Henderson Insta Dry Suit and initial impressions

[mattmcg]

Hello All,

First time poster, long time lurker. Anyhow, my Henderson Insta Dry full suit was delivered today and I had a chance to try it on. Here are my initial impressions.

1. The material is not as stretchy as the normal Hyperstretch. I'd say it is probably 60-70% as stretchy.
2. The inner silicone seam sealing might be problematic. When trying to put the suit on while dry, the silicone sealing makes it a bit more difficult to put on. It also tends to pull hair a bit more than regular gold core so it can be somewhat irritating to the skin. Especially under the armpits where a number of seams are sealed. I almost think the seam sealing is a bit overboard and leaving the creases without might make it much more comfortable.
3. The suit does dry as advertised. Very quickly and a simple toweling off dries it immediately.
4. The surface is a rippled black surface, not smooth like I was expecting. So there is a texture to it. Pretty durable from first glance.

All in all, I'm not sure what I think of it. I can see the drying beneficial between dives but the additional difficulty in putting it on and off with the added discomfort of silicone seams against the skin may put me back into another Hyperstretch.

I'd like to know what other people think that have had a chance to try on one or use it on their dives!

 

[mattmcg]

And is the whole purpose behind wanting to 'Insta Dry', that you want to quickly dry your exterior, thus reducing the evaporative cooling effect that a traditional wetsuit has while donning it between dives?

Why whould this be advantageous otherwise?

 

[Detonate]

I'm looking forward to the 3mm shorty version. I think that version will be easy to don/doff and give you that great Insta Dry effect.

I haven't tried one on yet, but I've personally inspected them, and think they look like a great product.

If they make a short hard sole Insta Dry booty, I'll be getting them as well.

Oh, and probably the hood.

Ok, so I maybe I do like them.

 

[Mverick]

They look nice. But at $430 US for a 3mm?????!!!!!????? No, I won't be getting one..

 

[mike_s]

yeah.... I gotta agree. the $$$ involved doesn't warrant a purchase on one.

I've got a Henderson 3mm Hyperstretch which cost about $240. It's a nice wetsuit but you can also buy an "el cheapo" for $89-$120. Of course the Henderson is better. But I don't expect to go upgrade to an insta dry for $400-$500. I don't see many other people doing that either, unless they have more money than sense.

 

[grouchyturtle]

They look nice, but I refuse to spend that much on a suit. My drysuit didn't even cost that much!

 

[vertaqua]

The knee pads looked kind of flimsy on the one I saw in my LDS.
Just my .02$

 

[Kestrell]

And is the whole purpose behind wanting to 'Insta Dry', that you want to quickly dry your exterior, thus reducing the evaporative cooling effect that a traditional wetsuit has while donning it between dives?

Why whould this be advantageous otherwise?

That is one benefit.

I can also see it helping out post-dive. I always have to hang my suit for a few days before I put it away, to get it completely dry. I can also see it being a benefit when on vacation. Not only will your suit be dry for the next day of diving (good if you don't want to put on a clammy cold suit) it will also be dry when you pack it, instead of being 10 lbs heavier due to the water, not to mention getting eveything else in your luggage wet.

I have a 7mm Hyper stretch now and it is fine for quarry/ocean diving since I don't do multi-day local diving, but when I buy a 3mm for my vacation, I will consider getting an Insta-dry.

 

[Hoosier]

Just based on my experience, I have 7mm Gold core, 5mm Hyperstretch Hooded Vest, 1mm Microprene, 5mm Gold Core boot, and 5mm Gold core glove. I agree that it must be the best and wonderful suit in the market. I am not sure how quick dry you guys need. The Gold core doesn't require a surface interval to be dried out. But, I would do it again, I had better get the middle ranged Dry suit (Bare or Whites) depending on your diving site condition. And get Triple_L suit for the occational wet diving. Yeah, it was a lot of money to get all Henderson.......

 

[ScubaSarus]

I think the Gold core would suit ones needs just as well as this insta dry. Also I think xcel has a similar design to the gold core thats just as good.