Looking for advice on bare trilam vs. neoprene

[trevinkorea]

I'm trying to decide between Bare's XCD2 Tech Drysuit and Trilam HD Tech Dry.

I have used a Whites neoprene for several years but have never been happy with the fit, boyency characteristics or the attached boots.

My question -

1. How do the XCD2 Tech Drysuit and Trilam HD Tech Dry compare?


I am planning to dive the suit in both semitropical waters and in B.C. waters for the most part with some training dives in the Phillipines. (Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Techniques.)

I want to have a suit that allows for a full range of movement, will last a reasonable amount of time, is fairly easy to repair should I tear it and will not shoot me to the surface if I assend a little without burping the suit.

I will be ordering a custom fit with pockets and am leaning towards installed cuff rings.

I know there have been posts on Bare products and I have searched for them but haven't found what I'm looking for.

If you have any comments on these two suits or any others that are perhaps better or more approapriate please comment.

Thank you for your help.

 

[AtomicWalrus]

You're looking at basically the same suit design, but different materials. The ATR HD is made of tri-lam, and the XCD2 is made of compressed neoprene. I've used the ATR HD, and it was a good suit. I found the self-entry design a bit of a pain at first, but once I figured out how to pull in my shoulders while zipping the suit it wasn't an issue. Compressed neoprene is heavier and takes longer to dry than the tri-lam, but it does seem to be more flexible. That said, I had no problems with mobility in the tri-lam suit either.

Go for the installed wrist cuffs - I've been using the quick clamps on my own suit and I don't trust them as much as I trusted factory-installed cuffs for dry gloves. Also, the installed cuff rings on the ATR HD that I used had a nice feature that would allow you to replace the wrist seals in the field.

One other option to consider is to get the soft boot installed on the suit and wear the suit with the Bare rock boots. The soft boot/rock boot option is more flexible, less prone to trapping air, and has better treads than the standard integral boots.

Hope this helps...

 

[trevinkorea]

Thanks for your reply Atomic Walrus.

I'm leaning towards the trilam but would appreciate a nudge wither way.

I am probably going to go with rings and trek boot option but I am also curious about the valve placement. The chest valve appears to be off center. Will this conflict with either a outback back inflate BC with a chest strap (about 6 years old) or a BP/w?

I am also curious about the materials. The BAre site is a little sparse with thier details but it mentions that the upper is Pollyester and the bottom a cordura-like fabric. Do these materials stand up to the abuse of wreck diving (some penetration) and occasionally above average abuse?

I was also told that the shop is not allowed to install a Pee valve. Is it risky to install your own?

Please offer any advice.

Ps. what undergarments do you wear in the B.C. winter?

Thanks again for any advice.

 

[scottmc]

Thanks for your reply Atomic Walrus.

I'm leaning towards the trilam but would appreciate a nudge wither way.

I am probably going to go with rings and trek boot option but I am also curious about the valve placement. The chest valve appears to be off center. Will this conflict with either a outback back inflate BC with a chest strap (about 6 years old) or a BP/w?

I am also curious about the materials. The BAre site is a little sparse with thier details but it mentions that the upper is Pollyester and the bottom a cordura-like fabric. Do these materials stand up to the abuse of wreck diving (some penetration) and occasionally above average abuse?

I was also told that the shop is not allowed to install a Pee valve. Is it risky to install your own?

Please offer any advice.

Ps. what undergarments do you wear in the B.C. winter?

Thanks again for any advice.

I have a extra lg Bare Xcd2 rear entry with drygloves and size 10-11 softboots on it. The suit is in excellent shape not even a year old. I have just out grown the suit. I will sell you the suit shipped to BC with the Bare 200 underware for $1100.00 Cnd

 

[AtomicWalrus]

I didn't have any problems using my Zeagle Tech with the off-center valve. It's out of the way of the shoulder straps, and the chest strap didn't create any more hassle than normal.

The ATR HD suit that I was diving in felt pretty durable. It's certainly better than my usual Bare Nex-Gen suit, which I've used for plenty of wreck dives and have never had a problem with. I primarily shore dive and do assist with the odd rescue course, and again have had no problems with wear.

As far as the pee valve goes, my LDS tells me that Bare has got the proper punch & die to install the valve properly whereas local shops don't. You could do it yourself pretty easily, but if Bare does it you don't have to worry about making any mistakes. A punch is the best way to get the correct sized hole in your suit, although some other people have used soldering irons. After that, it's a matter of glueing a couple of plastic washers on the inside and outside of the suit with Aquaseal and screwing the valve on.

I usually wear the Bare CT-200 undergarment in the winter, usually with an additional layer of an MEC Thermalpro top. That's worked for multiple 45 minute dives in 6°C water, although I still feel pretty cold by the end of the last dive! Bare's supposedly got a new, even warmer undergarment made with Thinsulate 400 material, but I haven't tried it. A lot of people I know (including my wife) use a Mobby's undergarment instead because it's warmer.

If I were buying a new suit, I think I'd probably lean towards the tri-lam, but that's a tough one to call. Good luck!

Thanks for your reply Atomic Walrus.

I'm leaning towards the trilam but would appreciate a nudge wither way.

I am probably going to go with rings and trek boot option but I am also curious about the valve placement. The chest valve appears to be off center. Will this conflict with either a outback back inflate BC with a chest strap (about 6 years old) or a BP/w?

I am also curious about the materials. The BAre site is a little sparse with thier details but it mentions that the upper is Pollyester and the bottom a cordura-like fabric. Do these materials stand up to the abuse of wreck diving (some penetration) and occasionally above average abuse?

I was also told that the shop is not allowed to install a Pee valve. Is it risky to install your own?

Please offer any advice.

Ps. what undergarments do you wear in the B.C. winter?

Thanks again for any advice.