Dry Suit and DIR question

[H2Andy]

You would be much better served by a DUI TLS suit.

like johnnythan, i'm curious too...

how come? i'm also considering a DUI TLS350 (higher price) and would appreciate
any pro's / con's as to each.

Simon: have you tried a DiveRite 905 Large on? was it too small for you? just
right? the one i'm thinking of buying is a large.

 

[simbrooks]

have you tried a DiveRite 905 Large on? was it too small for you? just right? the one i'm thinking of buying is a large.

The XL (for my height) is a bit big on my chest, my Zeagle is fine in pretty much every direction (although i would like slightly longer arms - i get by with moving the seals up my wrist a bit further).

 

[Reinoud]

like johnnythan, i'm curious too...

how come? i'm also considering a DUI TLS350 (higher price) and would appreciate
any pro's / con's as to each.

I would suggest you try putting on a TLS 350 in a shop somewhere and see how it feels. For me the difference (especially in how I was able to move) was huge. I think I can do a few laps of breaststroke in my TLS without any problems.

 

[Dan Gibson]

Because he will eventually end up with one, so why not get it right from the start. Why waste money buying several suits to figure this out. This is generally the response you will get.

So, RTodd, why would he be better served by a TLS?

 

[H2Andy]

I would suggest you try putting on a TLS 350 in a shop somewhere and see how it feels.

i followed your advice and did. actually, i fit almost perfectly into a stock Medium
TLS 350. the only problem is i my legs are two inches too short. we can solve that
by tucking the excess "leg height" and using gators to keep the fabric in place.

otherwise, the Medium fits me perfectly.

i think i'm going for the TLS 350

 

[jonnythan]

i followed your advice and did. actually, i fit almost perfectly into a stock Medium
TLS 350. the only problem is i my legs are two inches too short. we can solve that
by tucking the excess "leg height" and using gators to keep the fabric in place.

otherwise, the Medium fits me perfectly.

i think i'm going for the TLS 350

Out of curiosity, what's your height and weight?

 

[H2Andy]

i am 5'10'' and right around 175 lbs (haven't weighted myself in a while)

 

[Dan Gibson]

You could always have Mark at Superior take out the extra length if the fit remains good.

i followed your advice and did. actually, i fit almost perfectly into a stock Medium
TLS 350. the only problem is i my legs are two inches too short. we can solve that
by tucking the excess "leg height" and using gators to keep the fabric in place.

otherwise, the Medium fits me perfectly.

i think i'm going for the TLS 350

 

[GUEdiver]

Hi Andy, I have to echo some of the previous comments. In helping friends who were trying out the drysuit choices, a number of them bought and tried other options, but ended up getting a DUI shell suit in the long run. I was glad I didn't make a bunch of other purchases first (ending up spending more money in the long run). A close friend had me in the TLS 350 from day one. Incidentally, I am still on that original suit and it has been extremely reliable, over 250 dives on it, and whenever I have contacted DUI for anything they have been great on the customer service side (putting pockets on, adding turbosoles, etc). Also they are not too tough to work on; I replaced the wrist and neck seals myself.

I can say a couple of my other friends who cave dive just about 100% of their time (twice a week or more) use the Atlan neoprene suits because they like the (lower) price and the fact that they are very "slick", therefore cutting the drag factor in higher flow caves that they are in all the time (Devil's, Little River, etc.). But they also admit the Atlan suits are not as versatile as the DUI TLS units for quick drying, easy to pack, usable in all types of conditions, etc. So they get their DUIs out for colder diving and ocean stuff.

Best of luck as you shop and keep asking for a lot of opinions. Dive often - remember experience and practice pay big dividends...not to mention the fun.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I put over 200 dives on my TLS350, but only about a dozen were completely dry. I sent it back to DUI twice. The first time the found some pinholes, the second time they couldn't find any. When I got it back I ran a light against the inside of the suit and found five pinholes. I patched them, but it also leaked from the Turbo Soles and the zipper. A local GUE instructor, Michael Kane told me I should have bought the proper shell suit to begin with. I now have a Diving Concepts suit that I've been happy with so far.