First Drysuit

[lexvil]

Keep the knee pads. I tripped on a rock getting out after a long dive and put my knee into a mix of oyster and clam shells mixed with pebbles. I'm sure the pads saved my Nova knee material. They cost almost nothing and are a good layer of protection for an expensive investment.

40mm braces are the way to go. The standard ones work but tend to be a little less comfortable with the weight of the suit pulling on them when the top isn't on.

Quick neck, not orust.

Trigon p-valve because there isn't anything to forget to open with it.

Kubi dry gloves. They're stupid easy to use and inexpensive directly from Seaskin.

I have no added knee pads, happens I tripped on the concrete ramp at Lobos yesterday, not a scuff on the suit.

he has a valid reason for the orust, I couldn’t make myself order one with my last suit, I like the concept though just don’t need it.

im still more of a RoLock fan, one of my favorite parts is I can put the glove on while suiting and and taking it off and keep sand etc away from the sealing o ring but KUBI and ultima are very good and simple to use systems (I still have nightmares about mounting gloves to the ultima rings, use good gloves because my buddy is still using my old ultima system with the gloves I put on 4 or 5 years ago)

 

[lexvil]

If t

The duckbill valves aren't prone to rot either.

There are also tec jacket bcds and ankle weights... those make about as much sense as balanced p-valves.

hey don’t rot they won’t fail any sooner than anything else, you are more than welcome to use non balanced, I can use balanced and have never had an issue (other than the fool thing) so long as all of the non peevalve parts work it works.

 

[berndo]

@Gelirfella
Just a piece of general advice. When you get 'advice' from people about gear online and offline, ask them if they have any experience and actually tried something other than that one piece they have.
The people who think balanced p-valves are great are usually people who never used anything else.

 

[broncobowsher]

I started with a LM balanced, converted to unbalanced. Trying to not loose the bolt sucked.
Got a new suit and got the trigon. I pissed myself countless times with it. It would work fine for 3 dives and then I would have a wet leg and a smelly suit. That suit had fabric issues and got replaced. This time I went with the tinkle. Never had an issue with it. You can close it so it doesn't dribble piss over everything on the way home. With dry break quick connect you only get a couple drops as you get undressed. Go home and take care of it there. The tinkle is a valve unlike the regular LM which is a removable bolt. So when commenting about different P-valves, I have data point for 3 of them.

Another fan of the Kubi system. A ton of research before I got them on suit #2, and when I had to replace it I got the same thing again. I am sure there are other good systems out there. Kubi is one of them. Good thing is they come in sizes. Really nice when you have small hands and not having to deal with rings that are a one size fits all (and have to fit over XXL hands)

A dry glove system is worth it. That really makes the suit a dive in any water system.

 

[Alekseolsen]

There is good stuff here but a lot of nonsense too from people with zero experience about what they're talking about. You have to open the valve to equalize, you don't have to 'charge' it. I just keep the valve open throughout the dive and don't have to do anything with it.

Would that mean there is no non-return valve in your unbalanced?
Would suit me perfect who has a cath connected for 100% of my dives, but I believe some people only connect for "big-ish" dives. (Which of course, varies wildly from person to person!)

 

[berndo]

Trying to not loose the bolt sucked.

I have no idea how you would lose the bolt on the LM.

Never had an issue with it. You can close it so it doesn't dribble piss over everything on the way home.

It's really a non-issue... and doesn't make much sense, frankly. When I take off the top part of my drysuit I unplug the hose an flush the hose and with water from a bottle before I take off the lower part of the drysuit. There is nothing dribbling anywhere any my suit goes into the box/bag with a clean hose and valve. I keep the valve open so it dries out fast.
Why in the world would you close the valve and let pee sit in the hose and valve until you get home? Sounds pretty gross and not very hygienic, IMHO.

The only time I ever close the bolt fully is when I don't have a catheter connected. When the valve is fully open there is a lot of thread left and the bold and is pretty much impossible to lose. (And even if you're worried about it, you can keep a spare bolt in your wetnotes or some place else.)

 

[berndo]

Would that mean there is no non-return valve in your unbalanced?
Would suit me perfect who has a cath connected for 100% of my dives, but I believe some people only connect for "big-ish" dives. (Which of course, varies wildly from person to person!)

I don't understand the question. Do you know how the valve looks like?
It's a hose that goes into a block that can be closed with a bolt. The bolt has an o-ring and is hollow with two holes below the head of the bolt. You only have to unscrew the bolt by about a third or less to open the valve. It doesn't open into the inside of the suit so you don't need a check valve. If there is any issue you just close the bolt.

 

[Alekseolsen]

I don't understand the question. Do you know how the valve looks like?
It's a hose that goes into a block that can be closed with a bolt. The bolt has an o-ring and is hollow with two holes below the head of the bolt. You only have to unscrew the bolt by about a third or less to open the valve. It doesn't open into the inside of the suit so you don't need a check valve. If there is any issue you just close the bolt.

Found the "bolt design" type now. No non-return valve then

Quite a bit different from the Apeks one I'm used too. The Apeks and similiar valves would not "fill" from opening the valve, due to the mushroom-valve in them.
I do like the approach of the LM bolt-type

 

[Gelirfella]

I don't understand the question. Do you know how the valve looks like?
It's a hose that goes into a block that can be closed with a bolt. The bolt has an o-ring and is hollow with two holes below the head of the bolt. You only have to unscrew the bolt by about a third or less to open the valve. It doesn't open into the inside of the suit so you don't need a check valve. If there is any issue you just close the bolt.

Where do the reports of squeeze come from? people who leave the valve closed when they start their dive and open at depth? Lots of people say there is a high likelihood of squeeze without priming but I haven't seen anyone claim they have actually experienced it personally. If you're condom cath seal is not water tight will you leak into the suit if the valve is open?

 

[berndo]

Quite a bit different from the Apeks one I'm used too. The Apeks and similiar valves would not "fill" from opening the valve, due to the mushroom-valve in them.
I do like the approach of the LM bolt-type

You can't have a unbalanced valve with a check valve. I honestly don't understand what you're getting at.

Where do the reports of squeeze come from? people who leave the valve closed when they start their dive and open at depth? Lots of people say there is a high likelihood of squeeze without priming but I haven't seen anyone claim they have actually experienced it personally.

What reports? Lot's of people don't say that. The internet is full of idiots claiming all kinds of stuff about what they 'heard' or what their uncle's neighbour did once 20 years ago.
You DO NOT need to prime. As I've said, I keep hearing this nonsense over and over from people that have never in their lives used a unbalanced p-valves. I have never primed a p-valve.

If you're condom cath seal is not water tight will you leak into the suit if the valve is open?

Think about this for 2 min.

Option 1. (unbalanced) You start the dive with a lose cath, you feel a little water comming right away in and close the valve.

Option 2. (balanced) You start the dive with a lose cath. An hour into the dive you start to pee and notice that you're pissing yourself (and likely can't stop) and have a piss drenched thinsulate suit you have to finish your dive in. Even better if you have a bunch of deco left.

What's better? A shot glas worth (if even) of water 1 min into the dive (which still gives you the change to get back out and fix it) or a full bladder worth of piss soaking into your undergarment later in the dive?