Gettin' a Dry Suit in Texas

[k-valve]

Have fun, be safe and NO Michelin Man stuff!!!!!

I'm actually taking a class to learn all the tips and tricks from someone who has been diving dry a very long time. My first dip is in the pool Friday night and then a couple of dives in Travis on Saturday. I'm super excited...good thing I got the p-valve installed!

 

[texdiveguy]

I'm actually taking a class to learn all the tips and tricks from someone who has been diving dry a very long time. My first dip is in the pool Friday night and then a couple of dives in Travis on Saturday. I'm super excited...good thing I got the p-valve installed!

Yea those little ds classes help shorten the learning curve!

 

[ianr33]

Have fun, be safe and NO Michelin Man stuff!!!!!

Some people like the Michelin Man stuff:

YouTube - Mr Blow Up

 

[Gillty]

Pardon me if someone already mentioned this but I believe DUI is going to be in Austin next season. The best piece of advice I can give you is to try as many out as you can get your hands on until you find one that fits. A properly fitting suit is very important.

Good Luck

Gillty

 

[k-valve]

Pardon me if someone already mentioned this but I believe DUI is going to be in Austin next season. The best piece of advice I can give you is to try as many out as you can get your hands on until you find one that fits. A properly fitting suit is very important.

Good Luck

Gillty

Yep, they'll be back to do a DUI Dog Days session in Austin this spring. If you want to know when call Mike at Austin Aqua Sports they're the only DUI dealer in Austin I think and the LDS that got DUI down here in the first place.

One easy way to get the right fit is to pay a couple of hundred extra for a custom fit suit. DUI gives you a pretty good deal on a package that includes a custom suit with a couple of pockets of your choice...seems like something else comes with it, but I can't remember what it is right now. Call Mike for the details.

 

[k-valve]

Some people like the Michelin Man stuff:

YouTube - Mr Blow Up

OMG...that video is hilarious! That dude definitely has some issues.

 

[richerso]

All of the advice on here is good advice. My two cents:
I own and dive a BARE suit. Don't know the model. Isn't that bad of me? The reasons I dive a BARE are:
--got it for a great price!
--had to select off the shelf but it fits really well with the exception of the legs. The legs are about 1-1/2 to 2 inches too long for my short squatty legs. None the less, it's not a bad fit.

Always get a dry suit that fits! Can't say this enough. Other thoughts:

BARE (I am sure DUI too) has a neat little feature located at the waist. It's a "vertical elastic" joint type thing that allows the suit to adjust/stretch the distance between your shoulders and crotch. It's not much adjustment; but it's just enough to make the suit comfortable without resorting to a custom cut.

Also, I am surprised no one has mentioned this before. You definitely need these two features. Trust me:
--you need a a suit with a self-donning zipper that zips diagonally across the front from your right hip to up and over your left shoulder. This type of zipper is truly self-donning. No marketing hype. I can donn and doff my dry suit all by myself. Ask other dry suit owners to do that.

You also need a suit (again, I own a BARE - so this is where my experience is), which has a second "barrier" zipper. All dry suits have the "dry zip" that everyone is familiar with. My BARE has a standard mechanical zipper over the top of the dry zipper. The mechanical zipper helps protect/guard the dry zipper from the perils of foreign debris incursions and mud infusions. In short, it helps protect the precious dry zipper and prolong its' life.

Tri-lam or crushed neoprene? I don't know. Different opinions here. I have a tri-lam. Everyone tells me it's lighter (less weight) than the crushed neoprene version. I don't know that I can tell the difference.

Hope this helps.

 

[Zinc]

Umph!.

 

[Teknadv3x]

I'm actually taking a class to learn all the tips and tricks from someone who has been diving dry a very long time. My first dip is in the pool Friday night and then a couple of dives in Travis on Saturday. I'm super excited...good thing I got the p-valve installed!

Here is one of the best places to get caths.

LHB Industries Online Store

Male External Catheter, Wide Band, Medium 2204051

Remember to trim the grass around the picnic table before suiting up the little diver.

Once hooked up, use it to make sure there are no kinks or sticky valves. Malfuctions are much easier to deal with up on the hill.

Get in a habit to run some listerene through the tube followed by rinse water when done divng for the day. I know of 3 guys who got urinary track infections very very evil stuff.

Dave

 

[danktex]

I second the Lighthouse for the blind for caths. Great prices.