Help with dry-suit purchase

[Wbflyer]

Hello All,

I'm looking to get a dry-suit and need a little help. about 15 years ago, I tried a Bare tri-lam and hated it. Part of it was probably my fault, I am 6'3" and 195lbs. I tried an off the shelf suit and it was the most restrictive thing I have ever worn, I aborted the dive and went back to wet-suits. Now, a little older I want to revisit the dry-suit. I have heard that neoprene suits have less "squeeze" than tri-lam and feel more like a wetsuit. Also, I assume that custom is the way to go but more pricey.

What are your thoughts on type and brands with a budget of under $2,000? I dive in the PNW so temps are mostly around 45 to 65.

Thanks!!!

 

[Outbound]

I dive an Aqualung Fusion Bullet, and I love it. There's an inner bilaminate "bag" and an outer neoprene skin that stretches over it and keeps everything compact against your body. I like the design and fit, but it's one of those things where you either love it or hate it. The Bullet is a bit over your $2000 budget, but there are other suits in the Fusion line that are cheaper, depending on how robust you want/need the outer skin to be. The suit is really flexible and comfortable. The only negative I have is that it takes a long time for the outer skin to dry out. Putting a fan on it helps though.

Before that I dove a compressed neoprene suit. I had fit issues with mine, but that wasn't the fault of the material. I could use a lot less weight in the compressed neoprene suit because I didn't need to use undergarments that were as thick. For comparison, I use 20 lbs. when diving my Fusion Bullet, and was at 14 lbs. when in my compressed neoprene suit. The material has more insulating qualities, so you won't need a thick fleece layer. Also, because it insulated better, I didn't get nearly as much condensation in my suit as I do with the Fusion.

I wouldn't give up on a trilam suit though. I'm sure there's one out there that will be a better fit than the one you tried 15 years ago. Several of my dive buddies have DUI Yukon II's, and they seem to like them. And one of the guys is probably about your size.

 

[Zef]

There is something to be said for the comfort and ease of diving a wetsuit....there is also something to be said for the comfort of being dry and warm before, during, and after a dive on a cold day in cold water.

When making the transition between diving a wetsuit to diving a drysuit there are a couple of things one needs to accept:

1. Drysuits fit differently - Take this into consideration as some folks believe that they will have the freedom of movement and flexibility that their wetsuit offers when they don a drysuit and are disappointed when they find that the fit is a dramatically different sensation. Even a well-fitting drysuit will tend to squeeze depending on the situation....if hanging out at the surface in a vertical position the air bubble in the suit will rise to the shoulders and the legs will tend to become "wrapped".

2. It takes a bit of time to become proficient diving a drysuit - When first diving a drysuit one typically needs to become familiar with spatial control all over again. The air bubble moving around in the suit affects trim and buoyancy in a dynamic way, especially when just starting to use a drysuit. It could be a little disconcerting at first as one seemingly has to relearn how to control their body in the water.

I would recommend finding a 2 or 3 shops in your area that rent different types of drysuits and try out different brands/models...at least to figure out if you prefer neoprene or membrane type suits.

I also have an Aqualung Fusion Bullet drysuit. I like how it dives, and I like the fact that it will adapt to changing body morphology...for instance, I lost nearly 50lbs in the year or so after purchasing it. Had I purchased a different suit I would probably have way too much space in the suit. The only real complaint I have about my suit is that the neoprene outer skin takes a while to dry completely, but to be honest this has yet to be a real problem for me as I have not traveled anywhere to dive that I have taken my drysuit with me.

On the other hand, my wife bought a made-to-measure drysuit last year. Her body morphology makes it challenging to find off-the-rack dive suits (wet or dry) that fit properly. The suit was not as expensive as we thought it would be, but then again, in general, dive gear tends to be less expensive in Western Europe than in the US.

All that being said, my overall advice can be summed up with "fit is everything", so do yourself a favor and try-on, and if you can dive them, dive as many different brands/models that you can find.

-Z

 

[Wbflyer]

Thanks to both of you! What I am hearing you both say is that the squeeze is something that will be there no matter what suit material I go with. The only other option would be a semi-dry but not sure that would be a good long term solution for repetitive dives.

 

[Zef]

Thanks to both of you! What I am hearing you both say is that the squeeze is something that will be there no matter what suit material I go with. The only other option would be a semi-dry but not sure that would be a good long term solution for repetitive dives.

I am not saying that a squeeze will always be there...at least not from the standpoint of discomfort. There are a couple of factors that help:

1. diving in a horizontal position - this is typically the most efficient position to be in and it helps keep the air bubble in the suit that provides for warmth to be controllable and more evenly distributed. Air in the suit will rise to the highest point of the suit...if you go vertical head down then the air will rise to the highpoint which will be your feet, and if you go vertical feet down then the air will tend to rise around your shoulders (if your shoulder vent/dumpvalve is open the suit will vent out the air. Which ever part is lowest will feel a bit vacuum packed. This sensation will help you by reminding you to even out horizontally and perhaps add a bit of air to inflate the suit a bit to combat that wrapped sensation.

