Drysuits

[lucid]

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I am considering the purchase of my first drysuit and am hoping that some of you could give me some advice. I am looking at the TLS350. Is there anything I should know about when purchasing a drysuit, such as options? I really have no idea. All I know is that I froze my arse off after getting out of the water on the Spiegel Grove last sunday and decided that I wanted to be dry =]

Also could you shed any light on how hot dry suits are without any underwear on under them.

 

[SDAnderson]

A drysuit for Keys-warm water? You WWW slay me. I was there two weeks ago in my 3mm and was ventilating the suit to keep from overheating.

The TLS350 is a great suit, if a little more expensive than some of the alternatives. I have one and it's been reliable and effective. Serious wreck divers sometimes prefer the neoprene suits (for their reputed durability) but I decided that the shell would suit a wider variety of diving situations and I liked avoiding the compression and water retention issues.

• Get the p-valve. It's either that or diapers.
• Get the latex seals. They work better.
• Shell suits keep you dry, not warm. The thermal protection comes from the underwear.
• Good fleece from Cabella's makes great underwear. No collars and you may want to install buttons to hold the top and bottom together.
• A semi-big issue lately has been where to put the dump valve. If you're a DIR trim junkie, it goes on the cuff. The rest of the world puts it on the shoulder.
• If you do a lot of shore diving, especially on roughish terrain, get the rock boots. Otherwise, they're a pain.
• Check with DUI for a local Demo Days. They let you try before you buy, always a good idea.

Steven

 

[lucid]

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Temp has dropped since three weeks ago. I know I could use thicker wetsuits to keep me warm but I really want to learn how to dive a dry suit. I am taking a cave class next year and I am wanting to be confortable diving dry before I start the class. If I use a dry suit in upper seventy degree water am I going to burn up? I have never used one so I dont know.

 

[SDAnderson]

Upper 70's? Nah, you won't burn up (in a shell suit) but you won't need much in the way of underwear, either. Be sure that you do wear something that covers all of your exposed skin under the suit - lest you end up with a stunning suit hickey. A shell suit has a little more insulation value than a skin, maybe equivalent to a 1mm jumper. Talk to DUI, they're pretty straight.

Steven

 

[WYDT]

Hi Steven,

I agee with most of your post but wanted to add a couple of things...

[*]Good fleece from Cabella's makes great underwear. No collars and you may want to install buttons to hold the top and bottom together.

Fleece is ok if you're not doing long dives, cold dives or dives where deco is an issue. Fleece will not keep you warm in the event of a flooded suit (it happens!) and doing even 30min of deco when cold (yes, even 75 degree water gets cold when it's on your skin) is no fun. The lower the water temp the less fun not only that but it could be dangerous in the form of slowing the release of gas in the tissue. Not an issue if "no deco diving" only.

[*]A semi-big issue lately has been where to put the dump valve. If you're a DIR trim junkie, it goes on the cuff. The rest of the world puts it on the shoulder.

It doesn't go on the cuff for DIR... it goes on the right arm instead of the left. This is for scootering. It's not that big a deal though... especially (obviously) if not scootering but may be something to think about for the future like if you think you might one day have a scooter.

[*]If you do a lot of shore diving, especially on roughish terrain, get the rock boots. Otherwise, they're a pain.

I got the rock boot system but don't use the boots. I use wetsuit booties over my sock feet on my suit and it works great. It also keeps air out of your feet and my Jetfins still fit!

Having said all that I just like diving dry better... it's more comfortable. I dove my TLS350 in the keys last January and was quite comfy... especially while everyone else on the boat was shivering because it was raining and the wind was blowing. There was more than one person coveting my drysuit that day in Key Largo.

 

[Bottomfeeder]

lucid once bubbled...
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I am considering the purchase of my first drysuit and am hoping that some of you could give me some advice. I am looking at the TLS350. Is there anything I should know about when purchasing a drysuit, such as options?

The TLS350 is good. You need to get with a dealer who knows how to fit it and spec it out though. Make sure you don't get the "low profile" dump valve that is standard, it is very problematic. I would put the dump valve on a shoulder, not on a cuff. Everyone I know who doesn't get the pockets the way the DIR guy says ends up changing them later, so you might as well do it that way the first time.

 

[SDAnderson]

Thinsulate -vs- Fleece Innerware

You're 100% correct: in cold water or for long exposures, Thinsulate is the only answer. Polypro works well for normal recreational diving in warm water and is a lot less expensive, especially if you buy it through hunting/hiking channels instead of dive shops.

Dump Placement

Not having converted, I have to listen to the sermon from the front steps, so please don't confuse me for an authoritative source on anything DIR. Nonetheless, from what I'm hearing (including a fair amount of chatter on this board) the latest thinking is that the dump goes on the left forearm, a few inches up from the wrist, so that trim can be more easily maintained while exhausting gas from the suit. Schismatics are arguing about placement on the inside/outside of the forearm...Odgay isway inway ethay etailsday?

Search this board for "cuff" "dump" posts

FifthD drysuit with photo of cuff dump

Clunk Boots

Great idea with the wetsuit boots over the rock boot socks - why didn't I think of that? :bonk: I'll have to try that out this week. Anybody need a pair of mongo-sized Turtles?

Steven

 

[lucid]

I called Brownies Southport Divers (Big DIR LDS in Fort Lauderdale). They said that I shouldn't get a customer fit, dry suit should be a little smaller instead of a little bigger, and that moving the dump valve was a $400 waste of money. These guys ONLY sell Halcyon and DIR stuff. Is that good advice?

 

[WreckWriter]

lucid once bubbled...
I called Brownies Southport Divers (Big DIR LDS in Fort Lauderdale). They said that I shouldn't get a customer fit, dry suit should be a little smaller instead of a little bigger, and that moving the dump valve was a $400 waste of money. These guys ONLY sell Halcyon and DIR stuff. Is that good advice?

It is good advice. They're trying to save you money and hassle. I ordered my TLS through Brownie's, took their advice, and got what I needed the first try.

Brownie's does not sell only Halcyon. They also sell ScubaPro, Oceanic, Atomic, and many other brands as well. They are a DIR centric shop but they sell all types of equipment and offer all levels of training from at least 3 different agencies. See http://www.yachtdiver.com/

Tom

 

[SDAnderson]

lucid once bubbled...
I called Brownies Southport Divers (Big DIR LDS in Fort Lauderdale). They said that I shouldn't get a customer fit, dry suit should be a little smaller instead of a little bigger, and that moving the dump valve was a $400 waste of money. These guys ONLY sell Halcyon and DIR stuff. Is that good advice?

In my not so humble opinion, yes on all three points.

• At 6'4" with a 21" collar and a 51" chest, I didn't have a choice but to get a custom cut. Very pricey, only to be done if you must.
• You want the suit as tight as reasonable. If you don't envision any cold water diving (really cold, not your WWW cold) you won't be needing 400gram Thinsulate with two layers of fleece, so get it cut tight. You do need range of motion, however. The biggest shell suit fit complaints seem to come from people having a hard time reaching their valves (too tight) or a hard time keeping their calves and feet from ballooning (too loose).
• I wouldn't pay to have the dump moved. I certainly wouldn't pay $400.

You know, if you keep asking all of these questions, what's going to be left to develop buyers remorse about?

Steven