Drysuit age

[phasechange]

I am looking at used drysuits and was wondering
Is there a age range where you would not consider buying a drysuit based on the age of the suit alone? Do trilaminate or crushed neoprene suits at some point degrade where they look good but form unstoppable pinhole leaks?

 

[RayBull]

Usually the best approach is to call the manufacturer and chat with them about it. Ive done that in the past, and they have been very helpful in determining the longevity of the suit.

A far as pinhole leaks are concerned, if there are enough of them it may just be time to pitch the suit. Pressure testing is the only way to really know for sure.

I hope this helps. Best of luck with the suit.

 

[captndale]

Rubber and plastic materials have a limited useful life. Just as tires, hoses and the like on a car deteriorate with age, so do the materials with which a drysuit is made. I usually consider the useful life of a dry suit to be between 5 and 10 years. It depends on the material. Neoprene and rubber are the shortest lived. Tri-lam lasts longer. Urethane lasts the longest.

A good gauge is the manufacturer's warrantee. Take the length of the offered warrantee and add a couple of years.

 

[scubamarketing]

Age alone wouldn't be a factor for me, but more number of dives and storage procedures. On a tri-lam suit, I would consider when seals/zipper were replaced when looking at the number of dives figure. I put close to 500 dives on a tri-lam over the course of about 2 years, had the seals replaced and sold it to a junior instructor who did similar dive numbers, replaced the seals and sold it again. Last I heard, the suit is still diving.

 

[cloudflint]

I think it would vary from suit to suit even with two identical suits it would depend on how they had been used.

I Had an otter commercial dry-suit that was 13 mil thick and had a heavy duty zip and neoprene seals, you would think that something so tough would last for years but unfortunately i got it of a scallop diver who had it for 6 months from new before giving it to me. the whole thing was covered in aqua-sure and various patches, all the seams leaked and the auto dump had a mind of its own.

On the other hand there is a guy who I have dived with who has a very similar suit that he has been diving with for 10-20 years and the suit still looks brand new.