DIR and Drysuits

[MHK]

Why is this? If you know

Because they think the suit should fit the way that they cut it, so if you want a suit cut a different way they want no responsibility if upon receipt of the suit you think it's too tight. It's a corporate way of saying " I told you so". My big problem with signing the waiver, which I did when I bought my last DUI, was that if they make a mistake using the cave cut measurements, you are still somewhat screwed.

Hope that helps.

Later

 

[vlada]

Hey guys just a quick comment here..

One of the reasons I specifically avoid telling my students about specific reliance on brand names is because the concept gets lost in the equation, and then if the brand name changes, or the product changes they are left without adequate information.

The concept that is important in the instant case isn't a "CF-200" per se, it's that ANY suit that has varying buoyancy characteristics should be avoided. More often then not divers tend to believe that the suit itself is what keeps a diver warm, so they opt for ideas like a CF-200. Whereas the educated diver knows that the undergarment is what keeps the diver warm, argon notwithstanding. As such, the educated diver opts for an undergarment that will be sufficient for the environment and then opts for a shell suit. The benefit is, of course, that the buoyancy characteristics of a shell suit is the same at 10' as it is at 300'. Neoprene, and to a lesser extent, crushed neoprene suits will require added weight for your 10' stop but upon compression at depth will require less weight. That in turn means that a diver will be at depth will more weight then need be. Particularly if you are doing deeper diving, with multiple tank(s), stage or deco bottles, strong currents etc. etc. the added weight caused by the neoprene can lead to unecessary work, which can add to C02 accumulation, added narcosis and so on..

That is why we recommend the shell suit -v- the neoprene or crushed neoprene.

Hope that helps..

Regards,

Michael H. Kane

Mike, where's your info about CF200 comes from? Just wondering if you knew smth that the company did not disclose on its website, 'cause you are not sayn' what they are sayn' on the bouyancy part

We all know that what makes the neo suits to change bouyancy at depth is the compresison of bubbles - in case of CF200, there are none - as stated on the website and the little book that comes with the suit.

My experience with the suit confirms the DUI statement - my CF200 does not change its boyuancy with depth and being negative to start with, it certainly does not require additional weight

Thanks

 

[bcsean]

the CF200 is still Neoprene, whether crushed or not. It will require far less weight, and change far less regarding buoyancy at depth, but the change is still there. A shell suit has no compressability at all. The changes may be small, but they are still there in a crushed Neo suit.

 

[MarcHall]

Why is this? If you know

I agree with MHK's comment.

My experience with DUI is that they are comfortable building suits that an experienced DIR diver would say are too bulky. If they build a suit and its too large they may try and convince you that the suit fits.

This happened with a friend's cave cut DUI TLS-350 (measured at DUI) that I call the "pickle barrel" suit because it fit her like a pickle barrel. She took it in and they initially tried to convince her that the suit fit and would perhaps allow room for her to gain weight. They agreed to modified it after looking at the cut of her previous non-cave cut TLS-350 that was done when she was 15-20 lbs heavier. The older suit was a much better fit.

All that said I have another friend who is on his third fitting of Diving Concepts Dry Suit.

I will also say that I am pretty happy with my 2 TLS-350 although the second one built to the same pattern as the first is bit larger in both length and cicurmference of the legs.

So my advise is too be patient and don't expect your suit to fit on the first go around.

Marc Hall
www.enjoythedive.com

 

[divegeek]

... and given DUI's notorious poor tailoring, there's a good chance you'll wind up with a bad fit..

What manufacturer do YOU prefer? I'm sure you have a number of dry suits. I'm looking to get my first.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

ahem ... I don't think we should start getting into specific brands here ... because this is a problem that I don't think is endemic to one or two manufacturers. Nor do I think any manufacturer (to my observation) has a lock on producing a consistently well-fitting custom suit. I've seen poor-fitting custom suits by quite a number of manufacturers ... including some custom-built suits that were designed specifically for our favorite DIR facility. I know several divers ... including one GUE videographer ... who have had to send their suits back two or three or more times to get them to fit properly. So it's not a matter of "what suit do you wear". It's often more a matter of "can you afford to keep sending your suit back till they get it right" ... which most any drysuit manufacturer will do if you're persistent enough.

Poor tailoring of custom drysuits is in part due to the manner in which the suit gets measured ... sometimes a matter of who's doing the measuring (there's some subjectivity involved) ... and sometimes a matter of how the software used to determine the cut of your suit interprets the measurements.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[LUBOLD8431]

Well, I really dont think that the measurements make a big difference. When I got my signature series suit from DUI, the first suit I got was HUGE on me. I was measured by a DUI rep, and I double checked the measurements also. I called DUI, asked them if I could send the suit back, they said yes, no problem. So, they made me a new suit. The first one was based on a XXL pattern (which you have to wonder, why do they have to measure you then?), the second one was based on an XL. The second one fit much better...

Now, just last week, I ordered an Andys DS3 custom suit. I should be getting it in a couple of weeks. I will let you know how this one comes out.

 

[kalvyn]

Now, just last week, I ordered an Andys DS3 custom suit. I should be getting it in a couple of weeks. I will let you know how this one comes out.

I just ordered the same Andy's suit myself, custom cut. I got measured twice, by two different folks at the shop where I ordered it. The two sets of measurements came out different, though not by much. When there was a discrepancy between the first and second measurements they checked a third time to make sure. I'll also let everyone know how it turns out... they said 4 to 6 weeks before it's done.

Jimmie

 

[Jonathan]

If you take DIR-Fundamentals, your instructor will walk you through what fits and what doesn't, and why.

The truth is what they tell you is - "Custom made? Well they could have fitted the pockets in the right place"

That's all I got about my neoprene dry suit - never mentioned that it should be a shell. That pretty much wraps up the dry suit discussion on my course...

Oh, and he was not happy about our under suits - 3 out of 4 were wearing jogger trousers and sweat shirts and we were told we were "cheating" ?!?! We were diving at the coldest time of the year and I was plenty toasty in my (neoprene) dry suit (the others were in shells but also warm enough) - min water temp is around 14 degrees (centigrade).

So why is that cheating? Apart from the 5th D salesman I don't see we were cheating anyone...

Jonathan

 

[divenut2001]

OK, that brings me to my next question. What type of under garments does DIR advocate, Fleece or Thinsulate and where can I get one custom made (in Northern Ca)? I have a stock fleece that fits around my torso but has too much extra material left over in the legs. I would post this in the Nor Cal section too but it's not excepting new threads.

Instructor Joe Talavera are you out there?