No, most people do not NEED a pee valve. But, even when I go to the local lake and only do 2 or 3 short-ish, shallow dives, I hook up.
If the air temps are in the 40s out, I don't want to take my drysuit off, or even half off, between dives. I put on my Surf-fur between dives and keep my suit zipped shut. Having a pee valve makes those days WAY more comfortable. Especially since it also affords me the peace of mind to drink as much fluids as I want without a second thought.
The idea of taking my drysuit halfway down (or off) to try and use a marine head on a rocking boat has about as little appeal to me as taking it off on land in air temps in the 40s. I really do not want my drysuit sleeves swishing around on the floor in almost any marine head I've been in.
Using a pee valve does not have to be traumatic (for men, anyway).
The tubes that came on my Trigon pee valves were not long enough for my satisfaction. The loop to come up and then down into the top of my pants was not big enough and I worried that it might kink. So, I replaced them both with Light Monkey replacement tubing, which is longer. $8.50 from DGX.
Service and Replacement Parts, Light Monkey Tinkle Valve | Dive Gear Express®
Then I installed Quick Disconnect fittings from McMaster-Carr. About $10 for the female side and less than $2 for the male part.
McMaster-Carr
McMaster-Carr
After I shower on the morning of a dive day, I use a Coloplast skin prep wipe and then put on the condom catheter (with the male part of the QD fitting already pushed into place.
Coloplast Prep - Protective Skin Barrier Film
The condom catheters are the Bard Rochester Spirit Type 3 (Wideband) in the appropriate size.
Bard Rochester Spirit - Silicone Male External Condom Catheter (Style 3 Wideband)
Widebands mean they unroll to cover 3" of your, ahem, manhood. The other, non-wideband, ones unroll to cover 1.5". For our usage in a drysuit, you want the ones that have the most and strongest adhesive. Even with that, if you don't do things properly, you can still have a blowout. Using a non-wideband or one with less adhesive is just asking for one.
With some manscaping and then the skin prep wipe, the catheter goes on and stays on reliably. I wear it all day, until I'm finished diving. If I have to pee before I get in my drysuit, I pee right through the catheter and QD fitting. No big deal.
I do put the QD fitting directly into the condom catheter. However, another option would be to get a short tube, like this one:
She-P Norprene Extension | Dive Gear Express®
and then put the QD fitting on one end of that and your standard barb fitting on the other end. Then connect that tube to the condom catheter. If I had thought of that, I would not have needed to replace my stock Trigon tubing with longer tubing. (and maybe I didn't NEED to do that anyway)
After I'm done for the day, removal of the catheter is not the most pleasant thing, but it's not THAT bad. As long as I did the right manscaping ahead of time, of course. Having worn it for most or all of a day helps, I think with removal.
The only thing left is to plug the male part of the QD fitting (after taking the catheter off and throwing it away) into the female part in the suit's tube and then flush it all out. The female QD fitting that I use is a dry break, so you can't flush through it without the male part inserted to make it open.
I use Steramine mixed into some warm water to squirt through the QD fitting and let it run through the tube and out the pee valve. I inject it using one of these:
Steramine:
Steramine Multi-Purpose Sanitizer - 150 Tablets | Dive Gear Express®
The tip of it is just small enough to barely fit into the QD fitting opening. 5 or 6 syringefuls of Steramine solution and I'm done. It's quick and easy.
So, like I said, with a bit of preparation and the right bits and pieces, having and using a pee valve as a regular thing is easy and can make the dive life a LOT more pleasant.
I also note that Steramine is on the EPA's list of things you can use against the COVID-19 virus. So, if you can't find hand sanitizer, make you can make a Steramine solution to use in a spray bottle?
