Crushed Neoprene OR Trilam?

[Diver0001]

Is that because they did not have proper insulation underneath or just a characteristic of shell suits? - is there an ideal temperature range for a crushed neoprene suit?

Tim

I can use mine for 45-60 min dives right down to the freezing point with a proper undersuit. Above about 5C and it's comfortable enough for longer dives, above 10C and water temp doesn't limit the length of the dive and above 18C and it's too warm for any kind of exertion. Everyone's limits are different but this is my experience.

Crushed neoprene is much tougher than wetsuit neoprene. Also, drysuits made with crushed neoprene have a fabric covering over the neoprene that you'd have to cut through as well.

R..

 

[kidspot]

Thanks Diver0001,

It never drops below 73f here (18C approx) but eventually I'd like to learn to dive dry so that I would be prepared for other climates when I travel to the mainland. Don't see too many drysuits in the tropics though (a few, but not many...)

Aloha, Tim

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

A shell suit has no insulation at all. It's just a bag.

 

[H2Andy]

yup... as i've recently found out... but you can layer underneath, so is it more
flexible than neoprene, in terms of "layering?"

can you really layer under neoprene at all? just curious

 

[jonnythan]

Crushed neoprene and compressed neoprene are very, very different beasts.

Only DUI makes crushed neoprene suits.

 

[markfm]

Yes, you can layer under neoprene.I had polypro plus polartec, for exactly 2 dives, sweat hugely, then just switched to the polypro and a bergelene t-shirt.
Northern Diver makes "hyper compressed" drysuits. "Hyper" means it must be high tech

 

[kidspot]

Crushed neoprene and compressed neoprene are very, very different beasts.

Only DUI makes crushed neoprene suits.

So what's the practical difference between compressed and crushed?

Tim

 

[jonnythan]

So what's the practical difference between compressed and crushed?

Tim

Compressed neoprene is very much like normal neoprene.. maybe a *little* bit denser, but not much. It's squishy, is buoyant (has air bubbles), and stretches quite a bit.

Crushed neoprene is devoid of air bubbles, and hence is not really squishy and is negatively buoyant, thinner, and doesn't stretch a whole lot.