Question DIY Thigh Pocket Addition on drysuit - Worth the Warranty Risk?

[Submarine_MiG]

I've been using my DUI Coronado drysuit for almost a year now, with around 20 dives recorded. I'm considering adding thigh pockets to both thighs myself. The cost of having this done by DUI is significantly higher, at $320 plus shipping for two cargo pockets, compared to doing it myself, which would cost at most $200 for the glue and pockets. The DIY method seems feasible and non-invasive, as it involves just gluing the pockets directly onto the suit without puncturing it.

However, my main concern is about the warranty. Here’s what DUI's warranty policy states:

DUI warrants that your Standard drysuits: Coronado II, Yukon II, Cortez, and CD300-Sport (except for the neck seal, wrist seals, zipper and valves) will each be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of (3) years from the date of your original retail purchase of the drysuit, with proof of purchase.

DUI warrants that the zipper, the exhaust valves, the inlet valve and crotch strap for your purchased drysuit will be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one (1) year from the date of your original retail purchase of the drysuit, with proof of purchase.

This warranty does not cover wear and tear from normal use.

This warranty does not cover fading or any other damage resulting from misuse, willful damage, abuse, negligence, neglect, alteration, failure to perform maintenance as instructed, damage caused by contaminants, or unauthorized repair or service of or relating to your purchased drysuit and/or dry suit accessories.

My hesitation is due to the potential difficulty in distinguishing whether any future issues are due to manufacturer defects or general wear and tear, even without any modifications. This makes me question whether the risk of potentially voiding the warranty by adding the pockets myself is worth the significant cost savings.

Has anyone here added pockets to their drysuit on their own? I'm eager to hear your thoughts on the trade-off between potentially voiding the warranty and saving costs through a DIY approach. Any personal experiences or insights would be incredibly helpful!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Aquaseal requires weights. Contact adhesives do not work the same way.

From the SC4000 product sheet:
SC 4000 Cement is a room temperature curing liquid rubber adhesive that, when catalyzed with the appropriate amount of E-40 Hardener, yields high strength adhesions without the aid of heat, pressure or special equipment.

Aquaseal really isn't a great adhesive. It's a sealant.

But it works well for this application. I've been using it for this for 15 years and it's what XS Scuba includes with the pockets they sold for gluing them on. Each pocket had a tube in the package with it.

 

[Still Kicking]

But it works well for this application. I've been using it for this for 15 years and it's what XS Scuba includes with the pockets they sold for gluing them on. Each pocket had a tube in the package with it.

Aquaseal works great on fabrics like trilam and cordura that don't stretch. On sufaces that stretch, like neoperne, the Aquaeal tears away because it doesn't stretch to any signicfant degree. You have to use neoprene cement, which has some stretch even after it's cured.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Aquaseal works great on fabrics like trilam and cordura that don't stretch. On sufaces that stretch, like neoperne, the Aquaeal tears away because it doesn't stretch to any signicfant degree. You have to use neoprene cement, which has some stretch even after it's cured.

If the aquaseal is tearing away, the pocket was not applied properly. If you stretch the suit by putting it on and marking the outline of the pocket, then cut cardboard and wrap it with a towel so that the pocket now fits the outline, the pocket will not come off, nor will the suit tear. Like I said in my post above, my 5mm Pinnacle Merino has had pockets on both thighs for 15 years with no evidence of tearing or separation. The seams on my 3 mil merino that is 12 years old started coming apart, but the pockets have remained intact. Pre-stretching and applying them while the material is stretched ensures the bond will be fine and the suit stretch not constricted. On naked neoprene, yeah, there will be a problem. But very few suits don't have a covering of some type of fabric bonded to them. Over a dozen wetsuit with zero failures and numerous students and customers that have followed the procedure I use have not reported any problems.

 

[crofrog]

But it works well for this application. I've been using it for this for 15 years and it's what XS Scuba includes with the pockets they sold for gluing them on. Each pocket had a tube in the package with it.

Have you used the contact adhesives?

I’ve used both extensively

 

[SlugLife]

(I'm considering this step) Use blue tape to mark the outer area, which will help with any excess glue removal for a cleaner finish.

That sounds like something I should have done!

Aquaseal requires weights. Contact adhesives do not work the same way.

Interesting!

Aquaseal really isn't a great adhesive. It's a sealant.

Trying to use aquaseal as an adhesive, I got the worst results of anything I tried.

 

[TooCold]

+1 for the 620 adhesive - my first use of that was to attach pockets to my trilam drysuit. The back of the pockets were/are neoprene, so it was a trilam to neoprene bond. They've held up really well.

Some details about what worked for me:
1. I was obsessive about prepping and cleaning the surfaces before applying the glue.
2. I used 3 coats on the trilam and 4 on the pocket. The first coats were diluted/thinned considerably, the second coats a little bit, and last coat(s) not thinned. I wanted to make sure that the adhesive filled/gripped all the surface texture of the materials.
3. I avoided wax paper because I imagined leaving any waxy residue behind might degrade the bond. I used parchment paper instead (which I think is impregnated with silicone instead of wax).
4. I used a brayer (hard rubber roller) to press the pocket on.
5. After attaching I added some weight and left it alone for 24 hours.
5. I did the pockets on separate days so the first wouldn't be jostled while the glue was still drying.

So, none of this is advice - it's just what worked for me, with probably a dose of harmless superstition thrown in.
Since doing the pockets several years ago I've used the 620 adhesive for several other repair and "construction" jobs, like patching a torn neck seal with a length of bicycle inner tube (what I had handy at the time). That was about 5 dives ago and it's still holding up so my planned neck seal replacement (it's the glued on type) is still on hold.

