Fusion Dry suit and Fusion Boots

[JBFG]

So I just got a great bargain on a fusion sport dry suit that I couldn't pass.
I've never own a DS and I'm looking forward to learn how to use it proprelly.
I have a few questions though that the mighty board can answer for me.

1) how tight.
I tried it on last night and the suit fits well. The neck seal and wrist seals however are real tight. how tight is too tight? I had to roll down the seal (kind of back on itself) for it to fit. if not I could have technically pull the seal up to my jaw. should the seal be flat? is that extra roll down just escess or prefered? Same goes for the wrist seals. I have them directly at my wrist joint and I have to fold them back so that they don't go over my fingers.

2) Zip cover.
The DS has the inner zipper and it works well. the 2nd zipper is however missing. Is that a big deal? should I get that fix or it's not going to impact the operability of the DS zipper?

3) boots.
I'm looking at getting the fusion boots. I normally wear a 8.5 EE (US) shoe. I heard that the fusion boots are oversize. should I order a size 9 or go for a size 10? there are no dealers near me and I would have to do the mail order (I live in Canada)

4) Zipper Wax.
what do you recommend for zipper wax? how often should I apply it? how much and how if it's not simple.

5) Hood.
I have a kick ass wetsuit hood from waterproof. It has the bib. is it good to wear with the DS? if so do I tuck the bib inside the nek seal or let it outside of it.

6) DS Gloves.
I don't want to put permanant gloves on at that time. Are there any good dry gloves that are not permanantly attached?

I'm excited to learn the wonders of diving dry!
thanx in advance!

 

[decompression]

So I just got a great bargain on a fusion sport dry suit that I couldn't pass.
I've never own a DS and I'm looking forward to learn how to use it proprelly.
I have a few questions though that the mighty board can answer for me.

1) how tight.
I tried it on last night and the suit fits well. The neck seal and wrist seals however are real tight. how tight is too tight? I had to roll down the seal (kind of back on itself) for it to fit. if not I could have technically pull the seal up to my jaw. should the seal be flat? is that extra roll down just escess or prefered? Same goes for the wrist seals. I have them directly at my wrist joint and I have to fold them back so that they don't go over my fingers.

2) Zip cover.
The DS has the inner zipper and it works well. the 2nd zipper is however missing. Is that a big deal? should I get that fix or it's not going to impact the operability of the DS zipper?

3) boots.
I'm looking at getting the fusion boots. I normally wear a 8.5 EE (US) shoe. I heard that the fusion boots are oversize. should I order a size 9 or go for a size 10? there are no dealers near me and I would have to do the mail order (I live in Canada)

4) Zipper Wax.
what do you recommend for zipper wax? how often should I apply it? how much and how if it's not simple.

5) Hood.
I have a kick ass wetsuit hood from waterproof. It has the bib. is it good to wear with the DS? if so do I tuck the bib inside the nek seal or let it outside of it.

6) DS Gloves.
I don't want to put permanant gloves on at that time. Are there any good dry gloves that are not permanantly attached?

I'm excited to learn the wonders of diving dry!
thanx in advance!

Ok, seals...
I'm assuming they are latex, it's actual dangerous to have extremely tight. They will over time loosen but it sounds like they are to tight and should be trimmed. YouTube has lots of how too videos.

Zippers, skin zipper isn't a big deal but DRIS had blowout prices on skins($10!). Lots of different zipper treatments, most work just fine. Wax before/after use. Close zipper, apply wax and open/close zip several times.

Boots, a little tougher, if you have to chance it then go big. You can always go with really thick socks. Also, 7mm wetsuit boots work just fine.

Wetsuit hoods can be used, no real issues. In or out, up to you. You could even trim it if you like. As long as the neck seal is intact.


Gloves, 2 options for non permanent dry gloves.
1) Dive gear express sells a dry glove with a seal on the wrist.
2) a cuff fitted to the wrist seal and a rubber glove pulled over it.
Both are cheap and non permanent.

