Drysuit - purchase - please help

[brizzolatti]

Hey, doole. Can't compare re underwear because I wore different with both suits. However, I had a thick padded undersuit on under membrane and leggings and tshirt on under neoprene. If I had worn the undersuit with neoprene I think I would have had heat exhaustion just walking to the shore! Also, it feels a lot less cumbersome with thin gear on underneath. I felt a bit like a Michelin man in the padded one.

 

[doole]

I learned to swim in the North Sea, so if your water temps are what I think they are, that's fairly impressive. What gauge is the neoprene? Did you have to take on much lead?

 

[brizzolatti]

Mine is 4mm hyper-compressed neoprene.

You can read about it here.

http://www.diveshop.co.uk/pages/drysuits/divemaster.html

Yes, the lead was a bit of a shocker - 26lbs. Before this I had been diving in 3mm shorties with around 10 lbs, which I thought was too much. 26lbs was a major shock. I think I'll get that down once I get more proficient with the suit.

 

[torbaydiver]

smoothskin once bubbled...
Can someone help with the following:

Cold water dives in UK

Membrane or Neoprene Drysuit?

Pee Valve or Pee Zip - both are on offer?

Neoprene or latex neck seals............it's all soooooo confusing!

I use membrane in the UK and was debating whether to have a pee valve or a pee zip , I went for a pee zip and use it every time it's well worth the extra £50 take it from me
pee valve would be overkill unless you're doing long decompression diving , and you have to use a new condom cath every time at about £2.50 each.
Apparently your more likely to stay dry in a membrane than a neoprene , so I hear anyway !
Read through the exposure suits archives , you'll find lots of useful information !

 

[smoothskin]

But .............what do you guys think about pee valves and convenience zips............they ask in the shop if you want one?

What does everyone do?

 

[jonnythan]

smoothskin once bubbled...
But .............what do you guys think about pee valves and convenience zips............they ask in the shop if you want one?

What does everyone do?

Find out how much they want for the P-valve.. you can usually buy a P-valve kit online for $30 or so, and you can put it exactly where you want.

 

[dlegros]

I have never felt the need for one.

I don't stay underwater long enough for my bladder to get that full and I haven't dived from a rib, so I can get to a toilet/head when it is needed.

Dom

 

[doole]

brizzolatti:

You dove in the UK in a 3 mil shorty??

...and I thought Canadians were tough...

 

[brizzolatti]

Hey, doole

No - I only just started diving here in the UK!! Before recently I had only dived in the Carribean and the Indian Ocean. It's a hard life, I know.

It wasn't as much of a shock as I thought it would be

Actually, I kinda liked it. Different, more challenging, requiring more skill levels, I think, compared to clear warm water. If pushed, I would still choose warm and clear over cold and not so clear, but unfortunately I can't go to the Carribean or the Indian Ocean every week. ;-0

 

[smoothskin]

Does one require specialised suit for cave diving?