New Dry Suit in the house.... questions

[Mo2vation]

OK

Been diving my beloved DUI 50/50 Siggy for a few years. It fit great (as you would expect) when I bought it. I've lost a lot of weight and significantly changed my body geometry since the, and its essentially a big bag on me now - so I've been looking for another suit.

At the SoCal dive show, I tried on an OTR TLS350 in Medium. WOW. It actually fit. Me, in a medium. Pretty stoked.

A couple of days ago on eBay I found the deal of the decade on a CLX450 Medium. I hadn't tried one on at the show, so I went to the DUI site, and noticed that its sized a bit differently. I remember people talking here that the 450 is cut smaller than a TLS350 - so I called DUI. They confirmed this.

Hmmm....

I'm 5-8, 163 - but I'm pretty bootylicious. I have big legs and hips. So I'm biting my nails the last day or so wondering if its gonna fit. It shows up today (its gorgeous) and it fits SO much better than my bagzilla 50/50. No fabric bunching up on my back and at the top of my tucas. No droopy legs. BUT...

Its a little weird being in a suit that doesn't stretch at the leg. The TLS350 I tried on at the show was / is cut so generous that there was plenty of fabric so doing the knee bend and step up and stuff was a no brainer. In my 50/50, it stretches - also a no brainer. I can do a deep knee bend and step up onto a chair, reach my valves and everything in the 450 - but there seems to be just a little resistance, you know? It tugs a bit on my toes. I don't consider it prohibitive, just different.

On the ottoman, frog kicking, no worries. Just a little pull in the toe. Not like my talons are gonna bust through the suit, just a different feeling.

QUESTION

* Have any of you gone from a neoprene or crushed neo suit (one that stretches) to a tri-lam and feel this, too?

* All of the standard DS fit tricks - the reach up, reach back, reach across, deep knee bend, arch back, blah blah... all work. Its just different because this suit actually fits.


Its probably like buying medium shorts and shirts now. For so long I wore Large and XL - everything was so big. I only recently started buying medium clothes, and it felt weird... Everything felt like it was tight on me - but looking at how it fits, it, well - FITS. Its just weird having stuff FIT as opposed to hanging on me. I'm thinking its the same with the suit.

I'm gonna dive it this weekend at Coronado and the Yukon, and take baggie as a back up. I was just wondering if anyone who went from a Neo to a Tri-lam felt this. The whole I-can-reach-everything-have-full-range-of-motion-but-this-thing-is-up-in-my-grill-and-crowding-me-a-bit.

Thanks for indulging me on this. I've been wanting to get a 350 or 450 for awhile... I think this is the one. We'll see!

---
Ken

 

[pdoege]

I dive a bilam. The stock XL fit me nicely.

I think that the pull-on-the-toes feeling means that it is actually a bit small for you.

That being said, as long as you can do the motions, a bit too small may be just fine. People spend a lot of money to get that close of a fit and it sounds like you may have it just dialed in.

The proof will be when you add some squeeze to the equation.

I would hazard that if it works, it works. Give it a dive or two and if it doesn't work just ebay it.

Peter

 

[theskull]

OK

. . . On the ottoman, frog kicking, no worries. Just a little pull in the toe. Not like my talons are gonna bust through the suit, just a different feeling.. . . Ken

So just make most of your dives on the ottoman.

Hearty congrats on taking control of your body and your lifestyle. A major accomplishment! Hope your diving becomes more enjoyable as well.

theskull

 

[LUBOLD8431]

Sometimes what doesnt feel so right on the surface actually feels pretty good in the water. It might take a while for you to realize that this is the right size for you. Like you said, you arent used to a drysuit that FITS you. This might be it...

 

[Mo2vation]

So just make most of your dives on the ottoman.

Hearty congrats on taking control of your body and your lifestyle. A major accomplishment! Hope your diving becomes more enjoyable as well.

theskull

Its changed a lot of things in my life - getting fit. Not to sound like a complete cheezeball, but DIR /F a few years ago really lit the fuse. Breaking my leg in Sept was what nailed it - I'd lost weight between DIR/F and going into the accident (mostly by eating smarter and by exersizing a time or two a week) but during the recovery and through the therapy I saw what serious daily exercise can do when mixed with eating right. I'm not young anymore - I can't have sundae's at midnight and a fat bagel every morning and still keep a 14% body fat, dammit.... it stinks! So I'm working hard and its staying off. Pretty cool.

I put on the suit again tonight, and tramped around the house some more (no more ottoman kicking... well, not much, anyway )

After I read your post, I zipped in the neck seal - burped it so I can get a little squoze on. Strapped in the water heater, put on the BP/W and sort of did a circuit around the place. Climbed a ladder a few times, crawled about in my knees, walked up the stairs, down the stairs, did some knee bends, reached the valve, etc. Wifie thinks I'm a freak. I told her to take a number...

It felt much better this time. Lubold is right - I think it will just take getting used to. I believe the toe thing may be the fact the boots are new and stiff, and the footies are still pretty stiff. The weirdness in the toes didn't change with stretching, walking and all the other stuff - I think its just cuz its new and not because of sizing. I have a very short inseam (30") so I know its not the length of the legs, for sure.

Plus, I'm still wearing my large UG under this medium suit - so there is some bunching in the legs. I re-distributed it, and the legs performed better.

One thing I did notice when I peeled this sweat machine: there is no gussett in the crotch. I looked at wifie's 350 and saw there isn't one, either. On my 50/50 Baggie I have a gussett in the crotch - a diamond insert. I wonder if all 50/50's have that, or if I was just such a beefer they put one in. Who knows.

Anyway - I'm much more confident now. I'm moving fine in my full gear on land. We'll know more on Sat AM after the first dive.

Pardon me while I sort of freak through this. Thanks all.

---
Ken