Neoprene or membrane

[funnyfish22]

i have been looking to buy my first dry suit. most of my diving is done in Ireland so cold water diving. i have been told that the neoprene suit is warmer but you can move easier in the membrane suit. i really don't know which type of suit to go for. i would just like to know what you guys think

 

[tstormdiver]

I personally prefer the membrane (Trilam) suits, but then I dive a wide range of temperatures, from water in the mid to upper 80's all the way down to low 40's when I dive deep. I can vary my undergarment thicknesses to match the type of diving I'm doing. That & the added mobility is a plus. The neoprene suits are generally warmer & tougher than the trilams but a bit bulkier & usually require a but more weight. The neoprene drysuits are also a bit heavier when wet & take a lot longer to dry out than a trilam. There's just a few of the good parts & the bad.

 

[vioch]

Trilaminate vs neoprene:
1 - trilaminate has the same buoyancy at any depth, neoprene hasn't
2 - trilaminate has the same insulation at any depth, neoprene hasn't
3 - most neoprene suits have only shoulder-entry zipper, while trilaminate drysuits have front-entry zipper as well
4 - trilaminate (cordura) is more durable, than neoprene
5 - trilaminate drysuit is less buoyant, than neoprene one
6 - trilaminate drysuit is by far more lightweigt and compact, than neoprene one (my DUI TLS350 size L is only 2.5 kg + Rockboots)
7 - trilaminate drysuit provides more movement's flexibility, than neoprene one
8 - trilamitane drysuit could be easily used in hot and cold weather conditions, neoprene drysuit is not good option for hot weather during dive prepare
9 -as far as trilaminate doesn't absorb water it becomes dry in minutes, and it takes hours to get neoprene become dry
10 - by the same reason during ice dives trilaminate drysuit can be don off easily, while wet neoprene becomes frozen and it is very hard to don it off, moreover it should be done very carefully, because frozen neoprene can be easily damaged - broken while bending

1-4 aren't applied to crush (or compressed) neoprene


I'm from St.Petersburg Russia and dive with trilaminate drysuit (DUI TLS350) (water temperature here is about +4 C all year round at depth below 15 meters) and in Egypt's Red Sea as well. Just change Weezle Extreme + underwear for Weezle Compact.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I have dove both, and frankly nothing feels warmer than a neoprene dry suit. It took me a decade to admit that after being well indoctrinated by DUI literature, but my first dive in a borrowed neoprene suit (my trilam developed a leak on dive 1) was an eye opener.

Neoprene drysuits get bashed but mostly by people who have never actually dove one, let alone dove one in really cold water along side a trilam for comparision.

 

[Rick Inman]

I actually made a PVC suit dryer when I had my neoprene suit. I got so sick of having to deal with that thing. But I can totally flood my Fusion (I haven't yet) and just wipe it dry with a hand towel in about 30 seconds. So, although the neoprene is warmer, I'll stick with laminates and very the amount of undergarment insulation based on water temp.

 

[vioch]

I have dove both, and frankly nothing feels warmer than a neoprene dry suit. It took me a decade to admit that after being well indoctrinated by DUI literature, but my first dive in a borrowed neoprene suit (my trilam developed a leak on dive 1) was an eye opener.

Neoprene drysuits get bashed but mostly by people who have never actually dove one, let alone dove one in really cold water along side a trilam for comparision.

Just appropriate underwear should be used for cold water diving. Personaly for me - no any discomfort for 60-70 minutes ice dives in trilaminate drysuit with Weezle Extreme + (I also use Henderson Ice cap in addition to DUI neoprene hood for ice diving). Some of us use heated vests... but not neoprene drysuits.