Neoprene Drysuits

[Per76]

"If you choose to dive without an undersuit why to bother buying a DS if the money is an issue?"

I like diving dry because I can do 3 or 4 dives a day and I never get cold. I am also tired of putting on a wet suit when doing multiple dives.

Doing a little research, it looks like the Bare D6 Pro Dry has latex seals. Eventhough the O'neill has neoprene seals, I have dived this suit and it worked well. The new version looks slick as well, I might have to check one out.

Sizing is never a problem, I am a spot on large.

Thank for all the info.

Per

 

[Corigan]

Both are used by various naval, military, and law enforcement agencies around the world. I wonder why? :06:

My Guess would be due to them being cheaper and just as reliable, but that is only my guess.

Matt

 

[Rec Diver]

So, is it just the valves themselves that are leaking, or is it leaking around the outsides of the valves where they press fit against the neoprene?

The seals have some leakage. But, it seems that the valves are the biggest problem with leaking. Since these are from 3 different manufacturers I am at the conclusion that this is common with neoprene dry suits. Especially since none of the individuals I dive with using shell type suits experience this problem. Also, my friends say that when adding air to there neoprene suits the excess is quickly purged from the neck seals. These neopren dry suit users also use a combination of dry suit and BC for bouyancy. I, on the other had have been very comfortable using just my suit for bouyancy. I did some research before I purchased my dry suit. The information I have given here is the information I received about neoprene dry suits. Yes neoprene dry suits are less expensive than shell type suits, however the limitations of dry suits, not handy for warm water diving, and the cronik leaking switched me to a shell. I have been a lot happier than my dive buddies.

 

[Canadian_Diver]

My Guess would be due to them being cheaper and just as reliable, but that is only my guess.

Matt

Hey Matt, I wouldn't call them cheaper for initial investment, but in the long run, yes, I think they are more economical.

 

[Canadian_Diver]

The seals have some leakage. But, it seems that the valves are the biggest problem with leaking. Since these are from 3 different manufacturers I am at the conclusion that this is common with neoprene dry suits. Especially since none of the individuals I dive with using shell type suits experience this problem. Also, my friends say that when adding air to there neoprene suits the excess is quickly purged from the neck seals. These neopren dry suit users also use a combination of dry suit and BC for bouyancy. I, on the other had have been very comfortable using just my suit for bouyancy. I did some research before I purchased my dry suit. The information I have given here is the information I received about neoprene dry suits. Yes neoprene dry suits are less expensive than shell type suits, however the limitations of dry suits, not handy for warm water diving, and the cronik leaking switched me to a shell. I have been a lot happier than my dive buddies.

Ditto here, very happy with my shell suit.

Interesting about the valve leaks, none of my neoprene ds dive buddies seem to have that issue. The one they get is little squirts every now and then down the neck or wrists, especially on the foldover neoprene seals.

 

[moneysavr]

Hey Matt, I wouldn't call them cheaper for initial investment, but in the long run, yes, I think they are more economical.

Wow this is going to be GREAT!
Lets start talking PONYS!!!!! in a new thread!,
bad Brad!

 

[SubMariner]

Cost is a factor. I have seen neoprene suits between $600 and $800 and your good to go. With the shell suits you need to buy the undergarments and before you know it your over $1000 easy.

No offense, but you will need some kind of undergarment with a neoprene suit as well.

Frankly, I find you can wear a trilam in a much wider range of water temps than the neoprene. You simply change the thickness of your undergarments.

Meanwhile, contrary to popular belief, you don't need to spend copious amounts of money on undergarments. Very often the clothes you wear for cycling or skiing have the right composition to keep you warm and wick away sweat; you simply have to layer them correctly.

Just my $0.02's worth,

 

[Diver0001]

The seals have some leakage. But, it seems that the valves are the biggest problem with leaking. Since these are from 3 different manufacturers I am at the conclusion that this is common with neoprene dry suits. .

If a valve leaks it has nothing to do with the type of material the suit is made out of. The apeks valves are notorious for leaking. Si-tech valves are much more secure. Around here this is just common knowledge.

As for the big neoprene, tri-lam debate I've owned and dived extensively in both. There is a trade off to be made either way you go. Both types of suits will keep you dry, both types of suits will keep you warm and neither type is difficult to dive with once you have the basic drysuit skills.

The main differences I've noticed are in buoyancy and durability. You have to baby tri-lam suits a lot more than compressed neoprene suits (uncompressed neoprene drysuits should generally be avoided). Tri-lam is relatively easily punctured or cut which is why compressed neoprene suits are more popular among hard-core wreck divers (for example) than tri-lam suits.

Neoprene suits, on the other hand do still compress at depth and the loss of buoyancy needs to be compensated with more air in the suit and/or wing, which is why trilam suits tend to be more popular among deep divers (I'm talking tek-deep not rec-deep). If you ask me, I'd say in the 30 metre to surface range, this dicussion about compression is more or less meaningless, but that's just my personal experience. Other divers may be more sensitive for this than I am.

So basically it boils down to personal preference and using the right suit for the type of diving you're doing. My advice to perschreuder would be to rent a few different suits and dive them before making a decision.

R..

 

[Canadian_Diver]

Wow this is going to be GREAT!
Lets start talking PONYS!!!!! in a new thread!,
bad Brad!

Pony Bottles? No thanks. I don't have a need for them with the type of diving that I do.

Back to drysuits ... one tip I might make is to ensure that the boots fit perfectly. If there's too much room in them, you're going to create some very negative experiences for yourself.

 

[Canadian_Diver]

So basically it boils down to personal preference and using the right suit for the type of diving you're doing. My advice to perschreuder would be to rent a few different suits and dive them before making a decision.

R..

Solid advise!! :thumbs-up