DIR- GUE Drysuit Front Zipper Orientation

[Wibble]

Shoulder to shoulder

Interesting. Not seen that before. Would imagine the last couple of inches of zip would be hard to access.

 

[PfcAJ]

Shoulder zip suits aren’t DIR.

Straps and backplate on the zip isn’t what you want.

They also end up with extra material up around the shoulders so you can get your head in.

Extra material not in the slipstream isn’t what you want.

 

[laikabear]

Looking into getting my first drysuit.

Does it matter whether your drysuit front zipper runs from your right shoulder to your left hip or your left shoulder to your right hip?

From social media posts from GUE divers, it looks like most people have it running right shoulder to left hip. But I could be wrong.

Santi is a popular suit with GUE where I am. Their ladies' suits have had the zipper from right shoulder to left hip, at least the last few years. I think this was originally because they wanted more room for placement of the inflator, and on a small ladies' suit it worked better if the zipper was on the other side of the top.

Their new Elite Plus suits come with the zipper from the right shoulder to left hip also. (The men's I mean). I don't know why that is. I have 2 drysuits with the zipper from right shoulder to left hip. I am left-handed and I prefer it. But I wouldn't have gotten it that way if my first suit was not a Santi, which automatically had the zip like that. I ordered it special on my Seaskin so my drysuits would match.

A reason to NOT have that is, in the sad event that you jump in with your zipper backed off a little, AND you have a deco bottle or stage (with GUE would be on your left), then it's hard to get at the end of the zipper and precious moments will go by with your suit flooding. Of course I would never personally jump in with my zipper backed off and be asking a teammate to help me check the zipper as I was trying to unclip a deco bottle.

Ultimately either way is fine, but if you have multiple drysuits I think it's easier to have them all match, as you get used to donning and doffing without doing a lot of thinking about which arm needs to be first. I think you are seeing the less common right shoulder to left hip on GUE divers because you are seeing either Santi ladies' suits, and/or newer E Lite Plus suits.

 

[laikabear]

Most go top left bottom right as that’s right handed when worn.

However the top left zip placement can interfere with the shoulder dump for petite suits, hence some female suits may go the other way, top right to bottom left.

Oh oops, maybe it was the shoulder dump and not the inflator valve that was the reason.

 

[Jack Hammer]

@Jack Hammer what reasons, for instance?

Dump valve too close, shoulder movement issue, left handed, just preferred it.

 

[PfcAJ]

A reason to NOT have that is, in the sad event that you jump in with your zipper backed off a little, AND you have a deco bottle or stage (with GUE would be on your left), then it's hard to get at the end of the zipper and precious moments will go by with your suit flooding. Of course I would never personally jump in with my zipper backed off and be asking a teammate to help me check the zipper as I was trying to unclip a deco bottle.

.

It’s damn near impossible to get at on the right hip if you jump in with it not all the way closed, too. Can light and harness is in the way. It’s a whole production to get to the zipper no matter what when you’re kitted up.

source: have jumped in with suit not totally zipped. Got wet. Fixed at 200’.

 

[Wibble]

Not forgetting that plastic zips are way more sensitive to the zip being closed properly than metal zips.

 

[Pareto]

But you were there, weren't you
Personaly, I can zip myself in and out of "back zippered" suit without any problem

Only if the divers were nice to me.... Otherwise I was already myself behind the bushes and peed myself
I know many people who can not open their suits themselves

 

[Pareto]

Back zippers make better drysuits. No extra hem on lower torso, suit is more form fitting. Just get pee valve, it's best feature you have with drysuit.

Pee Valves are without question very useful, but I know many people who don't bother to install them for dives under an hour. However, it can happen that exactly these divers then urgently need to go to the toilet.

Greetings Pareto

 

[galodoido]

So does anyone know why Santi started using right shoulder to left hip on their newer suits?