Welcome to the dry side!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[runsongas]

the inner YKK zipper is actually the waterproof one iirc. the drycore should be usable without the plastic zipper I believe.

 

[TSandM]

Seals should be fairly tight. For me, a neck seal is right if it's uncomfortable on land and I don't notice it in the water. If it's comfortable on land, it will either leak in the water, or it will do so soon. I put my seal on, and then pull it down until the top of it is at about my Adam's apple. You don't want to fold it over.

The way you describe your wrist seals, you say you have "the seal at my wrist, and it comes down to my fingers". The END of the seal should be at your wrist -- the part attached to the suit may be further up your arm, or may hang down over the seal itself a bit.

The part about the missing zipper puzzles me. Do you have a skin on the suit? The suit should be of two layers, and each should have a zipper. If you don't have a zipper on the skin at all, you bought a faulty skin and it should be replaced. If the Velcro holds, you may be able to use the suit without the other zipper, but if the Velcro doesn't hold, the skin will pull down off the suit.

I can't help you with the boots -- I have never used them.

I use zipper wax from McNetts. I put it on every few dives, or whenever the zipper feels sticky. I found I needed to wax the Fusion zippers a LOT when they were new, not so much as they broke in.

In general, wetsuit hoods have very large bibs on them. The bib on the hood should tuck under the SKIN of the suit, but not under the seal. NOTHING should be between the seal and your skin, or the suit will leak, badly. If the bib is too large to tuck in, you can leave it outside, and then how well the hood works depends on how much water gets up around your neck.

There are several dry glove systems that mount on the suit seals. I use the Viking bayonet system. SiTech Quick Glove can also be mounted on the seals, and I believe the Kubi system can be, as well.

 

[JBFG]

thank you so much for all the answers. I'll try to take some pics tonight to explain what I'm talking about reference neck seal and zipper.

thanx!

 

[GDI]

So I just got a great bargain on a fusion sport dry suit that I couldn't pass.
I've never own a DS and I'm looking forward to learn how to use it proprelly.
I have a few questions though that the mighty board can answer for me.

1) how tight.
I tried it on last night and the suit fits well. The neck seal and wrist seals however are real tight. how tight is too tight? I had to roll down the seal (kind of back on itself) for it to fit. if not I could have technically pull the seal up to my jaw. should the seal be flat? is that extra roll down just escess or prefered? Same goes for the wrist seals. I have them directly at my wrist joint and I have to fold them back so that they don't go over my fingers.

2) Zip cover.
The DS has the inner zipper and it works well. the 2nd zipper is however missing. Is that a big deal? should I get that fix or it's not going to impact the operability of the DS zipper?

3) boots.
I'm looking at getting the fusion boots. I normally wear a 8.5 EE (US) shoe. I heard that the fusion boots are oversize. should I order a size 9 or go for a size 10? there are no dealers near me and I would have to do the mail order (I live in Canada)

4) Zipper Wax.
what do you recommend for zipper wax? how often should I apply it? how much and how if it's not simple.

5) Hood.
I have a kick ass wetsuit hood from waterproof. It has the bib. is it good to wear with the DS? if so do I tuck the bib inside the nek seal or let it outside of it.

6) DS Gloves.
I don't want to put permanant gloves on at that time. Are there any good dry gloves that are not permanantly attached?

I'm excited to learn the wonders of diving dry!
thanx in advance!

NECK SEAL OPTIONS

a) Neoprene is usally a Fold Over Neck Seal! IMPORTANT !Folding over the neoprene neck seal creates the watertightseal. Fold the neoprene neck seal inward about 2 ½ to 3 ½ inches so that the smooth skin surface is next to your skin. Ensure no hair or clothing extends under the neckseal. If your drysuit is equipped with a neoprene warm collar, tuck the neck portion of your Drysuit Hood under the collar for the warmest,driest fit.

b) Latex Neck Seals!! WARNING !!Never use your fingernails and always use caution when pulling on the latex neck seal. Do not pull on the thin sealing layer as it might tear with excessive force or become damaged by your fingernails.!

