck seals and that made them totally tolerable and still never leaked. I recently had one of my suits upgraded to allow user replaceable seals and I got silicone seals all around. The untrimmed silicone neck seal was about as "tight" feeling as my trimmed latex seal. I trimmed the silicone seal and now it is totally comfortable. It doesn't feel like it's choking me at all and it also doesn't feel "pinchy" like the latex does. And it didn't leak on the one day of diving I've done with it so far.
4) One of my suits is a tri-lam. When I get in the water, it does feel like the external water pressure squeezes all the air out of it and it kind of shrink wraps onto my body. I feel like the result is less air trapped inside than when I wear my "compressed" neoprene suit, which fits me fairly snugly (as snug as you'd want a drysuit to be, anyway). I also got my tri-lam changed from attached boots to attached neoprene socks. The socks, with regular wetsuit booties worn over the outside, seem to allow less air (as in, pretty much none) to get into and stay in my feet area, so I feel less likely to have floaty feel turn me upside down. I haven't dived the suit much yet, since I got the neoprene socks, but right now I feel like I will buy all future suits with attached socks, instead of attached boots.
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KevinNM
Contributor
KevinNM
Contributor
KevinNM
Contributor
How about you want to dive in a dry suit instead of an invoice? I find wet invoices offer minimal thermal protection compared to standard size dry suit.
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