DIR- Generic Dry suit accessories most have

[rddvet]

Yea ankle, but also 2 less pieces of gear to forget, no laces.

The Kevlar reinforced turbo soles are a world of difference compared to the single layer ones.

Experienced it. A European guy took my rock boots out of a Mexican dive shop and brought them home to Poland by accident. I still had 5 days of diving left.

I’ve heard the new ones were better. I’m kinda done with dui after horrible issues getting my last custom cut. It took 5 tries and still didn’t fit right. Though that was about 3-4 years ago when all the long term staff quit dui

 

[PfcAJ]

Experienced it. A European guy took my rock boots out of a Mexican dive shop and brought them home to Poland by accident. I still had 5 days of diving left.

I’ve heard the new ones were better. I’m kinda done with dui after horrible issues getting my last custom cut. It took 5 tries and still didn’t fit right. Though that was about 3-4 years ago when all the long term staff quit dui

Custom DUIs are chaos now.

Stock is the way to go and have them lengthen or shorten sleeves and maybe legs as needed. Anything else is a gamble.

 

[crofrog]

The number one feature is having it fit correctly. The sizing of the drysuit controls how much bubble there can in there. If you have overly baggy calves you'll have a more difficult time trimming out, and might find yourself using gaiters.

Generally speaking, I like trilaminate drysuits with telescoping torsos and "self-donning zippers", that being said I also really like my old DUI CF200 except for the fact that it takes 1 year to dry and weighs 47lbs when wet.

As far as suit features

• Some sort of wrist ring system (santi smart seals or kubi are IMO preferable to the si-tech systems)
• "DIR" dump valve position
• I prefer Apeks valves as they've in my experience, been more reliable and consistently dry than si-tech, although I feel like the si-tech dump valves are a bit more sensitive.
• I do not like neck rings, they make taking the suit on and off less pleasant, are less comfortable in the water, can fail (I've seen 2 si-tech rings pop out when people got in the water immediately flooding their suit and ending their dive before it started), and can make it harder to reach your valves.
• Halycon balanced pee-valve, I hook up every time I put the suit on.
• Turbo soles are more comfortable, fit more fins, and offer better control than rock books.
• Expedition sized pockets

 

[crofrog]

I’ve heard the new ones were better. I’m kinda done with dui after horrible issues getting my last custom cut. It took 5 tries and still didn’t fit right. Though that was about 3-4 years ago when all the long term staff quit dui

Comparing the new DUI suits to the 20 year old DUI suits is interesting. The newer ones subjectively are of lower quality. I think there is a reason so many people switched to Santi's the few we have, have been great.

 

[OrcasC205]

I've never really liked integrated boots on the Santi's I've tried, so I went with neoprene socks when I ordered one. At first I was using my DUI rock boots, but I've since replaced them with Altama "Urban Assault Mid-Cut" boots and they work much better. They seem to work well for the rocky shore diving entries around here without impinging on ankle mobility as much as my DUI hi-tops did.

 

[ofg-1]

I have a custom Seaskin Nova trilam. The build quality is good. A couple of things:
Get someone that knows what they are doing to measure you.
Read all the option boxes on the order form.
I cant recommend the heavy duty neck seal or the warm collar option iunless you are in to suffocation. The neck seal has lasted 5 years now, but damn it was tight.
There is an option for heavy undergarments. Seaskin will add material to the suit if you choose this option.
I cheeped out on the pee valve- DONT!
I have the neoprene socks and wear wet suit booties over them, but I am in Florida where if the water is less than 60 degrees, I stay home.
I use Weezle undergarments.

 

[lostsheep]

Better ankle mobility for kicks. I thought it was bs for a while and personally don’t like the dui turbosoles. They always leak on me. So for years I used rock boots. When I went to a santi suit I went with their turbosoles and the added ankle mobility really does help

I was thinking of getting neoprene socks instead of boots. Since It add an extra layer of warmth

I am a fan of socks stuffed into wetsuit boots.

