GL Wreck diving drysuit recommendations

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Bnscherm

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I'm just starting to look into drysuit diving, and was wondering if you guys have any recomendations for cold water wreck diving. I've talked with DUI and they've recomended the CF200 for this type of diving do to its durability benefits. Therefore, I guess this suit is sort of my reference point, and was wondering about recommendations on other similair type suits or other manufacturers suits that are just as good and a little more economical. I would appreciate your opinions, thanks.
 
Bnscherm:
I'm just starting to look into drysuit diving, and was wondering if you guys have any recomendations for cold water wreck diving. I've talked with DUI and they've recomended the CF200 for this type of diving do to its durability benefits. Therefore, I guess this suit is sort of my reference point, and was wondering about recommendations on other similair type suits or other manufacturers suits that are just as good and a little more economical. I would appreciate your opinions, thanks.

I love the CF200, but it is a bit pricey for me.

I use an Andy's DS-2 with Cordura for a fabric and it works great for me. I can't recommend it enough. I am happily wearing that drysuit in my avatar photo and my profile photo. Those photos were taken during deco stops on the Samuel Mathers in Whitefish Point about two weeks ago.

I also hear Diving Concepts recommended quite a bit as well. Abyss has a crushed neoprene suit that I see used.
 
DUI makes a lot of very good suits. at our store many of the instuctors have gone with the TLS350 option, and they do a large variety of dives from full cave penatration to basic quarry dives and love them. you can upgrade to dry gloves on any of the DUI suits for not that much $$ if you would want that. i have also heard from people that they plan on doing full wreck penatration and have opted for a neoprene drysuit so that if it gets punctured they will still have some warmth in it. harveys makes a good neoprene suit. good luck in finding one you want.

edit: DUI also does DUI Dog days, a day where they have all of their suits out quarries for people to try out and see what ones they like. they have one in gilboa near toledo ohio in early june every year. they also had reefmaster digital camera's at the one this year. you may want to wait and check them out before you drop $1000+ on a suit.
 
I love MY DUI CF 200! I have been commercial diving (heavy construction) for 4yrs in the first one but still is in good shape. I have a second one exactly the same but younger in age. I needed a back-up so when I rip a cuff, I have another so I can continue working. Mobility is the biggest thing on my list and being indestructable is a close second, I have had Viking, Nokia, Posideon, Desco and KME (Dry diving systems) but none are as good as the DUI CF 200. I dislike the 350-400 because of the mobility of the crushed neoprene.............Bill
 
I rent the CF200 because that is what fits me at the LDS. It is an excellent suit and very durable. However, when I buy one, hopefully soon, I will go with tri-lam for its lighter weight and price point. DUI sells a back entry version of their tri-lam suit that seems very reasonable for a DUI suit. The front enty zipper does add to the price who ever you get the suit from.


Bnscherm:
I'm just starting to look into drysuit diving, and was wondering if you guys have any recomendations for cold water wreck diving. I've talked with DUI and they've recomended the CF200 for this type of diving do to its durability benefits. Therefore, I guess this suit is sort of my reference point, and was wondering about recommendations on other similair type suits or other manufacturers suits that are just as good and a little more economical. I would appreciate your opinions, thanks.
 
I bought a Bare Trilam ATR HD and am loving it so far. Used it out on Lake Michigan several times this year. Sure beats wet! I read quite a few posts on this board before buying and there were a ton of compliments for this suit. I ended up paying $1100 shipped to my door including two sets of underwear from Divetank.com. Quite a deal for trilam.

Chad
 
I cannot say enough about my DUI CF200 Signature Series dry suit. Mine has the dry hood, dry gloves, rock boots, etc. Team that up with the AGA full face mask and you'll find yourself saying, "Cold? You were cold? I didn't notice...."

Seriously, I hate being cold and this set up is the most comfortableI've ever used. I went with the rock boots too, which provides a little more foot warmth.

I have a couple of hunded Great Lakes wreck dives on mine and it performs like new every time. The crushed neoprene is tough and comfortable. My old Viking dry suit is held together with AquaSeal but the DUI has never sprung a leak. (knock on wood!)
 
Thanks for the recommendations. Has anyone had any experiences with the dive rite dry suits? Seems like they have a lot of features at a reasonable price, plus they have a lot of sizing options.
 
I have a 2005 XCD2 Tech Drysuit (Men's). It is the best suit I have ever wore. It is warm and comfortable. You can hardly tell you are wearing a dri-suit. I purchased it from Dive tank.com. Richard is great. If you do not like the suit just send it back. Richard will help you find something you love.
 
Not to take anything away from DUI, which most everyone agrees are great suits, but there are a lot of othere options out there. Things you might consider are:

Shell vs neoprene vs whatever: they all have pluses and minuses. Talk to divers who use them and decide what is right for the kind of diving you expect to be doing. There are a zillion options these days.

Cost of the suit. Is an expensive suit going to keep you from getting other essential gear? Do you need a commercial-grade suit for the amount and type of diving you intend to do?

And last but certainly not least, good fit. There is nothing worse than a drysuit that is baggy or ill-fitting in some other way. When I went dry I couldn't find anything off the rack that fit well, so I sprang for the extra $$ and got a custom fit. Best money I ever spent.

FYI, I dive a shell suit made by USIA. It wasn't the cheapest option nor the most expensive. It's what I found after doing my homework and thinking about it a lot, and it's perfect for me.
 

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