Drysuit materials

[sabbath999]

re: wetsuits, wondered if you had tried a Henderson thermoprene? kneepads seem a bit thinner and more forgiving/integrated with regard to that stretch at the edges of the pads...

I wear a Thermoprene suit and love it. She tried them on, Henderson's just don't fit her.

She is wearing a ScubaPro Neoprene suit that fits her perfectly, but is a pain to get off and on and is stiff as a board. She will be upgrading her wetsuit to something a bit more civilized in the future, for now we have repaired the knees.

 

[gcbryan]

Regarding DUI...I have a DUI TLS 350 shell suit and I've borrowed and have a lot of dives in a DUI CX 450 crushed neoprene...that's a nice suit as well. It's heavy and takes a while to dry..a shell suit drys as soon as you take it off.

Whatever you get will be your best dive purchase yet!

 

[vaq]

You should consider the type of diving you are going to do and the wear and tear you expect. If you are doing any wreck pentration you might consider heavier materials like crushed neoprene. If your diving is less demanding on the suit then trilaminate works fine and dries quickly. You indicated you put some wear on the knees, I had the same issue and opted to have kevlar kneepads installed on a trilaminate suit -- problem solved. Plenty of options in different price ranges. Pay as much attention to drysuit undergarments as you do the suit keeping in mind you can add additional thermal (wicking) underwear as the water gets colder. Good drysuit undergarments are essential to cold water diving and will run you $400-$600. Have fun. Once you go dry, you'll never go back.