Drysuits

[JohnN]

I have had good luck with my HOG drysuit, I have had it for 6-8 months and have had no problems or leaks. It comes with pockets, you can choose different boots and with adding a pee valve it was still a little less than the Whites. You also send in your measurements to get a more customized suit. I think they just put together different size parts of the suit that fit you best, but I am not really sure.

Sorry for the thread hi-jack, but how "stretchy" is the fabric? I'm diving a BARE that fits me nicely, but there is absolutely no give to the fabric. .

 

[Bopper]

Sorry for the thread hi-jack, but how "stretchy" is the fabric? I'm diving a BARE that fits me nicely, but there is absolutely no give to the fabric. .

I think you'd find this to be true of any laminate drysuit (I believe neoprene suits do stretch a little). The waterproof materials (one of the laminate layers) such as polyurethane just don't stretch. That's why a telescoping feature is added to some of the higher end drysuits. They have a band a of elastic that allows the suit to stretch in the lower torso area. This makes for a more streamlined fit, but yet allows the user to stretch the suit when needed.

Personally, I've opted for the cheaper route and bought a slightly oversized, baggy suit. I love it. I actually prefer a more baggy fit. I'd rather have plenty of room all around then be super streamlined. I don't mind a bunch of wrinkles under water. Forces me to go slower, too.

I dive a BARE NexGen that's about 7 years old. Love it. Cost me $300. :cool2:

 

[Doppler]

Since the OP is looking for the best: I'd suggest SANTI for a trilam suit and O'Three for compressed neoprene.

 

[RJP]

Another vote for Santi, esp the eMotion.

 

[Superlyte27]

There's no way I'd ever consider a DUI. Even with Key Man pricing which is stupidly (or wonderfully) aggressive, I wouldn't consider a DUI. I have many friends who dive them. They have several of them each, because they need a drysuit while their other two drysuits are in the shop getting repaired for leaks. Of the nearly 40 DUI suits I'm familiar with locally, none of them are "dry" drysuits 10, 5 or even 2 dives in a row.

But man, they appeal to a certain tech crowd. They buy them like no other suit exists. They even admit that they leak like a sieve. But they still buy them. No thanks.

Me personally.... for my last drysuit (and I've dove all the major brands) I went with a Bare XCS2. It has a lifetime warranty on zippers and seams. It is by far the nicest drysuit I've been in (excluding the $4000 Viking suits I wore in contaminated water). It has been bone dry every dive (about 100 so far). Not a drip of water, regardless of the dive type. Summer salts, loops, and twists on a scooter; bending, climbing, pulling, scraping, not a single drop of water gets by.

It's comfortable and warm. And it's half the price of a DUI. Combine the lifetime warranty vs. 7 year warranty, and it's a no brainer.

 

[Doppler]

The Bare is a good low-cost suit. I would not put it in the same league as Santi or O'Three, but it is good value for the average diver putting less than 100 dives a year onto a suit. However, the OP DID mention wanting the best and as good as the average BARE is, I would not put it up there with either of the other two... especially the O'Three.

 

[TravisD]

I chose the White's Fusion because being squarely in "custom" category, I wasn't ready to take the plunge on something that would have even less resale value/opportunity in the event that I didn't like it. I had limited ability to try diving dry (basically just the quick DUI Demo days dives). I figure that the Fusion, being "off the rack" stands some chance of retaining more value than a suit custom cut to fit me.

Also, It should fit my wife, if I can ever convince her to try it

 

[Aqua-Andy]

Personally, I've opted for the cheaper route and bought a slightly oversized, baggy suit. I love it. I actually prefer a more baggy fit. I'd rather have plenty of room all around then be super streamlined. I don't mind a bunch of wrinkles under water. Forces me to go slower, too.

I dive a BARE NexGen that's about 7 years old. Love it. Cost me $300. :cool2:

I have a Nex-gen and a Fusion W/Tech skin. I keep gravitating back to the Nex-Gen. I just love how light it is and how fast it dries. I paid a little more than you did but I still love the suit, no leaks in five years. I did have some zipper issues but Bare's customer support is second to none and now with the TiZip I like the suit even more. I think the term "best" is very subjective, I haven't seen a Santi or O'three but I think Bare is much better than DUI.