2. the insulating undergarment one wears will also help by creating a barrier against that wrapped feeling...but if you descend without putting air in the suit or if you go vertical with your head as the highpoint and let the air out of your suit then you will likely find that your legs feel that wrapped sensation. Again this is a reminder to level out your body and add a bit of air.

I have yet to feel an uncomfortable squeeze from my drysuit except when I purposely descended without adding air to see what a squeeze felt like.

I also have semi-dry (Waterproof Combat SD). It seals very well, in fact, I have done nearly 1-hour dives in it and found that I am nearly dry, only my legs from just above my knees down to my ankles are wt...If I was to fold the ankle seals under I am pretty sure my legs would be dry as well...but then I would not be able to vent and descend. I suffer more of a squeeze in my semidry than I do my drysuit on any given day. The fact that I don't get wet much more past my knees when diving my semi-dry makes multiple dives more comfortable....though if I really want comfort in cold water for multiple dives then my drysuit is where it is at.

Here in Belgium the climate is almost identical to the Pacific Northwest. We used to live in Washington State (@ 35 min north of seattle), and my youngest is currently living in Eugene Oregon, so we are very familiar with the weather/climate where you are.

My drysuit is made of a very thin Goretex like material. My wife's drysuit is 5mm hyper-compressed neoprene (I think that is what it is called). It is supple but has more structure than the waterproof core of my Fusion suit. I would not doubt that her suit does not squeeze/wrap down as much as my suite does...her suit also has some inherent insulating properties that mine does not have.

The bottom line is that comparing wetsuit diving to drysuit diving is almost akin to comparing motorboating to sailing....both happen on/in the water and there is some overlap to them but in the end, they are different activities.

I saw something recently that I am going to try the next time I dive my semi-dry...all our reg sets have the extra LP inflation hose attached all the time whether we are diving wet or dry. I recently saw a woman diving her semi-dry with an air nozzle attached to the extra LP inflation hose on her reg set. I asked why she dove with it and she showed me that she sticks it in her wrist cuff to inject some air into her suit to preven squeeze when diving her semi-dry. I have also seen some folks put dump inflation and exhaust valves on their semi-dry...not sure if I would go that far...but I am going to try the air nozzle and see how that works, as I routinely get a squeeze in the area of the rear zipper, and also around my hips...it is not bothersome enough that it would cause me to abort the dive but it is noticable....I am hoping a little air in my semi-dry will balance out the comfort, I already have the air nozzle fitting...hoping it does not cause my semi-dry to become more wetsuit like....if so then I will tolerate the squeeze for the benefit of being dry (dryer).

Until you get used to it, drysuit diving is just different than wetsuit diving.

Hope that helps clear things up.

-Z

 

[EireDiver606]

OP what kind of diving do you want to do?

No. 1 though, you need a made to measure suit regardless.

 

[JohnN]

Hello All,

I'm looking to get a dry-suit and need a little help. about 15 years ago, I tried a Bare tri-lam and hated it. Part of it was probably my fault, I am 6'3" and 195lbs. I tried an off the shelf suit and it was the most restrictive thing I have ever worn, I aborted the dive and went back to wet-suits. Now, a little older I want to revisit the dry-suit. I have heard that neoprene suits have less "squeeze" than tri-lam and feel more like a wetsuit. Also, I assume that custom is the way to go but more pricey.

What are your thoughts on type and brands with a budget of under $2,000? I dive in the PNW so temps are mostly around 45 to 65.

Thanks!!!

Buy local. USIA is in our backyard and you can get a fully bespoke drysuit for well under your budget

I have a HOG branded USIA suit I purchased through Jim Lampenta and couldn't be happier. Besides if you visit the factory in Scappose you'll see a bunch of military dry suits in camoy

*******edit******

Make that St. Helen's, OS Systems is in Scappose. Oops

 

[Wbflyer]

I do mostly recreation diving in lakes and up in Seattle Sound area. Cold water!

I didn't know USIA was that close! I'll check them out, thanks for the heads up!!

 

[Dark Wolf]

You might take a look at the Seaskin suits. My buddy ordered one that is due to ship the end of next month.

DW

 

[drk5036]

You might take a look at the Seaskin suits. My buddy ordered one that is due to ship the end of next month.

DW

this. Definitely check out seaskin.co.uk. And also really, consider getting the neoprene Ultra suit. Made to order, only costs about 600 dollars, you can get it delivered in 6 weeks. It's honestly hard to beat.