Dry Suit - Neoprene or shell - which is better (with poll :))

[Duncan Price]

A Weasel Extreme keeps you toasty (even when wet) and wicks away moisture to the outer layer. You can get the Extreme+ for really cold water but I just put an extra underlayer on whereas normally I just wear some briefs.

Duncan

 

[lady6gill]

I agree with the comment that it depends on what you're doing, what you've learnt with and what you find comfortable. I've dove with both neopene and trilam. My personal choice is neoprene for a couple reasons
1) I found it a lot warmer! I do a lot of deep diving and have never found I get cold at depth with neoprene.
2.) Believe it or not, I find neoprene easier to get in and out of. With the shell I felt claustrophobic because of the amount of undergarments you have. In the summer I put on a light shirt and longjohns and I'm toasty in my suit without the bunched up fabric
3.) I've been told before that when you switch to shell you can drop about 5 lbs, but it was opposite for me. I had to add five lbs. The woolies hold too much air. I like the neoprene because I can always tell where the air is in my suit. With a shell I had to fight the trapped air.

On the other hand, my drysuit is leaking right now, so I'm kind of grumpy with all of them. Anyway, that's just my opinion, and there are thousands of people who will say the opposite.

 

[trewbs]

I have been diving in a membrane (shell) drysuit all through the English winter (down to 2degrees celcius) worn with the right undersuit, they provide plenty of insulation and can be used over a much greater range of temperatures.

Trewbs

 

[Braunbehrens]

I own both. The trilam wins.

The disadvantage of a neo suit is that your buoyancy and your exposure protection change with depth. With a trilam they don't.

 

[bridgediver]

I have a neoprene and a shell and prefer a shell

 

[h2omammal]

I've dived SoCal for several years made several hundred dives so far (mostly here, sad to say . I dived wet with a 7mm wetsuit for years, adding a 3mm hooded vest in winter.

Then I switched to Isotherm semidry a couple of years ago (mostly for winter) and have been extremely happy with it except for 75+ minute 50-55 degree dives, in which case I would get chilly toward the end of dive 1, and chillier still toward the end of subsequent dives.

Had used a trilam once and didn't care for it because of needed amount of air to stay warm and prevent squeeze. To be fair, I didn't give it too much of a chance, because its price tag was way outside my budget and this one was a loaner. Nonetheless, I felt way out of control with it and very bulky.

Bought an O'neill 7000x neoprene drysuit in December and have not been cold (or even very cool) since. The seals are excellent and the neoprene itself doesn't compress nearly as much as most 7mm wetsuits. I wear a thin thermal "polar tech" long john shirt (an undergarmet I also use for skiing), but nothing on my legs.

The boots are a tad big for me, so I wear thick hiking socks. Side note regarding the boots: The O'neill boots are thick and heavy duty as are most drysuit boots. This means you may need a larger fin size. (I had to go up a size)

Bottom line is that I am very pleased with the O'neill. I'm dry and warm, but have no more drag than with a wetsuit.

Lots of good advice on this thread, but this is my modest contribution. Good luck!

 

[mrvollmer]

Anyone using a Poseidon Unisuit Exclusive. I am told that theor neoprene is very high quality, and compresses less at depth then most others.

Michael

 

[mrvollmer]

Has anyone used the Poseidon Jetsuit? How warm is it companred to thh Unsuit? The spec show that it is 5mm semicompressed, does this mean it wil not compress as much at depth as a 7mm?

I am tossed between the Unisuit and the Jestuit, for New Jersey diving.

Thanks,

Michael

 

[diverju]

I have a DUI CF200 and i love it i would'nt change it for anything else. At first i wanted a Bare tech dry but Bare didn't want to do it. I am small so i had to go with custom and its a bit more expensive, anyway Bare let me down so i went with DUI. If you are a women and you want a good suit and good service i suggest DUI. It doesn't matter if you are 4 feet tall they will do it. I have also the weezer socks and they are amazing i never have my feet that warm before. Well for my part the CF200 was a better choice since i get cold easily and also this suit will last me for quit a while.

 

[Global]

Well, I can guess that the large number of votes for shell in this poll is mostly because of the easy use of shell. I like both shell and neoprene. I seem to prefer crushed neoprene. I think it depends on what you are looking for in your dive. So if having somthing that can dry the quickest and is easy to wear and maybe take a little less weight, than go shell. But if today I am going to weld or work in the Bering Sea
and I will be exposed in this extreme environment than my needs change. I dont mind if my suit takes longer to dry out or if it is difficult to get into (its not that difficult) or if I need to bring more weight, which you dont with crushed neoprene.
The only thing that should matter is my comfort while I am at depth working. Some say will they can add more under there shell but I can do the same with a neoprene and still be warmer than if u add under your shell. So for me I seek warmth and comfort for my dive. Plus if it gets a little wet inside it turns into a wetsuit and still is warm. So far I have more rugged performance with neoprene than shell which will rip on rocks and I-beams ect. If you are going in COLD WATER seek comfort . I also like my NorthernDiver 8mm neoprene 800 ORIGIN, vary nice tailerd fit.Check it out http://www.ndiver.com/site/drysuits/drysuit_origin800.html