Hot Rodding my Drysuit - Pockets & Valves & Pee Valve Questions

[Mo2vation]

OK. Got the new Drysuit. Been diving it these last few trips with the BPD. I'm off to Belize in a couple of weeks, so after my July 4 weekend trip, I'm packing it up and sending it off to get real pockets attached, and maybe a Pee Valve installed.

THE POCKETS
On my beloved 50/50 for the last several years, I've been using the DUI zippered pockets.

DUI Zipper Pocket Pros:
* Not HUGE! (especially the right one - easy to grab the wetnotes... I can hardly find it in the BPD and its huge velcro pocket

* Stiffener makes it easy to get in and out of. On the BPD, the pockets flop around and are harder to get into, and a lot harder to put stuff away.


DUI Zipper Pocket Cons:
* Kinda small on the left - for my spare mask, dive alert and shears it gets a little tight. I like the room in the BPD pocket.


So I'm thinking of going bigazz velcro cargo blimp hanger on the left, and something smaller on the right - like the zip pocket I've been using for the last several years and can open and close in my sleep. I could get a smaller Velcro - but why change when I'm comfortable with the DUI dual zip with the stiffiner thingy?


Valves
Been using the DUI stock valves (the low profile shoulder valve and standard fill valve) for years. Never an issue. BUT - I've been considering a forearm dump. Arnaud got one, and seeing it work is pretty neat. Raises the arm, it dumps. Me, I'm usually going a chicken wing and raising my torso to get gas out (the gas that doesn't flow out by its self...)

Forearm Dumps aren't just for scooters anymore, right?


Pee Valve

I'm diving an HP130. I often get a lot of BT - and I hate rationing my liquids on dive trips and ultimately scrambling quickly up the ladder and dumping a trail of gear from transom to head to start every SI. :11:

I've only seen these from the outside - namely the bolt. I have no idea how much room they take up inside the leg of the suit.

How big is the hockey puck? Namely, how wide? I mean, if my suit fits well in the legs, will it be uncomfortable? Will it be too tight to function correctly?

I presume balanced is the way to go. And not using it is as simple as not hooking up up and sort of clamping down the bolt?

Any assistance or thoughts would be really helpful. I'm planning on keeping this suit for awhile - so I want to get these mod's right.

Thanks all.

---
Ken
Clueless in SoCal

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

First, I would say to go with large bellowed pockets on both sides. If things ever change, you will regret having the little pocket. I had a wetsuit with the small Halcyon pocket on one side (Thank goodness I had the big one on the other side). The only thing that fits in it is WetNotes. Trust me, having a bigger pocket but not needing it will not kill you, but having one too small will really piss you off when you need it.

Second, I would not go with a zippered pocket. Even if you have had good luck with yours, there are too many stories about the zippers getting broken due to things getting caught in them. Go with velcro.

Pee valvewise, I would actually go with an unbalanced rather than a balanced. They are cheaper, and the balanced ones seem to get clogged more often and require more work to make sure that this does not happen. I have only used Halcyon. So, I can't say what the others feel like. However, I can tell you that I can only think of one time that I had the suit squeezing me so much that I could feel the hose a little. Otherwise, I feel nothing.

The forearm dump shouldn't really be necessary. I guess it's a matter of personal preference. You already know how the shoulder one works. Are you ready to chance moving it and then having to put it back after, leaving a nice big patch? :11:

I just got a new DUI TLS350 about a month ago. My old one was made in the '80s. It is pretty sweet. If you are considering other options, run a search here for details of everything I got added to mine.

 

[JeffG]

Forearm Dumps aren't just for scooters anymore, right?

As per the Gospel of George...its not DIR, if that matters to you. (I have one and love it)

Pee Valve
I've only seen these from the outside - namely the bolt. I have no idea how much room they take up inside the leg of the suit.

How big is the hockey puck? Namely, how wide? I mean, if my suit fits well in the legs, will it be uncomfortable? Will it be too tight to function correctly?

Ummm...Guesstimate...About 1 1/2" in wide...around 3/4" in height.. Even in the tightest drysuit, there will be lots of room for it.

 

[JeffG]

oh...and zippers suck. Don't ask if they will fail, but when

 

[Boogie711]

Ditto on what's been said. The bellows pockets out there now have velcro on the sides - when or if you don't need the space, they fold down nice and compact. But zippering stuff inside a pocket, man - that's a recipe for bad news.

And they're right on the cuff-dump... they're being 'phased out' in the DIR community for shoulder dumps, just for the sake of standardization.

 

[jagfish]

Pee Valve..I only know of folks that have the balanced...no problems I have heard of

As for the hockey puck, when I first saw it, I also thought it might be uncomfortable. Actually, once I am in the water, I forget about it totally...

I love my cuff dump. Switched to that last year.

 

[mossym]

another vote for the cuff dump, i use mine all the time, i leave the other one slightly open, but 99% of the time i use my cuff dump..lift arm, air goes out...

 

[large_diver]

You won't notice the p-valve hockeypuck much, if at all. It's not that end that takes getting used to, it's the other end ;-)

Hose routing vs. undergarments, condom cath donning/doffing procedures.....and then getting over the "stage fright".....those are the main issues you will confront.

All that being said -- it's worth it. Whether shore diving at a place with no covert place to go above water or on a boat with no head......worth its weight in gold.

 

[Tavi]

I got the regular dump valve placed on top of my mid forearm. Love it.

I really like my balanced P-valve too. We have a few dive sites where there isn't any place to go.

I like my zippered pockets and have had no problems (about 100 dives so far).

Best of luck with your decisions!!

 

[cameron]

How do you use a cuff dump?? Its not a dumb question...I hope? I have only ever used a shoulder dump and can't really see it getting easier. I just role to the right and hug myself. The way I picture the cuff dump, you would have to extend your arm straight and then role, or get it above your body at least.... How do you do it....I should just try one shouldn't I...