Neoprene Free Drysuits

[svidlano]

I would really be surprised if the zipper is pressure rated, as alot of the cost of a drysuit is the zipper.

Does a zipper need to be pressure rated? By inflating/venting a wetsuit you are equalizing the pressure. As a consequence – there should be no pressure on the zipper.
What am I missing?

 

[JDostal]

That was the assumption that we were originally running on - now that this has come up, I'm going to double check for sure out of curiosity. Because if this idea worked out for my friend, I was thinking of doing it too.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Hello all,


My wife reacts to neoprene with a contact dermatitis (an itchy rash that makes her hard to live with). I am looking for a reasonably priced drysuit that is constructed completely with out neoprene. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know. So far my best options are a top of the line Viking or a DUI Tri-laminate with tons of customization work to get the neoprene socks replaced.

Any help or suggestions are appreciated.

My personal preference is the Dive-Rite 905.
However... before investing in a trilam, I'd run some tests with latex (you can cut the wrist from a latex surgical glove and pull it up onto the forearm & leave it there for a few hours) to make sure the contact dermatitis is limited to neoprene.
Rick

 

[clharden]

Thanks for the tip guys. The dive shop I use seems good but they always seem to push the DUI suits even though they sell Bare and Viking. I will try calling Bare. Is Andy's the actual name of the Drysuit maker? That's a new one on me.

By the way I am not real impressed with DUI, I emailed them a couple times to get their input and nothing has come back.

 

[clharden]

Is anyone out there allergic to neoprene and found a way around this?

Looking for success stories here.

 

[JDostal]

clharden - the Bare guys are awesome (at least, in my experiences...). Heck you can just call 'em directly.

Their suits are very reasonably priced - I love my Bare suit

 

[diverbrian]

Thanks for the tip guys. The dive shop I use seems good but they always seem to push the DUI suits even though they sell Bare and Viking. I will try calling Bare. Is Andy's the actual name of the Drysuit maker? That's a new one on me.

By the way I am not real impressed with DUI, I emailed them a couple times to get their input and nothing has come back.

Yes, Andy's is the name of the dryuit maker. They are based out of Maryland. Mine took forever to get as it wasn't exactly off the rack, but it was reasonably priced and a good suit. Oh, and the seals are replaceable at a shop without sending the suit back. If you had the material and a workshop you could do it yourself.

But, I hate to say it... I was impressed with DUI for the weekend that I dove their suits. Great suits! I just am far from impressed with their prices. But if you want a Cadilliac, you have to pay for it. I'll just "settle" for my Buick.

 

[jonnythan]

They're the same zipper.

 

[Bob3]

Is anyone out there allergic to neoprene and found a way around this?

Looking for success stories here.

My ex had allergic reactions to the glue; she'd break into big red whelts where the seams were. She apparently found an allergy Dr that had meds available that worked, so its worth looking into.

they always seem to push the DUI suits even though they sell Bare and Viking.

There's a lot higher markup on DUI than Viking & probably Bare too.