DUI drysuit - regular thickness seal? or heavy duty?

[scubasean]

Have ordered a DUI TLS350 signature series, and asked for heavy duty latex seals, thinking they might be more durable than regular seals...But am second guessing that decision now thinking the regular thickness seals might be more comfortable.

Please tell me which seals you have and why you'd do it again, or not...

thanks,

Sean

 

[Dryglove]

My Bare HD came with Hd bi conical wrist seals. They seemed to work pretty good once trimmed to size. They are a little bit harder to get your hand through. I switched to DC drygloves. My seals are still going strong even with the rings installed on the wrist seals. If anything they are more puncture resistant as they are a lot thicker than a standard wrist seal.

 

[Bob3]

Most sportie suits claiming "heavy duty" cuffs are the same as the "normal cuff" on a Viking.
You'll be fine.

 

[rds4640]

DUI CLX450
Regular seals 3yrs old still in great shape.
I think the reason my seals have lasted is because I have Akonas gloves that FULLY cover my seals. and I take great care of them when I am out of the water. Between dives I fold them inside the sleeves so they don't snag on anything around the boat. I religiously talc them when storing them. I store the suit in an air tight bag inside a tupperware container in my garage. I think I'll get another year or two out of them.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I agree that caring for the seals is more important than how thick they are in term of longevity. I store my suit in a hefty bag inside it's own nylon bag in the off season to preclude any exposure to ozone. The suit also lives in a dry, dark closet.

I talc the seals after use which protects them during storage and I also talc the insides of the seals before each dive as your hands and head slide through them easily. The most likely time to tear a seal is when putting the suit on, and talc greatly reduces the strain put on the seal.

I use dry gloves and the ring system I use leaves a stretched and exposed edge to the seal on the cuff behind the ring. In the water the glove rolls back to cover this to protect it and in storage it oddly enough has not caused any problems. I normally can go 3-4 years between seal changes.

 

[rds4640]

I usually do 3-4 dive in a day (boat diving). I have found that talc is useless after the first dive because everything is still wet by the time to suitup for the second dive. I use genric baby shampoo mixed with water (50/50). I use this to put the wrist seals on and also to take them off. For some reason I don't need any lube on my neck seal and it isn't cut too big.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

My dry suit stays pretty dry inside. On those occassions when it doesn't I use a towel to dry the worst of the water off the seals after the dive and they are normally bone dry after the surface interval.

 

[scubasean]

I appreciate everyone's comments...

Looks like nobody really feels that the heavier seal is going to be too inflexible, and I've learned alot about how I'm going to be caring for the seals, in order to extend the lifetime.

Thanks for the help!

Sean

 

[HKRacing]

I just received my CLX-450 with the thicker military seals installed in the wrists. It will be hitting the ocean at Redondo Beach for the first time this Thursday. I've tried the suit on twice in the pool so far and the seals have been fine. I like how they are a little thicker.

rstark: What type of container do you put that mixture into for your trips on the boat? Do you have specific brand info on the baby shampoo? Have you also heard about 10% dish soap and 90% water? I am wondering which to use in the same manner.

It seems as if the talc will be used as storage and after cleaning only and not during your dive day.

 

[rds4640]

I put the mixture in a bottle that was used for nasal saline. These are perfect for many uses. They have a squirt tip that can be removed to refill and are small and sseal up good when the screw-on cap is on. You can find the generic brand cheap at Longs.

As far as the shampoo goes, I think it's Longs generic babay shampoo. It's been a long time since I bought it and it will probably last my whole dive career unless I have kids. I think dish soap would be fine also as long as it's very diluted. The reason I went with the baby shampoo was because I was trying it for anti-fog mask drops. It didn't work well for that.

I don't even take talc with me any more, just use it when I get home.