Yes, I am coming to really love my Fusion drysuit. It's common knowledge that one less-than-perfect aspect is the sagging pockets after you get out of the water. So I made an addition to my suit that seemed to really help. I also then dealt with the hole around the P valve.
I added a 6"-ish strip of velcro to the top of the pockets between the outer tech over suit and the inner dry core. To do this, I undid the velcro around the zipper and wrist seals, and removed the inflater and deflater. Then, with the suit on (and my MK3) and the pockets pulled into place, I reached down between the two layers and marked on the dry core where the top seam of the pocket sits against the dry core. I took off the suit and completely separated the two layers.
I turned the over suit inside out and laid it out flat next to the dry core, and weighted both down nice with some soft weights with everything stretched out firm. Then I taped off the areas around where the 3" strips of velcro would go with blue painters tape.
I cleaned the areas with rubbing alcohol on both inner and outer core, roughed it a bit and applied contact cement inside the taped area. I did this to the back of the pre-cut velcro strips, too. The location where the velcro would be attached to the over suit (the top of the pocket where it is stitched to the over suit) is mostly neoprene, so the rubber cement does a fine job or adhering. However, I did build up several layers (three or four, I think) and I let the first two dry completely to create a good base to attach the strips to. I did this on the outer core, the dry core and the velcro. Finally, I brushed on a final layer, let it get tacky and firmly applied the strips in place.
Well, as long as I was at it, I did the same kind of thing at the P valve. I cut a 1/2" wide circular ring of velcro from a 3" wide square that would slip around the P valve. I taped and cleaned and roughed again, and then built up the layers of contact cement on the velcro, the over suit and the dry core. At this location, the over suit material is just the thin lycra, but the glue seemed to build up a fine base to glue onto anyway. After the last layer was ready I applied the velcro.` I let it all dry completely over night and then put the suit back together.
If you've ever put the over suit onto the dry core, you know that as you pull up the ankles, the velcro just naturally slips into place and attach-es. Well, the pocket strips did the same thing. As I was pulling the outer layer up, the strips came naturally together and attached. Nice.
I filled my pockets. In the right pocket I keep wet notes, spare mask and shears. In the left I keep a 150' spool and safety sausage. Walking around dry in my living room, the pockets held firmly in place. However, the real test would be wet, after a dive.
The next night I did a 45 min dive. I carried an extra spool in my left pocket that I used during the dive to run a line from one small wreck to another, so during the dive I did open, remove the spool, replace the spool and close the pocket, and the Velcro remained firmly attached in place.
After the dive, I took off my kit and walked around wet for a while while the other divers got un-kitted. And the did the pockets no longer sag? Well... there was still some small sagging. And the reason is that the inner dry core has extra material that can be pulled down with the pockets, and with the pockets attached now, they pull the core down with them. However, the sagging is very minimal, almost unnoticeable compared to pre-velcro. In fact, I would say that the sagging was reduced by at least 90%. To me, well worth the little bit of effort. After a half hour of walking around after the dive, I never felt the need to hike up my suit even once.
The ring around the P valve held the two materials together perfectly, very neatly.
So, I am very pleased with the result and glad I did it. No more hiking up those sagging pockets for me!
I added a 6"-ish strip of velcro to the top of the pockets between the outer tech over suit and the inner dry core. To do this, I undid the velcro around the zipper and wrist seals, and removed the inflater and deflater. Then, with the suit on (and my MK3) and the pockets pulled into place, I reached down between the two layers and marked on the dry core where the top seam of the pocket sits against the dry core. I took off the suit and completely separated the two layers.
I turned the over suit inside out and laid it out flat next to the dry core, and weighted both down nice with some soft weights with everything stretched out firm. Then I taped off the areas around where the 3" strips of velcro would go with blue painters tape.
I cleaned the areas with rubbing alcohol on both inner and outer core, roughed it a bit and applied contact cement inside the taped area. I did this to the back of the pre-cut velcro strips, too. The location where the velcro would be attached to the over suit (the top of the pocket where it is stitched to the over suit) is mostly neoprene, so the rubber cement does a fine job or adhering. However, I did build up several layers (three or four, I think) and I let the first two dry completely to create a good base to attach the strips to. I did this on the outer core, the dry core and the velcro. Finally, I brushed on a final layer, let it get tacky and firmly applied the strips in place.
Well, as long as I was at it, I did the same kind of thing at the P valve. I cut a 1/2" wide circular ring of velcro from a 3" wide square that would slip around the P valve. I taped and cleaned and roughed again, and then built up the layers of contact cement on the velcro, the over suit and the dry core. At this location, the over suit material is just the thin lycra, but the glue seemed to build up a fine base to glue onto anyway. After the last layer was ready I applied the velcro.` I let it all dry completely over night and then put the suit back together.
If you've ever put the over suit onto the dry core, you know that as you pull up the ankles, the velcro just naturally slips into place and attach-es. Well, the pocket strips did the same thing. As I was pulling the outer layer up, the strips came naturally together and attached. Nice.
I filled my pockets. In the right pocket I keep wet notes, spare mask and shears. In the left I keep a 150' spool and safety sausage. Walking around dry in my living room, the pockets held firmly in place. However, the real test would be wet, after a dive.
The next night I did a 45 min dive. I carried an extra spool in my left pocket that I used during the dive to run a line from one small wreck to another, so during the dive I did open, remove the spool, replace the spool and close the pocket, and the Velcro remained firmly attached in place.
After the dive, I took off my kit and walked around wet for a while while the other divers got un-kitted. And the did the pockets no longer sag? Well... there was still some small sagging. And the reason is that the inner dry core has extra material that can be pulled down with the pockets, and with the pockets attached now, they pull the core down with them. However, the sagging is very minimal, almost unnoticeable compared to pre-velcro. In fact, I would say that the sagging was reduced by at least 90%. To me, well worth the little bit of effort. After a half hour of walking around after the dive, I never felt the need to hike up my suit even once.
The ring around the P valve held the two materials together perfectly, very neatly.
So, I am very pleased with the result and glad I did it. No more hiking up those sagging pockets for me!
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