Custom vs Off-The-Rack Dry Suit

[scott7685]

Looking for real-world perspective from people who, for their first dry suit, went with custom and in retrospect shifted to off-the-rack or the opposite direction. The custom ones seem pretty sweet, but really I am wondering how much of a practical difference people have found in them, especially if you fall into the typical size range that off-the-rack suits are tailored to.

Background is my son and I have our dry suit class coming up and following that will be purchasing suits once we learn more about the different types during the class.

For reference, we are Northeast US divers, so the location of dives would be offshore NJ, Great Lakes, and other lake/quarry locations.

 

[flymolo]

Off the rack is definitely easier IMO

 

[Zef]

If your body morphology is such that you fall into the typical size range for off-the-rack suits as you mention, and they fit you well, and they have the features you want, and the price is good, then purchase an-off-the-rack suit....if not, then go custom.

My wife went with a custom made-to-measure suit because off-the-rack of any brand didn't fit her, the made-to-measure route for her provided her with a comfortable, well fitting suit. A drysuit that fits well is a motivator to dive...a drysuit that doesn't fit well will become an excuse to not dive, or can be dangerous if it is too big.

The biggest benefit of a made-to-measure suit, is that if the measurements are carefully taken, then you can get an a suit that fits exceptionally well and depending on the manufacturer, you can get the options you desire.

Seaskin from the UK seem to consistently be the go to brand for made-to-measure drysuits. Seaskin offers a tremendous amount of options to choose from at price that has been hard to beat.

The biggest negative of a made-to-measure suit is if you are not an off-the-rack size it may be more difficult to sell if/when you decide to.

You don't mention how old your son is. Is he still growing? I mention this becuase drysuits in general are expensive and not all that flexible when it comes to changes in body morphology (gaining/loosing weight or growth spurts)....you don't want to buy a suit that is too large for your son to "grow into" as that will cause challenges and dangers while the suit is too large. If the suit fits perfectly now, a growth spurt may quickly render the suit uncomfortable or even unusable.

One thing is certain and cannot be stated enough is that fit is everything when it comes to a drysuit.

-Z

 

[DanBMW]

Two things to consider and the first is, are you and your son, normal size? Can you eaisly wear off the rack wetsuits? If they fit correctly, an off the rack dry suit is probably OK. Dry suits also seem to have more size variations than regular wet suits. The second concern is neutral buoyancy. To me, it's critical to enjoying your dive and being comfortable in the water. A wet or dry suit that does not fit correctly will have you fighting buoyancy throughout your dive, and you will struggle unnecessarily.

 

[scott7685]

If your body morphology is such that you fall into the typical size range for off-the-rack suits as you mention, and they fit you well, and they have the features you want, and the price is good, then purchase an-off-the-rack suit....if not, then go custom.

My wife went with a custom made-to-measure suit because off-the-rack of any brand didn't fit her, the made-to-measure route for her provided her with a comfortable, well fitting suit. A drysuit that fits well is a motivator to dive...a drysuit that doesn't fit well will become an excuse to not dive, or can be dangerous if it is too big.

The biggest benefit of a made-to-measure suit, is that if the measurements are carefully taken, then you can get an a suit that fits exceptionally well and depending on the manufacturer, you can get the options you desire.

Seaskin from the UK seem to consistently be the go to brand for made-to-measure drysuits. Seaskin offers a tremendous amount of options to choose from at price that has been hard to beat.

The biggest negative of a made-to-measure suit is if you are not an off-the-rack size it may be more difficult to sell if/when you decide to.

You don't mention how old your son is. Is he still growing? I mention this becuase drysuits in general are expensive and not all that flexible when it comes to changes in body morphology (gaining/loosing weight or growth spurts)....you don't want to buy a suit that is too large for your son to "grow into" as that will cause challenges and dangers while the suit is too large. If the suit fits perfectly now, a growth spurt may quickly render the suit uncomfortable or even unusable.

One thing is certain and cannot be stated enough is that fit is everything when it comes to a drysuit.

-Z

Thanks Z. My son is 17 so while height it probably pretty much done, he inevitably will still bulk out over the coming years as he continues to mature. It was an item definitely on my mind when I was thinking about what to look for.

I have checked out Seaskin quite a few times and their customization is impressive which is one of the reasons I was curious about people's first hand experience of custom vs off-the-rack, especially for "average" sized people.

