Dry Suit Boots

[Flora]

Heres the deal, I got a new drysuit custom made for me and when I tryed on the boots they fit just fine but now that I have my suit the boots are huge! I did my orientation in the pool and my boot kept slipping off my feet.

Does anyone have this poblem? What did you do to fix the problem.


Flora

 

[mossym]

you could try wearing thick socks under the suit, but if they are really big you may have to get smaller boots..

 

[Canadian_Diver]

Heres the deal, I got a new drysuit custom made for me and when I tryed on the boots they fit just fine but now that I have my suit the boots are huge! I did my orientation in the pool and my boot kept slipping off my feet.

Does anyone have this poblem? What did you do to fix the problem.

I initially had this exact same problem with my Oceanic Aerdura drysuit. The boots were enormous despite the fact that they were supposed to fit my feet. My feet would keep slipping out and it was so annoying that I started using DUCT TAPE on my feet..... (please withhold any Red Green jokes please )

I recently took my suit into Sure-Fit, where he had me try on a different boot in a different size. The first ones I tried on fit amazing. He cut the old ones off, fit the new ones on, and removed 1.5 inches from the legs. My suit has never felt better.

I would get this fixed immediately if I were you. It can cause a number of dangerous and unwanted size effects. First and foremost, you are already experiencing, you foot sliding out and causing you discomfort. Diving is supposed to be FUN, not frustrating. This in turn can cause increased air consumption, added stress creating a CO2 build up, etcetera.

Finally, it's going to cause air trapping. This can create dangerous situations causing uncontrolled ascents (feet first where there isn't a dump valve). In addition, the added air trapping can be cause for additional weight that you wouldn't normally need.

I'm 6 feet tall, 250lbs. I was using 42lbs of weight before the modifications, and am now down to 32lbs.

Wearing larger socks or fitting winter boot liners in your foot pockets is a bandaid in my own humble opinion. The $150CDN I spent getting my modifications done was well worth their weight in gold!!

Good luck, and happy diving!!! :thumbs_up

 

[jagfish]

Hi Flora
First, I'd take this issue up with the LDS that had the suit made for you. In the past, our shop has on occasion seen incorrect boots come in and we just send the suit back, and the new ones are installed gratis, of course.

The other posters are quite right, excessively large booties will make diving-life less than pleasant. The boots should fit snugly over the heaviest foot insulation you will need, and you shoudl always wear that insulation. Feet that are too hot are almost never a problem. That way, your boots always fit the same, and fit the same fins.

Canadian diver sounds like he has access to a great coustomization shop...I envy! But why pay more money to customize a custom suit...it just doesn'tmake sense to me...back to the LDS....

 

[diver_paula]

I'd go back to the store. If the boots fit in the store and are huge now that you received your custom suit, chances are the wrong boots were put on the suit. If that's the case, it was either the LDS or drysuit company's error.

Other than that, it's thick socks, fin keepers (depending on the type of boot you have) or you paying to get the suit fixed.

 

[jagfish]

Hey Paula...what's a fin keeper?

 

[mempilot]

Wear dive shoes like Mares booties with ski socks over them to fill the void.

 

[diver_paula]

Hey Paula...what's a fin keeper?

I've never fin keepers as I have neoprene lined rubber boots. Some of my buddies with DUI suit use them. A fin keeper is a rubber strap that goes over your boot. It's hard to describe but the purpose is to keep air out of the boot.

 

[jagfish]

Is this strap raised so that it holds the fin straps in place?

 

[diver_paula]

Is this strap raised so that it holds the fin straps in place?

Jagfish,

I've been looking online and have only found this one picture. www.bluewaterhunter.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/shop_fins.html

In the picture it looks as if the fin keeper is over the fin. However, all my buddies put the fin keepers on when they were in the cabin putting their undies and suits on. They would keep them on all day and then slip their fins on at the appropriate time. i.e. using the fin keeper on the boots only.

I was just thinking the fin keeper could help anchor the original posters boot to her foot if the drysuit boot is the able to take the fin keeper.