My indepth review of the Hollis NeoTek Semi-Dry

[Wbflyer]

No, sorry. Your Drysuit

 

[drk5036]

No, sorry. Your Drysuit

If you were asking me, better to quote my post so I know you’re taking to me.

I don’t find it to be much different than controlling the air in your BCD. In many ways it’s easier to maintain neutral buoyancy. With 8 mm of neoprene, you’re super floaty on the surface but it compresses quickly then you become negative. I HAD to swim down from the surface with my neotek, or else I would be super negative the whole dive. I prefer the feeling of the drysuit. When the temp is above 18, I use the same weight for my drysuit or neotek.

 

[TravisD]

I can't say I have a lot of dives on mine, since this year there haven't been a lot of dives period, but I still really like it. Heading out to Lake Phoenix this coming weekend and planning to dive it then. For me, I strongly prefer to wear a skin underneath it since it makes removing the suit afterwards easier - I'm at the top-end of sizing for the 3xl (er, perhaps even a little past top-end...) and getting the first arm out of the sleeve is the only real challenge - at least while trying to be kind to the zipper. I still find it comfortable, and much less hassle than diving my drysuit. If temps and general situation warrant though, I'm still going to switch to dry since I have the option. When teaching though, I try and stick with the Neotek since it keeps me more in-tune with what my students are experiencing, and it's less failure points. I don't want them to be waiting on me while to deal with a dry glove or seal issue.

Still feel it's a great suit, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone who wants a cold-water option but isn't ready to go dry. It's comfortable and warm, and seems to be durable, and came in a size that worked for me.