** pre-flame warning for any keyboard warriors reading...I only mean "average" in the context of relative to the typical S/M/L/XL/etc sizes that manufacturers use to create dry suits **

 

[scott7685]

Two things to consider and the first is, are you and your son, normal size? Can you eaisly wear off the rack wetsuits? If they fit correctly, an off the rack dry suit is probably OK. Dry suits also seem to have more size variations than regular wet suits. The second concern is neutral buoyancy. To me, it's critical to enjoying your dive and being comfortable in the water. A wet or dry suit that does not fit correctly will have you fighting buoyancy throughout your dive, and you will struggle unnecessarily.

Thanks for highlighting the buoyancy aspect of an ill-fitting suit...certainly lots of stories on this board about panics coming from trapped air, etc. I wonder how many of those stories could be attributed to ill-fitted suits vs training/competency.

 

[lexvil]

Off the rack are usually a mix of compromise. If you can fit in one well it is a pay and done, with a custom and honest measurements it will fit and not have you chasing the bubble.

Seaskin is also usually less expensive

 

[Zef]

Thanks Z. My son is 17 so while height it probably pretty much done, he inevitably will still bulk out over the coming years as he continues to mature. It was an item definitely on my mind when I was thinking about what to look for.

I have checked out Seaskin quite a few times and their customization is impressive which is one of the reasons I was curious about people's first hand experience of custom vs off-the-rack, especially for "average" sized people.

** pre-flame warning for any keyboard warriors reading...I only mean "average" in the context of relative to the typical S/M/L/XL/etc sizes that manufacturers use to create dry suits **

If you expect changes in body size as you explained, then I would recommend looking for a Whites Fusion or Aqualung Fusion drysuit as your son's first suit.

The Fusion drysuit is a 2 piece suit...the first piece is the core of the suit that is a waterproof membrane material that is designed to keep the diver dry. The second piece is a neoprene (or lycra depending on the model) outer cover that keeps the suit streamlined to the body and also serves as a sacrificial layer taking the brunt of most wear and tear/snags while preserving the core of the suit. The suit's core piece is cut oversize to accomodate a range of diver's body morphology (height and weight) and adapts well to divers that might experience significant changes over the period they own the suit. The outer neoprene skin layer keeps the bulk of the oversized suit streamlined to the body so one is not diving an unweildy oversize bag of a drysuit. The other benefit of a Fusion suit is that it accomodates diffrent thickness and/or layers of undergarments really well, making it quit adapatable to comfortably diving in quite a wide range of water temperatures.

The consensus on Scuba Board regarding the Fusion suits is that folks either love their Fusion suit, or hate it. I have had one since 2018 and enjoy diving with it. In that time frame, my body weight has swung in both direction, so much so that I would have needed to purchase multiple suits to accomodate my size shift had I not purchased the Fusion.

-Z

 

[Badger7]

I tried on quite a few off-the-rack drysuits and either the legs were way too long or the shoulders were too tight. MTM was really my only good option (wide shoulders and short legs), and the fact that seaskins were about as inexpensive as you can get for a decent quality drysuit didn't hurt. The custom fit was dead-on, I enjoy the suit, and I really liked being able to spec every single configuration to what I wanted. After using it for about a year, starting getting a bit damp. Leak test determined that the seam seal tape that runs along the zipper on the inside of the suit was delaminating off the zipper. I could have sent it back in for repairs but did it myself with a little patience and aquaseal. For the thousands I'd save, my next drysuit in a few years will likely be another seaskin. If I could get a decent deal on an in-stock suit that actually fit, I'd probably do that instead.

 

[scott7685]

I tried on quite a few off-the-rack drysuits and either the legs were way too long or the shoulders were too tight. MTM was really my only good option (wide shoulders and short legs), and the fact that seaskins were about as inexpensive as you can get for a decent quality drysuit didn't hurt. The custom fit was dead-on, I enjoy the suit, and I really liked being able to spec every single configuration to what I wanted. After using it for about a year, starting getting a bit damp. Leak test determined that the seam seal tape that runs along the zipper on the inside of the suit was delaminating off the zipper. I could have sent it back in for repairs but did it myself with a little patience and aquaseal. For the thousands I'd save, my next drysuit in a few years will likely be another seaskin. If I could get a decent deal on an in-stock suit that actually fit, I'd probably do that instead.

I was wondering if someone was going to weigh in with a story like this...more specifically, it seems like the price for Seakskin custom made suits is pretty much within the same range as buying many of the highly regarded off-the-rack dry suits.

So my follow-up question, Badger, was do you think all things being equal (ie, assume an off-the-rack one fit your body type) that the quality between the Seaskin vs the off-the-rack ones is similar?