Going dry? Need advice.

[CuriousRambler]

I'm considering getting my first drysuit here in a few months, but I'm entirely clueless about them. I see a fair bit about the Fusion on here, so I'm naturally considering one, but I'm also curious about the others. It seems like the major downfall of the fusion are the pockets, too small, too weak to stay up out of the water, etc. For now, very much recreational diving, off of southern California, as well as freshwater diving in NW Montana. Later I'm planning to (slowly) work my way into tech diving, I was hoping to make a trip to Mexico this fall and take my intro to cave, unfortunately it's not in the books.

Just for the sake of flexibility I'm kind of leaning toward the Fusion, but I'd like to hear everyone's opinions on what they use.

As always, the help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Diver0001]

I've used quite a few drysuits and I've owned 3, two trilam ones and one crushed neoprene.

I don't have a lot of experience with the brands that seem to be popular on scubaboard but I do have a lot of experience with Bare suits and I would recommend them without any reservations.

R..

 

[helimvee]

I just bought a Pinnacle Evo2. I wanted a Trlam and this is the brand my LDS carries. I am very happy with it. It is more restrictive than my O'Neill wetsuit but I'll give up flexibility to be dry!

 

[TSandM]

I have owned and dived a Mobby's trilam, a DC compressed neo, and a Fusion. I have also rented a DUI Trilam. Here's my take:

Trilam suits are fairly light and dry quickly. They have no stretch and MUST fit properly, or they will limit your mobility -- they are therefore unforgiving of weight changes. They hole easily but are simple to patch.

Compressed neo is heavy and dries slowly, but it IS warmer than trilam. It's tougher to put a hole in. It stretches a little, but don't count on much. I got tired of fighting to get in and out of mine.

The Fusion is extremely light and allows great mobility. It does not dry as fast as a trilam, but dries faster than compresssed neo. I understand it is easy to patch, but I wouldn't know . . . after a year and a hundred or so dives, the only leaks I've had have been related to things I've done to the suit. Footgear can be a challenge, unless the lovely White's boots fit you and fit in your fins (they do neither for me) and pockets remain problematic.

All in all, considering price and all other features, I think the Fusion is one of the best values for money in a dry suit out there. The only people who don't seem to be happy with them are people with thick arms and/or legs -- the limb portion of the bag is cut too slim for them, and they can't use heavy undergarments under the suit comfortably.

 

[Rick Inman]

I'm in agreement with that borg-ish person.

I have owned a Whites bi-lam, a DIR crushed neoprene, an OS Systems bag suit, a Diving Concepts tri-lam (still have), and, currently, a Fusion. The comfort and flexibility of the Fusion has me loving it. I've fixed the pocket sagging problem on my suit, so that's not an issue any more. I do struggle with the narrow ankles, but hey, I guess you can't have everything.

I've used the Fusion in water in to 30's (that's degrees), and also in Hawaii. It's great for warm water 'cause it's so light that it's easier to deal with than a wetsuit.

I've beat it up in a few wrecks (took my deep wreck penetration class in it) and it still looks great.

And the price is pretty good, too.

It's kinda' ugly, IMO.

 

[dive_gorilla]

I have a neoprene dry suit. My next one will be trilam. I bought the neoprene on the advice of a friend who said "if it floods, you still have some buoyancy." It made sense so I did it. However, like a wetsuit, neoprene gets tired. Not to say it's a waste of money; I have over 100 dives on it and I think it'll go for a couple hundred more. Trilam doesn't have the compression issues that neoprene does.

Also, I had mine made by Amada's here in Korea. I wear a size 15 shoe and they didn't have a boot that big. So they made it like a sock. I had some extra neoprene anklets made that I can put on to walk in without damaging the neoprene. I also dive with them on. It works and the socks are extremely comfortable in my fins.
Sealed gloves seem to be more trouble than they're worth. THey seem to be a constant source of flooding for the people I know who have them. If you have good undergarments on, then a thick neoprene glove should be all you need. I dive in 34 degree F water here and use Henderson Hyperstretch 5mm gloves.

Ultimately, it's up to you. Read what others have to say. Try to rent a couple suits and dive them more than once to see how you like them. And, though dry suit diving is not that difficult, get some training and make your first few dives relatively shallow until you get used to it.

Hope this helps.

 

[CuriousRambler]

I'm leaning toward trilam, but the prices of custom cut suits are downright depressing, and I've never had much luck fitting into off the rack anything, so I don't have high hopes for pulling the right straw on drysuits. I hadn't considered the lack of motion if they don't fit right..

Is it usually pretty easy to rent drysuits? I've never really looked into it, but I've never noticed any hanging in the back of any shops. Are there any specific features to look for that may be less than the obvious like p-valves?

 

[SandyRobinson]

My buddies and I use drysuits for cave diving and limited ocean diving. Here is my take.

I use a DR 905 trilam backzip. I have no complaints with durability. It is a little snug due to weight gain but I can still do my valve drills. I would buy another DR but it would be a front zip.

One buddy has a custom DUI trilam front zip with zip seals (350?)- no complaints or issues.

Another buddy uses a front zip DUI trilam/crushed neoprene (CF 200?)- no complaints or issues. He did replace the zip seals with regular seals as a personal preference.

I have heard good things about the Pinnacle and would consider any of the above for my next purchase.

Good luck.

 

[tridacna]

The Fusion is great! I have used it for two months now and love it more every time I use it. I've done 20 dives in cold water. (Unlike a certain group of "SB drysuit addicts", I'll never wear it in waters above 65F. The suit is easy to don and doff. Rock solid construction; I had a trilam before. I'm really glad to be rid of that. The Fusion is just easier to dive.

 

[elan]

I have Bare Trilam HD,
my observations the suit is quite light. Material does not stretch at all. Dries rocket fast. Transfers heat instantaneously. You need warmer underwear with it. I kind of like this separation of duties as I can adjust my warmth with proper underwear. Requires less weight with the same underwear. Under water the excess material kind of wrinkles up so it requires more effort to push through the water. Some of my buddies dive Bare XCD2 , the material is stretchy, they are warmer. My buddy dives Base basic T100 underwear in XCD2 in the same temperature I dive Hi-Loft Polar. Besides I put extra "under armor" t-shirt for mid 40s water. He puts extra t-shirt.