"IMPORTANT" ! It is not necessary nor recommended to fold over latex seals, this increases the pressure on your neck Bad Bad do not do!!!! You will notice that there are concentric circular raised ridges near the top of the neck seal. This is to adjust the sizing if it is too tight. Carefully cut off one section at a time with a sharp pair of scissors until the neck seal is still snug, but not uncomfortable. Try not to leave any burs or nicks as the neck seal could tear when donning, keep the edge clean and equally straight. It should slightly compress the skin on your neck but not cut off blood flow to the brain. You should be able to wear this while watching TV! I think this what TSand M was referring to.

"IMPORTANT" !Cutting off too many rings will render the neck seal too big for you, and will leak. The only solution is replacement of the neck seal.

c) Wrist seals: Follow the same principle as the neck seal, Neoprene folds under, latex is trimmed to size. On the wrist for latex try to leave some length as the wrist tendons may cause a slight leak when you flex or turn your wrist. Having extra length along as much of the wrist as you are comfortable with helps reduce this. It is not uncommon to have a small leak from time to time. At the wrist and at the shoulder dump valve.

d) Care: Clean the valves out from the inside out every now and then to remove any debris. On latex always talc your seals when not in use to keep them from deteriorating and wax he zipper every few dives with a good zipper wax (bees wax) Hang the suit up minimizing any stress on the zipper (upside down is good) ensuring that the suit can air out and dry. Wear a clean fleece when you can and a fleece that doesn't shed as loose clumps/balls can plug the valves.

e) Boots: get a size that will fit allowing for the thickest socks you may wear. The boots should not be too loose but not to tight. Treat them with talc on occasion and take care when coming out of your suit not to stress the boots by pulling to hard. Check your fins to ensure they fit the DS boots

f) Hood: You could wear your wetsuit but you will find it best to get a DS hood, This should fit the same as your current hood except just to the point of where the neck and collar of the DS meet. If you have a DS neck dam then tuck the neck of the hood into that. That is over the neck seal and unde the dam. DO NOT TUCK the hood neck into the DS neck seal.

g) Gloves: Ensure you have good fitting wrist rings that can interlock. It is recommended to place a straw under the wrist seal and into the glove so as to equalize the gloves and keep your hands warm. If you can take the squeeze do not do this your call. Gloves should be snug but not so that they interfere with your dexterity. Wear a wool under glove if cold water diving (ice diving)

h) Suit Inflation: IMHO Use the BCD for buoyancy, it reacts quicker then the DS too dump air and you are use to its function. Only add air to the DS enough to stop the squeeze and allow movement without restriction. be prepared to add more weight due to the undergarments. Wear only the under garments needed to protect against the temperature at depth your are diving. Jump in the water to cool off before the dive and before finalizing your equipment donning, don't over heat sweat in a DS sucks

practice the suit in shallow water at first, do flips and rolls to get use to its characteristics and air dispplacement. Work the buoyancy. have fun

 

[JBFG]

thanx Rick!

BTW when are you coming to see me?

---------- Post added March 18th, 2015 at 04:44 PM ----------

ok here are the photos.

1) zipper. the dry zipper is working well but the above zipper is missing the pull as you can see.
I was thinking about putting one of those to fix it:
https://www.fixnzip.com/zipper-sizes/






2) Neck seal:
here is what it looks like on me. See how much "loose" seal I have. check out the back it's ridiculous





3) Wrist seal:
here is the seal fully strech


here it is "folder over" it'S folder forward not backward


and here it is at the wrist and not folded



So i'm pretty sure that all my seals need some work. i'm not sure what though. the wrist feels great though. neck is tight.

 

[CGE925]

Seals should be fairly tight. For me, a neck seal is right if it's uncomfortable on land and I don't notice it in the water. If it's comfortable on land, it will either leak in the water, or it will do so soon. I put my seal on, and then pull it down until the top of it is at about my Adam's apple. You don't want to fold it over.