Good luck, and if you go ahead with it I look forward to your update on how it went for you...

 

[Submarine_MiG]

Thank you, everyone, for sharing your experiences. I've decided to go with the 620 adhesive, mainly because the SC4000 and E-40 seem hard to find. The only seller I found is in Ebay from Lithuania, and I'm a bit hesitant about that.

Regarding the 620 adhesive, the instructions suggest sandpapering the suit and cleaning surfaces with acetone. I'm concerned that sandpapering might compromise the integrity of the drysuit, although I'm okay with doing it on the pocket side. Also, is using acetone on the drysuit safe? I know it's a strong solvent, and I'm worried it might damage the material.

Here is instructions from DGX for reference:

Suggested application method:

• Use sandpaper or abrasive to open surface of the suit material to be adhered.
• Prior to application of adhesive, clean surfaces with acetone.
• Apply adhesive to both surfaces in a very thin layer.
• Adhesive can be diluted with acetone to make it more liquid.
• Let both parts dry slightly until surface is not wet any more.
• If you prefer, apply one or two additional coats and allow surface to dry slightly after each coat.
• Press the parts together and maintain constant pressure while curing.
• Allow time to cure for minimum of 12 hours before use.

As for the pocket selection, I'm considering several options, each with its own features and price points:

• DGX Thigh Pocket ($49): Affordable, sturdy, but unsure about the mesh drain.
• Dive Rite RZ Pocket ($75): Slimmer design, like the lanyard loop, but a bit pricey.
• Subgravity Pocket ($47): Simple design, affordable, prefer the 3 drain holes over mesh drain.
• Highland Thigh Pocket ($50): Like the D-ring, but mixed feelings about flap does not attach to the pocket directly.

I'm also open to other pocket recommendations, so if you know of any good options, please let me know!

Also, thanks to @TooCold for the heads-up about the waxy residue from wax paper. I'll use parchment paper instead. Once everything is done, I'll definitely update everyone on how it went!

 

[crofrog]

Thank you, everyone, for sharing your experiences. I've decided to go with the 620 adhesive, mainly because the SC4000 and E-40 seem hard to find. The only seller I found is in Ebay from Lithuania, and I'm a bit hesitant about that.

Regarding the 620 adhesive, the instructions suggest sandpapering the suit and cleaning surfaces with acetone. I'm concerned that sandpapering might compromise the integrity of the drysuit, although I'm okay with doing it on the pocket side. Also, is using acetone on the drysuit safe? I know it's a strong solvent, and I'm worried it might damage the material.

I use MEK to clean the suits, and have used acetone in the past I wouldn't worry about it for a single exposure, a light scuffing of the suit is what I'd do it was trilam. the cool thing about a pocket is if it starts to come off you can always just try again not so much the case with a neck seal or wrist seal.

Here is instructions from DGX for reference:


As for the pocket selection, I'm considering several options, each with its own features and price points:

• DGX Thigh Pocket ($49): Affordable, sturdy, but unsure about the mesh drain.
• Dive Rite RZ Pocket ($75): Slimmer design, like the lanyard loop, but a bit pricey.
• Subgravity Pocket ($47): Simple design, affordable, prefer the 3 drain holes over mesh drain.
• Highland Thigh Pocket ($50): Like the D-ring, but mixed feelings about flap does not attach to the pocket directly.

I'm also open to other pocket recommendations, so if you know of any good options, please let me know!

Also, thanks to @TooCold for the heads-up about the waxy residue from wax paper. I'll use parchment paper instead. Once everything is done, I'll definitely update everyone on how it went!

I've used the highland, DGX and Light Monkey pockets personally. The highland pockets build quality was not great. The DGX mesh is good it drains much faster than grommets (but doesn't really matter)

My opinion is though that the pockets should have bungie instead of cord it greatly helps clipping and they should be big pockets and my favorite pocket is the halcyon expedition one,

Halcyon Bellowed large exploration pocket, Velcro & Zipper closures

Bellowed large exploration pocket, Velcro & Zipper closures

scubadelphia.com

The sub-gravity one also appears to have bungees but I don't have direct first hand experience.

Size matters it depends on what your diving is like but it's not uncommon for my pockets to have:

Right pocket:

• backup mask
• wet notes
• back up cordless primary light
• safety spool
• mask defog (in the zippered top)
• signal mirror (in the zippered top)

Left pocket:

• cookies and arrows
• spool(s)
• SMB
• gopro
• strobe

Not everything comes on every dive, but sometimes it does (like on a wreck dive)

 

[lexvil]

While you have a lot of how to info here if I were worried about the Warranty from DUI I wouldn’t do any of this, it’s likely they would jump at the chance to void the warranty.

a more productive use of money would be to order a new suit from Seaskin which won’t cost much more the having DUI install a pocket.

after that just install the pocket on the suit and dive.

 

[TooCold]

Regarding the 620 adhesive, the instructions suggest sandpapering the suit and cleaning surfaces with acetone. I'm concerned that sandpapering might compromise the integrity of the drysuit, although I'm okay with doing it on the pocket side. Also, is using acetone on the drysuit safe? I know it's a strong solvent, and I'm worried it might damage the material

You just want to scuff up the surface to increase the surface area - give the adhesive some "tooth" to grab onto.

If 620 adhesive is safe to use on your drysuit material then it's safe to use acetone to clean: 620 is 25% acetone, 18% hexane, 16% toluene. I just woudn't soak the material - it just wants a light rub to clean any surface oils etc. I've used 620 with success on trilam, neoprene, nylon-coated neoprene, latex rubber, butyl rubber.