Turbosoles were strongly recommended to me by my DIR buddies when I was getting a drysuit and I balked, to me they look to fragile. We have some rough approaches out here and my boots take a beating. My choice was made for me as the CLX450 I ended up with was used and I was too broke at the time to change out the socks. The rock boots that came with that suit didn't fit so I just stuffed the socks inside my wetsuit boots; no laces, no fin keepers, boots are cheap to replace and I don’t get air in my feet. I wear smart wool socks underneath; between the wool, and two layers of neoprene I've been good down to 40 degrees. I can also use exact same boot / fin combo when I get to dive in warm water.

FWIW, I’m not a fan of the stiff boots or converse either. On my Santi, I had the hard boots cut off and replaced with socks.

Not sure what to tell someone who forgets their boots except maybe diving isn’t for them

 

[Wibble]

My last two suits:

• Pee valve. Simply essential. Have only used the Halcyon ones which work well.
• Big top-quality Velcro sealed pockets with dividers and several bungee loops. Mine are on the sides which is harder with sidemount.
• Dry gloves. Had Kubis on the previous suit and would happily have them again. Current Santi has their Magic Rings which work well, maybe just have the edge on Kubis. Tend to use the G17K gloves (or equivalent) unless it's very cold.
• Replaceable silicone wrist seals, standard with the Magic Rings. Latex degrades.
• Socks and rockboots. If walking through sand/mud/crap/coal then you can keep them separate from the suit even in a plastic bag. Socks means the suit can be turned inside out. Boots can be replaced when they wear out. Haven't used TurboSoles; only the lack of removing them means I'm not bothered.
• Si-Tech quick neck seal. If you put your finger through the neck seal, it's a 10 minute job to replace the seal. I prefer silcone over latex or neoprene.
• Si-Tech dump. It's more sensitive then the Apeks IMHO. It works.
• Convenience (fly) zip. This is not for peeing through, but for ventilation and being able to get to the end of the pee valve for cleaning and retrieving the quick disconnect. On the current Santi, it is in the telescopic fold meaning it's covered over.
• Hang-Air hanger with fan. For quickly drying the suit and leaving it hung up in the garage.
• Plastic zip. Been very pleased with them in comparison with the metal zips. Must look after them and regularly lubricate them with the soft "lipstick" wax. Be very careful when folding the suit such that the zips aren't sharply bent.
• Heated undersuit. Lots of money but well worth it in a cold deco hang.

 

[crofrog]

I am a fan of socks stuffed into wetsuit boots.

Turbosoles were strongly recommended to me by my DIR buddies when I was getting a drysuit and I balked, to me they look to fragile. We have some rough approaches out here and my boots take a beating. My choice was made for me as the CLX450 I ended up with was used and I was too broke at the time to change out the socks. The rock boots that came with that suit didn't fit so I just stuffed the socks inside my wetsuit boots; no laces, no fin keepers, boots are cheap to replace and I don’t get air in my feet. I wear smart wool socks underneath; between the wool, and two layers of neoprene I've been good down to 40 degrees. I can also use exact same boot / fin combo when I get to dive in warm water.

FWIW, I’m not a fan of the stiff boots or converse either. On my Santi, I had the hard boots cut off and replaced with socks.

Not sure what to tell someone who forgets their boots except maybe diving isn’t for them

That is the only way I liked socks. I found the santi style boots a lot warmer and more comfortable than the wetsuit boots over socks. The wetsuit boots had better fin control and the fin felt more secure

 

[lostsheep]

That is the only way I liked socks. I found the santi style boots a lot warmer and more comfortable than the wetsuit boots over socks. The wetsuit boots had better fin control and the fin felt more secure

What temperatures are you diving? I'm sure there is a range there so perhaps a better question would be at what temperatures did you have a problem with the wetsuit boots and attached socks?

Before diving became my primary hobby, I spent a decent amount of time in the high sierras mountaineering, backcountry snowboarding, and snow camping. Layering is key for variable conditions; not just changing layers but making sure the "system" is somewhat modular in that different combinations of layers can be used as needed but in the worst case scenario everything can be worn at once. Diving is obviously a bit different as you don't have to hike everything in for several days so weight isn't a factor, but I believe the principle is similar.