The way you describe your wrist seals, you say you have "the seal at my wrist, and it comes down to my fingers". The END of the seal should be at your wrist -- the part attached to the suit may be further up your arm, or may hang down over the seal itself a bit.

The part about the missing zipper puzzles me. Do you have a skin on the suit? The suit should be of two layers, and each should have a zipper. If you don't have a zipper on the skin at all, you bought a faulty skin and it should be replaced. If the Velcro holds, you may be able to use the suit without the other zipper, but if the Velcro doesn't hold, the skin will pull down off the suit.

I can't help you with the boots -- I have never used them.

I use zipper wax from McNetts. I put it on every few dives, or whenever the zipper feels sticky. I found I needed to wax the Fusion zippers a LOT when they were new, not so much as they broke in.

In general, wetsuit hoods have very large bibs on them. The bib on the hood should tuck under the SKIN of the suit, but not under the seal. NOTHING should be between the seal and your skin, or the suit will leak, badly. If the bib is too large to tuck in, you can leave it outside, and then how well the hood works depends on how much water gets up around your neck.

There are several dry glove systems that mount on the suit seals. I use the Viking bayonet system. SiTech Quick Glove can also be mounted on the seals, and I believe the Kubi system can be, as well.

I'm a bit confused, I didn't realize that Whites sold different designs of their Fusion suits. Mine has a single Core layer with both of the two zippers on the Core, and neither of my two skins (Bullet and Sport) have any zipper at all. They attach by Velcro all around.

FWIW, to the OP, personally, I would do what ever I could to safeguard the all important "main" zipper and get the outer zip repaired so it can be closed. With the outer zip wide open, it would be easy to harm the main zipper. Unfortunately, in our part of the world (I'm just downriver in Montreal) there aren't a lot of places that know these suits well.

 

[GDI]

thanx Rick!

BTW when are you coming to see me?

---------- Post added March 18th, 2015 at 04:44 PM ----------

ok here are the photos.

1) zipper. the dry zipper is working well but the above zipper is missing the pull as you can see.
I was thinking about putting one of those to fix it:
https://www.fixnzip.com/zipper-sizes/






2) Neck seal:
here is what it looks like on me. See how much "loose" seal I have. check out the back it's ridiculous





3) Wrist seal:
here is the seal fully strech


here it is "folder over" it'S folder forward not backward


and here it is at the wrist and not folded



So i'm pretty sure that all my seals need some work. i'm not sure what though. the wrist feels great though. neck is tight.

hey I'm home in Florida Queen and Country Served. Maybe sometime I will be back to dive the St Law and the G Lakes. Until then its reefs and caves.

Did you inflate the suit? PPlug the wrist and neck seal with coke cans and a small bucket. Inflate the suit fully, Spray it with soapy water along all seams and glued points. Do the full length of the zipper. You could pick up a new zipper tog/pull at that little place there in Gatineau. Louie Stand Around bottom floor opposite end to the DLR group. Ask nicely and the tech there may help you.

Your wrist seals don't look bad but you will want to wear them having a telescopic effect. Lots of coverage on the wrist length and some room for stretching/reaching with your arms. Tuck the thumb pull of your fleece back under the wrist seal Your neck, trim it back a bit a little at a time. Also FYI your CADPAT winter fleece makes for a nice undergarment BTW

 

[JBFG]

Yeah I inflated it the other day and there are no leaks. Suit actually fits real well with the tickets undergarment that I have (whites MK2). I totally did try the CADPAT fleece too

I'll check ou that place in LSR. I'm a Startop guy though. I don't hang out there haha.

Ok for the wrist seals I will push the back part more up my arm and see what happens. As for the neck seal I will trim it 1 or 2 rings (1 at the time). What concerns me is all that loose latex in the back. Is that a potential buble issue? I also tried my hood with it and I can tuck in the bib in the neck warmer.

Still not a bad haul for $150 (that includes 3 sets of undergarment!) if the ice can now just melt...