Potapko
Contributor
Did my first dive with the tech skin yesterday. I bought the suit with the Lycra skin and did the first handful of dives with it. I was the one who on my first dive managed to put a hole in the Lycra while removing my backplate. I have no pocket on the plate and the screw caught on the material and put a small hole in it. 
My wife sewed it and it held fine though. As the others that have posted I love the suit. It is the fifth drysuit I have used in as many years and by far the best! My previous suit, which is for sale by the way, , is a Bare trilam HD Tech dry. Biggest reason for changing was the fit and flexibility (or lack thereof) of the Bare suit.
So, on to the tech skin. The neoprene skin is a little more snug than the Lycra. Hard to believe I know but it is. The stretch is still there but it holds everything together even a little bit better than the Lycra skin. A little more work to get into as well. In all fairness it may be that I don't have it situated perfectly on the inner bladder. It only took about 5 minutes to change out the skin. You do need to remove the valves but that is not really a big deal. The skin sits nicely underneath the rubber seal on the outside of the inner bag around the valve holes and is held nicely in place for reassembly.
In the water I didn't notice any difference in buoyancy characteristics. Trim was as easy to maintain as in the Lycra. Flexibility is just as amazing as the thinner Lycra was. I never thought valve drills could be so easy in a drysuit.
The pockets are a good size and everything I carry fit easily inside. For me they are well placed and easy to reach all the way to the bottom of the pocket. They are made of neoprene though and for me will take some getting used to. The typical cordura was easier for me to deal with. Why? Because the material does not stretch and it is simple to open and close and be sure the two sides of the velcro are meeting. With the neoprene I was constantly checking to be sure it was closed. With dry gloves in 5 degree C water it was tough to be sure. The flap stretches so much it is possible to overlap it too far and miss the velcro closure. With practice I am sure this will become second nature as well.
Overall I love the suit and the skin. Looking forward to many comfortable dives with this great piece of equipment.
(paid for by the "Friends of Whites Diving Equipment") hehe, just kidding!
One change that I would make would be to use a neoprene soft boot. It requires fewer layers of insulation and ,for me at least, was even more comfortable. This is the one thing I will miss about my Bare suit.
Can't forget to put in a plug for my non-local dive shop in IL. Mike at Dive Right In Scuba is the best I have dealt with to date, and I buy a lot of equipment "online"
If I was there in IL, I would do all of my business with Mike! :14:
Thanks
My wife sewed it and it held fine though. As the others that have posted I love the suit. It is the fifth drysuit I have used in as many years and by far the best! My previous suit, which is for sale by the way, , is a Bare trilam HD Tech dry. Biggest reason for changing was the fit and flexibility (or lack thereof) of the Bare suit. So, on to the tech skin. The neoprene skin is a little more snug than the Lycra. Hard to believe I know but it is. The stretch is still there but it holds everything together even a little bit better than the Lycra skin. A little more work to get into as well. In all fairness it may be that I don't have it situated perfectly on the inner bladder. It only took about 5 minutes to change out the skin. You do need to remove the valves but that is not really a big deal. The skin sits nicely underneath the rubber seal on the outside of the inner bag around the valve holes and is held nicely in place for reassembly.
In the water I didn't notice any difference in buoyancy characteristics. Trim was as easy to maintain as in the Lycra. Flexibility is just as amazing as the thinner Lycra was. I never thought valve drills could be so easy in a drysuit.
The pockets are a good size and everything I carry fit easily inside. For me they are well placed and easy to reach all the way to the bottom of the pocket. They are made of neoprene though and for me will take some getting used to. The typical cordura was easier for me to deal with. Why? Because the material does not stretch and it is simple to open and close and be sure the two sides of the velcro are meeting. With the neoprene I was constantly checking to be sure it was closed. With dry gloves in 5 degree C water it was tough to be sure. The flap stretches so much it is possible to overlap it too far and miss the velcro closure. With practice I am sure this will become second nature as well.
Overall I love the suit and the skin. Looking forward to many comfortable dives with this great piece of equipment.
(paid for by the "Friends of Whites Diving Equipment") hehe, just kidding!
One change that I would make would be to use a neoprene soft boot. It requires fewer layers of insulation and ,for me at least, was even more comfortable. This is the one thing I will miss about my Bare suit.
Can't forget to put in a plug for my non-local dive shop in IL. Mike at Dive Right In Scuba is the best I have dealt with to date, and I buy a lot of equipment "online"
If I was there in IL, I would do all of my business with Mike! :14:
Thanks
