Is dry suit worth it?

[pjones]

Thanks so much. This is exactly what I was looking at.

I've found that the sport model doesn't deal with pockets very well. If you want to have pockets on this suit I would suggest skipping the tech model and going straight for the bullet. Pockets were kinda flimsy on the tech model too in my opinion.

 

[SeaHound]

I dont care about pockets to be honest.

 

[TSandM]

For travel, I think you're way better off with the Sport skin and X-shorts -- that way, the suit still dries very quickly, which is key for packing.

 

[Ramsy]

Cast another vote for dry. I too will never dive wet in cold water again. The other benefit of diving dry is clean up. With a trilaminate drysuit, you just hose it off (and wax the zipper) and you are done. No need to soak the suit for hours in fresh water. With wetsuits, even with extensive soaking, eventually they all begin to smell.

Also, DUI sells refurbished and new special production suits that didn't fit their intended customers at deep discounts. Check their website for an Excel spreadsheet that has an up to date listing of the suits they have available.

 

[spoolin01]

Get a dry suit! Comfort is a huge factor for me for long dives and multi-dive days and I find there's just no way to be stay comfortably warm below 60F for long in a wet fullsuit. If cost is a big consideration, I found my 7mm neoprene drysuit new for around $500, and you don't have to buy hundreds of dollars of absurdly over-priced underwear. You're stuck with the insulation and buoyancy features of a (only slightly more) floaty suit - you won't be taking it to Hawaii - but that's the trade-off for spending $2000 less than most alternatives.

 

[ptyx]

Dry dry dry.

It's worth it even in SoCal (50-54 at depth) where you can survive diving wet.

It makes the difference between spending the surface interval on a boat huddled in a corner under all the towels you could find and still shivering, gulping hot chocolate after hot chocolate, waiting for the second dive which will be even colder and more miserable; and spending the same surface interval chatting with friends about the nice stuff you've seen during the dive.

Not to say anything about the amazing jellies (or sea lion) you saw at the 10 feet stop - which lasted for 10 minutes because, you know, you weren't really in a rush to go back to the boat.

 

[Lobzilla]

I went to a DUI DOG Rally last weekend with the expectation to be totally blown away and knowing exactly what suit to buy.

Well, it did not happen that way. While the thermal comfort was there I felt like I was laying on a badly wrinkled, firm bed rather than floating freely in the water.

No matter how much air I pumped in the suit, the bottom (while floating horizontally) was always pushing against me.

At some point the crotch squeeze got so annoying that I had to do the 'grab, pull, shuffle, and tuck' routine under water.

I know that I have to go dry here in New England sooner than later but I now understand why experienced folks that have multiple drysuits dive wet when conditions allow.

Buoyancy and trim was not too hard to get back under control but the ability to rotate to ANY position and 'hang' there is gone. Horizontal is a neutral equilibrium with the right weighing. Feet straight up is absolutely stable, kinda fun to practice, but pretty useless. Feet down leaves you with squeezed legs and a puffy chest or squeezed all over if you vent. Anything in between is unstable which means you quickly end up feet up or down if you do nothing against it.

I guess this is the price you pay for staying warm. (Slightly exagerated to show that there is no such thing like a free lunch)

BTW: I tried a CF200 and a Flex Extreme in different sizes and I am still undecided which one is the lesser evil.

 

[reo]

Very useful info so far.

I live near Washington DC area and my diving has so far been in Florida and North Carolina. A few weeks ago I was diving Dutch Springs in my 3/2 mm with a 3 mm shorty on top. While swimming through the thermocline temperature was showing to be 61 degrees and that was the only time I felt uncomfortable enough to consider a wetsuit. The rest of the dive I was able to manage with my improvised 6mm.

Since I plan on diving Puget Sound, Channel Islands and BC area I would eventually need a DS. Can you not rent a DS from somewhere?

Yes, you can rent a drysuit in the Puget Sound area, but the rental is pricey. I bought a drysuit a couple of years ago, and it's already paid for itself in rental cost savings. Look at spending $100 or more for a rental package.

You'll also need a drysuit cert to rent one.

Here's a sample:

Rentals

Ron

 

[reo]

I went to a DUI DOG Rally last weekend with the expectation to be totally blown away and knowing exactly what suit to buy.

Well, it did not happen that way. While the thermal comfort was there I felt like I was laying on a badly wrinkled, firm bed rather than floating freely in the water.

No matter how much air I pumped in the suit, the bottom (while floating horizontally) was always pushing against me.

At some point the crotch squeeze got so annoying that I had to do the 'grab, pull, shuffle, and tuck' routine under water.

I know that I have to go dry here in New England sooner than later but I now understand why experienced folks that have multiple drysuits dive wet when conditions allow.

Buoyancy and trim was not too hard to get back under control but the ability to rotate to ANY position and 'hang' there is gone. Horizontal is a neutral equilibrium with the right weighing. Feet straight up is absolutely stable, kinda fun to practice, but pretty useless. Feet down leaves you with squeezed legs and a puffy chest or squeezed all over if you vent. Anything in between is unstable which means you quickly end up feet up or down if you do nothing against it.

I guess this is the price you pay for staying warm. (Slightly exagerated to show that there is no such thing like a free lunch)

BTW: I tried a CF200 and a Flex Extreme in different sizes and I am still undecided which one is the lesser evil.

It sounds like you were given a suit that was too large and you were over weighted. Also, the TLS350 would have been a good suit to try. I have one and it's comfortable and keeps me warm. If you get a chance, try a TLS350.

Ron

 

[spoolin01]

I went to a DUI DOG Rally last weekend with the expectation to be totally blown away and knowing exactly what suit to buy.

Well, it did not happen that way. While the thermal comfort was there I felt like I was laying on a badly wrinkled, firm bed rather than floating freely in the water.

No matter how much air I pumped in the suit, the bottom (while floating horizontally) was always pushing against me.

At some point the crotch squeeze got so annoying that I had to do the 'grab, pull, shuffle, and tuck' routine under water.

I know that I have to go dry here in New England sooner than later but I now understand why experienced folks that have multiple drysuits dive wet when conditions allow.

Buoyancy and trim was not too hard to get back under control but the ability to rotate to ANY position and 'hang' there is gone. Horizontal is a neutral equilibrium with the right weighing. Feet straight up is absolutely stable, kinda fun to practice, but pretty useless. Feet down leaves you with squeezed legs and a puffy chest or squeezed all over if you vent. Anything in between is unstable which means you quickly end up feet up or down if you do nothing against it.

I guess this is the price you pay for staying warm. (Slightly exagerated to show that there is no such thing like a free lunch)

I don't have those problems in my 7mm neoprene drysuit, thanks for warning me off considering a fabric suit! Well OK, bouyancy control is not the same as in a wetsuit, but adjusting to any attitutude is truly only a tiny bit more difficult, if the suit fits well. Going from a boot foot suit to the tighter fitting sock foot suit really made that clear. The stiffness of the fabric and low internal free space lessen the problems you encountered.