Dry Suit

[ozarkjim]

You do not. They do a kind of "Discover Dry Suit" thing.

 

[dab]

I am also a great lakes diver. I use the Poseidon Unisuit, stay very warm and only need minimal undergarments. Water temps here are generally in the low 40's below 85' even in July and August. There are pro's and con's when considering neoprene vs shell, so you need to look closely at both and decide what will work best for you.

 

[kent_1848]

I found this on the web, and was wondering if it was accurate, and if it is, why doesn't everyone have a vulcanized rubber dry suit?

Types of Dry Suits
Closed cell Neoprene—Wet suit material Great Stretch, Very Buoyant Requires significant weight, compresses at depth, glued seams can separate, cells break down
Repair with neoprene cement, life of 300 dives.

Crushed Neoprene—Wet suit material, but compressed Coated with Nylon for strength, Maintains stretch, No cell breakdown Glued & Stitched seams breakdown and leak. Complete drying required before repair, Life of 5 years.

Fabric Material—Nylon Ballistic nylon with waterproof backing, little stretch, comfortable latex seals More air space, more weight required, welded seams require factory repair. Factory Repair required, 5 year Life.

Vulcanized Rubber Inflatable Boat Material—synthetic and natural rubber combination (all natural rubber balloons), Bonded with heat and pressure—eliminates seams except at wrist and neck, good stretch for close fit. Repair like an inter-tube, 10-15 year life expectancy.

 

[theskull]

I found this on the web, and was wondering if it was accurate, and if it is, why doesn't everyone have a vulcanized rubber dry suit?

Types of Dry Suits
Closed cell Neoprene—Wet suit material Great Stretch, Very Buoyant Requires significant weight, compresses at depth, glued seams can separate, cells break down
Repair with neoprene cement, life of 300 dives.

Crushed Neoprene—Wet suit material, but compressed Coated with Nylon for strength, Maintains stretch, No cell breakdown Glued & Stitched seams breakdown and leak. Complete drying required before repair, Life of 5 years.

Fabric Material—Nylon Ballistic nylon with waterproof backing, little stretch, comfortable latex seals More air space, more weight required, welded seams require factory repair. Factory Repair required, 5 year Life.

Vulcanized Rubber Inflatable Boat Material—synthetic and natural rubber combination (all natural rubber balloons), Bonded with heat and pressure—eliminates seams except at wrist and neck, good stretch for close fit. Repair like an inter-tube, 10-15 year life expectancy.

This is marketing hype!! Guess which suit they are trying to sell? Can ya? Like all marketing hype, it contains grains of truth, and there is certainly nothing wrong with a rubber suit.

theskull

 

[kent_1848]

This is marketing hype!! Guess which suit they are trying to sell? Can ya? Like all marketing hype, it contains grains of truth, and there is certainly nothing wrong with a rubber suit.

theskull

Actually, it was on some localized underwater rescue teams website. They weren't selling anything! I was just wondering if a rubber suit would actually last that long and what the downside to it was? Cost?

 

[theskull]

I am getting ready to order a Signature Series CLX450 with all cordura. I currently have a TLS350.

People have been making comments about the 450 being stiff and taking a long time to dry. What do you have to say about these issues, particularly the stiffness?

I own the 450 and have made a number of dives in the 350. No question, the 450 is a little stiffer, your movements just a little more difficult--this is the compromise you make in exchange for the much greater durability and abrasion resistance.

The 450 takes most of a day to dry out, the 350 takes maybe an hour. A non-issue really, since you can make another dive before the suit drys out, and you can pack it up before it dries out as long as you don't LEAVE it packed up wet for the next 3 weeks. Another difference which may make a difference if you will be flying much with the suit is that the 350 rolls up into a little ball about 1/3 the size of the 450 and weighs about 1/4.

Both are great suits, in my opinion the 2 best on the market. You cannot go wrong with either. Most folks who buy one of them second-guess their decision for at least the next year as to whether they would have preferred the other. So, study the issue all you want and take surveys, but eventually just pick one and buy it--you won't be disappointed.

theskull

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

I own the 450 and have made a number of dives in the 350. No question, the 450 is a little stiffer, your movements just a little more difficult--this is the compromise you make in exchange for the much greater durability and abrasion resistance.

The 450 takes most of a day to dry out, the 350 takes maybe an hour. A non-issue really, since you can make another dive before the suit drys out, and you can pack it up before it dries out as long as you don't LEAVE it packed up wet for the next 3 weeks. Another difference which may make a difference if you will be flying much with the suit is that the 350 rolls up into a little ball about 1/3 the size of the 450 and weighs about 1/4.

Both are great suits, in my opinion the 2 best on the market. You cannot go wrong with either. Most folks who buy one of them second-guess their decision for at least the next year as to whether they would have preferred the other. So, study the issue all you want and take surveys, but eventually just pick one and buy it--you won't be disappointed.

theskull

Finally! Someone who actually answers the question. A "little stiffer," making my "movements just a little more difficult" I can live with. Defining "a little" is tough to do over the Internet. However, it sounds like it should not be enough of a concern to outweigh the benefits of durability.

Thanks. I am going to get measured and place my order for the 450 within a week or so.

 

[kent_1848]

Good luck with your purchase. Contact me sometime this summer and meet me half-way for some dives together in Table Rock?

theskull

Most definately, I'm thinking of taking the dry suit class from my LDS this month.

 

[theskull]

Finally! Someone who actually answers the question. A "little stiffer," making my "movements just a little more difficult" I can live with. Defining "a little" is tough to do over the Internet. However, it sounds like it should not be enough of a concern to outweigh the benefits of durability.

Thanks. I am going to get measured and place my order for the 450 within a week or so.

So glad to be of help. "A little" is indeed hard to define. Kinda between "a tad" and "a few Scoville units". LOL!

Enjoy your suit,
theskull

 

[Stevie_G]

I own a black Viking Pro 1000 which is a "rubber" suit and love it.

I did however get the attached hood and latex neck seal removed early on and replaced with a custom neoprene neck seal and I now use this along with a Whites neoprene dry suit hood. This change was due to having a 17-18" neck and finding that once the original latex seal had been trimmed correctly, there left very little latex to tuck inwards, which resulted in a lot of air bleeding out of the back of my neck if I tilted my head down or forward. The neoprene seal has been perfect since it was fitted.

Overall, this suit was not a cheap option..........especially as I ordered it with Viking Arctic Plus 400 gram underwear. I use this mega-wear during Winter ice diving season and switch to thinner underwear during the Summer.

Overall, there seems to be a number of good suits out there on the market.......a lot of local divers use dry suits from various manufacturers and swear that they would never want to go back to diving wet......me included!