How long does a 7mm last?

[SteveAD]

Would love too except, $200-$400 for wet and $1000-$2500 for dry, well.....Actually, I rarely get cold. I dove the Yukon four times in 52°/54° - no problem. So the extra bucks for a drysuit doesn't justify. Also, I have a pea-sized bladder and wetsuits are more forgiving.

QUOTE]

Looking at the whole picture rather than just the price tag, a wetsuit at $200-$400 that lasts 250 dives will have an ultimate cost of $1600-$3200 over the course of 2000 dives. A single drysuit is likely to last 2000 dives with a little bit of maintenance. As far as the pee factor is concerned, there is much more of a drive to pee while wearing a wetsuit than while dry.

I am certainly not telling anyone that they have to dive dry, but I do strongly recommend that anyone in the market for a 7mm at least investigate drysuits. Hitting a local DUI Dog rally would be a great place to start. schedule here: DUI DOG Rally and Demo Day Tour - come scuba test dive a DUI drysuit

 

[Beachlover]

I dive a Bare 7mm. My first Bare lasted 6-7 years and 300-350 dives. The seam in the rear finally blew out while I was climbing back into my buddys dinghy. I am now on my second Bare 7mm, almost three years and 175-200 dives. It even fit me right off of the rack.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I've taken my Scuba MAX 5 mm suit to 200 feet probably 30 times and to 80-110 about 100 dives and it is still fine, maybe a little thinner. You need to buy wetsuit glue and fix the tiny cuts when they occur and also stop the thread from unraveling at seams with a dab of wetsuit glue as soon as you notice a loose end.

 

[merxlin]

I have 150 dives in about 2 years on a 7mil Scubapro Everflex. Looks like new except for some minor fading. Very comfortable suit and seems to be holding up very well.

 

[drbill]

I've had them start falling apart after 30 dives (Seaquest X-Flex) and I've had them last well over 600 dives (Tilos).

 

[mikeguerrero]

I will chime in with my Pinnacles ME-7; Merino Elastiprene 7mm.... I have 34 dives all in Monterey average dive 45 feet; the suit is built really tough considering how soft the neoprene is....

I still have a lot of dives left, so far so good...

MG

 

[Dive-aholic]

My 7mm is no longer 7mm, but it's had about 250 dives on it. Other than compression, it's doing quite well, but a majority of my diving is in fresh water. In fact, I don't even know if it's even seen salt water. So that's another factor to consider.

Looking at the whole picture rather than just the price tag, a wetsuit at $200-$400 that lasts 250 dives will have an ultimate cost of $1600-$3200 over the course of 2000 dives. A single drysuit is likely to last 2000 dives with a little bit of maintenance. As far as the pee factor is concerned, there is much more of a drive to pee while wearing a wetsuit than while dry.

Don't forget annual seal replacements, maybe more if you dive more. My seals last about 100 dives or one year, depending on how much I dive it over the year. Then there's zip replacement every few hundred dives. That can get expensive, especially if you don't do your own maintenance and repair. I do, and seals cost me about $60/year. A new zip is about $200 every 3-4 years. So add another $2000 to the $1600-3200 price of that dry suit over 2000 dives compared to $3200 in wetsuits over 2000 dives.

 

[Xelgoer]

My 7mm is no longer 7mm, but it's had about 250 dives on it. Other than compression, it's doing quite well, but a majority of my diving is in fresh water. In fact, I don't even know if it's even seen salt water. So that's another factor to consider.



Don't forget annual seal replacements, maybe more if you dive more. My seals last about 100 dives or one year, depending on how much I dive it over the year. Then there's zip replacement every few hundred dives. That can get expensive, especially if you don't do your own maintenance and repair. I do, and seals cost me about $60/year. A new zip is about $200 every 3-4 years. So add another $2000 to the $1600-3200 price of that dry suit over 2000 dives compared to $3200 in wetsuits over 2000 dives.

WOW! This seems a little over exagerated. I didn't spend that much on my dry suit. If you take care of it, it shouldn't be anywhere near that much. It's just my opinion though.

 

[Dive-aholic]

What seems exxagerated? The price or the replacement periods? I take good care of my suits, but rubber weakens and deteriorates and zips get old.