Drysuit opinions

[mattspiral8]

Hello everyone,
I am in search of a drysuit, and this will be my very first. I found a couple used ones that i think are pretty good.
1. Whites Nexus 3 - in pretty good shape and newly replaced seals. Pricing around $300.
2. Bare trilam tech dry - excellent shape, with zip seals. Only been used 5 times. Pricing around $600.

From reading the forums, it seems like Whites suits have been pretty good and bare has been causing issues especially the trilam suits with their zippers. Just a little concerned about the seals and replacemnt. The Bare suit has zip seals and that appeals to me than sending out my suit to get seals replaced.

I am also comsidering DIU, but definitely not spending that amount on new. If i can find a good used deal on one then maybe ill jump onto DUI.

Would appreciate everyones opinions and maybe can help me decide which route to go.

 

[Ulfhedinn]

I love my Santi.. and I liked my whites bullet.. didn't like the after market neck.. but if I was to get a another it would be a "Seaskin".

And I still might as a backup.

 

[Zef]

Some thoughts:

1. The first most important thing with a drysuit is fit.

2. The second most important thing with a drysuit is how it fits.

3. No matter how good the price is, if it doesnt fit, its not a good deal.

4. Not sure how old the posts are that you have been reading, but I believe the issues that Bare had with their zippers has been worked out unless there is something new that has cropped up recently.

5. There are folks who really like zip seals, but replacement seals are expensive, and becoming harder to come by. I am partial to si-tech's QCS oval wrist cuff ring system and their Quick Neck neck ring system. With these systems, one can choose to use either silicone or latex seals (plus there is a neoprene option for the neck seal too). The QCS oval rings offer the most options for readily integrable dryglove systems.

6. Whites was bought by Aqualung sometime around 2010, and I believe they stopped using the brand name "Whites" sometime around 2014/2015....so the Whites Nexus 3 is at least 7 or 8 years old.

7. Not sure the age of the Bare suit you are looking at. But if it is an older suit, it may have some latent issues with the zipper.

8. You should be less worried about seal replacement and more concerned about zipper replacement....given that these suits are a bit aged, you should be aware that the glues that bond the zipper tape to the suit material can be degraded even if stored perfectly. The single most expensive part of suit to have repaired is the zipper.

9. All the above said, $300 is a good price if the suit fits and is in otherwise good condition (zipper is sound, and the suit does not leak).

10. Oh, I almost forgot....The third most important thing with drysuits is how well they fit.....if you have not tried on the suit then you are taking gamble.

Good luck with your search/decision.
-Z

 

[stretchthepenn]

@Zef covered all the bases, I think. The biggest issue is fit. Everything else is secondary. I'll add my two cents about seals, though, since you mentioned that issue.

DUI's Zipseal system is OK, but the seals are 1) proprietary, 2) pricey, and 3) not as easy-to-replace as one might think. Oh...and there are two versions of the Zipseal neck, so you have to know which version you need.

Glued-in seals are not my favorite because replacing them requires service from somebody who knows what they're doing. That being said, as long as you take care of the seals, they'll likely last for at least one dive season. I've had glued-in seals last for multiple years.

User-replaceable seals based on ring systems (one system for the wrists, one system for the neck) are best, IMO, but since you're just starting out with drysuits, I'm not sure you need to invest in rings. Whichever drysuit you buy, it'll likely be your first of many drysuits, and at $300-600, you aren't taking a big risk.

Buy one and try it. If you love the suit, you can customize it later. Or, more likely, sell it to somebody else as their starter suit and use the money on an upgrade.

 

[Curious_George]

I looked but couldn’t find info on the nexus. Whites made some "bag" style suits that are very unique - not for everyone. I had one and it dove great, I just couldn’t get past the difficult to put on, wrinkled up feeling and the front shoulder zip.

I’ve heard good things about the later Bare tech. In addition to zipper problems, I believe there were some delamination issues with the earlier versions. Make sure it passes leak test and doesn’t have a lot of patches.

Personally, I prefer a suit with front zip for self donning and an accordion waist. Much easier to put on. One thing that’s not discussed yet is boots vs, socks. Recommend looking at some threads about the pros and cons of each. I’m in the sock camp because of the flexibility it offers.

Regarding zip seals, I don’t believe they are any more expensive than paying someone to replace glue on seals. And it takes less than 5 minutes to swap out. Hard wrist rings plain stink - uncomfortable and always in the way. A little known trick with zip seals is the $5 marigold gloves work perfectly as pull on dry gloves, right over the top of the zip rings. No hard ring or complex and failure-prone dry glove connection process. There’s a reason for so many threads about the hard rings. They are a real hassle.

Echoing what was said above. A zipper costs $350+ to replace. I would ask for the seller to confirm the suit passed leak test, or factor in repair costs unless you can view in person and have enough experience to evaluate condition.

 

[Ryebrye]

Hello everyone,
I am in search of a drysuit, and this will be my very first. I found a couple used ones that i think are pretty good.
1. Whites Nexus 3 - in pretty good shape and newly replaced seals. Pricing around $300.
2. Bare trilam tech dry - excellent shape, with zip seals. Only been used 5 times. Pricing around $600.

From reading the forums, it seems like Whites suits have been pretty good and bare has been causing issues especially the trilam suits with their zippers. Just a little concerned about the seals and replacemnt. The Bare suit has zip seals and that appeals to me than sending out my suit to get seals replaced.

I am also comsidering DIU, but definitely not spending that amount on new. If i can find a good used deal on one then maybe ill jump onto DUI.

Would appreciate everyones opinions and maybe can help me decide which route to go.

What size do you need?

Check out northeastscubasupply - he had some good prices on some used DUI ones last time I looked there.

Also look at facebook marketplace - occasionally you can get a good deal on a used drysuit there.

 

[FF / EMT]

Whites dry suit is like diving in a garbage bag

 

[formernuke]

1. The first most important thing with a drysuit is fit.

2. The second most important thing with a drysuit is how it fits.

3. No matter how good the price is, if it doesnt fit, its not a good deal.

^^^^^ this

As far a seals I do recommend user changeable. The SI tech ones are less expensive but some people have issues with the SI tec neck seals.

Why user changeable I met another diver last year which lived over 6 hour drive from the site while gearing up her neck seal ripped and she had glue in seals, dive aborted.

I couple months ago I was starting my sidemount class and my neck seal ripped. I just looked at the instructor and said give me a few. By the way keep extra seals in your save a dive.

 

[Marie13]

Whites dry suit is like diving in a garbage bag

They did make other suits besides the Fusion.

 

[Marie13]

^^^^^ this

As far a seals I do recommend user changeable. The SI tech ones are less expensive but some people have issues with the SI tec neck seals.

Why user changeable I met another diver last year which lived over 6 hour drive from the site while gearing up her neck seal ripped and she had glue in seals, dive aborted.

I couple months ago I was starting my sidemount class and my neck seal ripped. I just looked at the instructor and said give me a few. By the way keep extra seals in your save a dive.

The SiTech neck RINGS are the issue are narrow shouldered people. Not the seals themselves.