Loose drysuit boots...

[jborg]

I have a new-ish drysuit (Waterproof D7x), which is awesome except for the boots which are probably a size too large. When swimming I can feel them beginning to slip off my heel and need to pull them up sometimes. If and when things start leaking I can replace them with a size smaller... However, until then, any tips?

My jetfins have a pretty tight spring strap, to the extent that they are often tricky to get off, so it's not that the fins are loose. This is winter time, so I'm wearing thick wool socks and thicker skiing socks on top. I've seen some tech boots have a "belt" of sorts around the ankle that seems optimal for adjusting this kind of thing -- is adding a similar strap something someone's ever done? They're pretty soft neoprene with a harder rubber heel thing for the fin straps:

Current idea:

 

[Wibble]

Thicker socks.

Calf "Gaiters"

Halcyon Gaiter Wraps

 

[jborg]

Calf "Gaiters"

Ah, right, this is a wrap thing you put around the ankle... That could work.

 

[broncobowsher]

Thicker, maybe double socks.
Fin keepers.

This is a big disadvantage to attached boots on drysuits. When the boots fit right, I love them. When they are too large, they suck. And why rentals almost always have attached socks, so you can wear whatever footwear fit you and don't have to keep stock in the rental inventory. They fit everyone. I prefer it when it fits me instead of everyone.

 

[PfcAJ]

Fin keepers 100%.

 

[Wibble]

Had a foot come out of a boot complete with fin. Literally nothing I could do with it as you need to get the fin off the boot, but it's flapping around. In the end had to get the people on the RIB to put the fin back on as I was upside down in the water!

Socks are way way way way better than boots. Your opinions might differ, but they're just your opinions



It's quite possible to get the boots cut off and socks fitted. Then you've got the fit and can change the boots as required. More importantly if you've lots of sand/mud/dust on the boots, they can go in a separate bag from the suit when it's rolled up and put into the bag. Yet another advantage of separate boots.

 

[jborg]

Yeah I had precisely that happen last winter when finning hard against a current. Totally suboptimal situation…

Fin keepers look interesting!

 

[broncobowsher]

Had a foot come out of a boot complete with fin. Literally nothing I could do with it as you need to get the fin off the boot, but it's flapping around. In the end had to get the people on the RIB to put the fin back on as I was upside down in the water!

Socks are way way way way better than boots. Your opinions might differ, but they're just your opinions



It's quite possible to get the boots cut off and socks fitted. Then you've got the fit and can change the boots as required. More importantly if you've lots of sand/mud/dust on the boots, they can go in a separate bag from the suit when it's rolled up and put into the bag. Yet another advantage of separate boots.

Sounds like you have not had properly fitting boots on a drysuit, just oversized ones. Thus you don't like them.

 

[Tracy]

Contact superior diving or stay dri. Have the boots replaced with ones that fit. You can try fin keepers to help, but all of them will suck in comparison to having boots that actually fit.

 

[Wibble]

Sounds like you have not had properly fitting boots on a drysuit, just oversized ones. Thus you don't like them.

Lots of other reasons for preferring socks + rockboots. Mainly in the convenience of them; being able to invert the suit should it need drying out; superior fit; ability to use different sock sizes and tighten the boots more or less; keeping the boots separate from the suit; no air migration down to the feet; can switch boot types if doing difficult walking -- even wearing Wellington boots.