Drysuits/flexibility/cost/seals/weight issues

[Antmany2k]

hi all, so my diving is always done abroad at the moment which i love but its getting to a point where its not enough just going away 2 or 3 times a year. plus i am buying a house so holidays may have to be less frequent. i have a local dive center, easily accessible dive sites (i live on the UK coast) and i am thinking of doing my drysuit specialization in order to dive UK waters. my last dives (in Turkey) i was advised that my next bit of kit should be my own regulators and BCD (makes sense) but looking at diving in the UK it seems advisable to get my own drysuit too as hiring them gets expensive and my own would pay for itself.

the problem is my weight. i tend to yo yo quite a bit and gain and lose the same 2 stone (12kg/28lbs) so the question is how forgiving is a drysuit? i don't want to spend fortunes on a dry suit and then lose weight and find the extra space means water pours in. are the seals forgiving? i dont really know quite how they work other than seals on the neck and arms keep water out but does it have to be a tight fit? am i just safer in hiring suits on the day and guaranteeing they fit? i know the obvious answer is to get my weight under control but ive struggled with it my whole life so its not as easy as i wish it was

thanks in advance

 

[Antmany2k]

oh and how easy are drysuits, regs and bcds to maintain?

 

[KevinNM]

It depends on what drysuit. The fusion and similar is pretty forgiving of weight changes, but it isn't perfect. Trilam suits do not stretch at all, so sizing is important.

They are not that hard to maintain. Regs should be rinsed off on the boat and then should be soaked in clean water when sealed or pressurized off a tank. Soak the BCD in the tub with fresh water and flush out the inside, then hang up to dry.

Dry suits that didn't flood just need to be rinsed off (a fresh water shower works) then dried off on an appropriate hanger. If it floods with sea water or something other then clean freshwater you need to rinse internally and dry it, this can take some time. Before putting it away use a wash cloth with dishwashing soap on the latex seals to get skin oil off and then powder them with talc.