Northern Diver Neoprene Drysuit

[rob.mwpropane]

These are neoprene seals, both neck and wrists. You can see the pink "skin" inside the water bottle.

Water bottles for trying to stretch it out.

@Marie13 , I am looking for a ds glove system. It looks like the ultima only work with latex (as per DRIS description). Kubi says both latex and neoprene, but all the videos I see only show it on latex

 

[Storker]

Neck seal needs to be folded in about an inch+ to form a 'gasket' to seal well. (you do not fold latex)

There are differing opinions about that. Just sayin'.

 

[Edward3c]

Good day all, looking to get some advice on getting a used drysuit. I would love to spring for an expensive trilam, but the thing is I want to go diving locally NOW, lol, not have to wait until money isn't so tight for the holidays. I have a line on a Northern Diver drysuit exactly like this one;

Divemaster Sport Drysuit

I know a lot of people steer clear from neopren ds, but I'm only looking to get this for local quarry diving when I get the itch. I highly doubt it would ever go anywhere unless I'm driving (maybe NC and Canada). I'd like something durable that will keep me warm. It seems from their website this ticks all the boxes?

Asking price is $350 and it's practically brand new. Said to have been dove 10 times.

I've searched on here for a few reviews, but I'm looking for advice on weather or not to get it for the type of diving I want to do with it. Is there any reason to steer clear? Is the weight increase needed for neoprene drysuits really as bad as some say it is? I mean, I dive a 7mm farmer john now and I'm @ 22 lbs all things considered. What do you think I'd be at with this drysuit (ballpark).

I count on you guys at SB to steer me in the right direction. I have never dove a drysuit, nor have I taken the class. To be honest, I think I could probably read the book and start in a pool and forgo the expensive class (I'm sure I'll catch hell for that). I have a friend that's an instructor who I'd probably dive with once or twice just to get the hang of it....

Thoughts?

Northern Diver suits have been around for ages, they also supply the British forces.

With a neoprene suit you shouldn’t need additional thermal layers. I just wear jeans and T-shirt with mine. Neoprene seal shouldn’t be that tight, but don’t cut them, they need a few inches skin contact to make the waterproof seal. Use talcum powder or KW jelly to get them on.

The neck seal, if neoprene, gets turned in, but no more than 1 inch or it will leak.

 

[fmerkel]

Have you thought about drygloves? Have to say, I don’t know which ones will work with neoprene seals. I do know the Waterproof Ultima a and Kubi work with latex, but the neoprene is a new one for me.

Depends on the thickness, flexibility, and the brand of dry glove. My wife's suit does fine OS (much like Kubi but cheaper, larger and plastic). I had to trap the inside O-ring in with zip ties to keep mine from popping off as the seal is a bit thicker.
In general latex is simply easier to use with dry gloves.

Using a thermal inside a drysuit depends on the suit, the water temp, and personal tolerance to cold. I dive in the NW, have a 5mm compressed neoprene (top quality stuff), and still wear a full Weezle inside. No one around here uses just the suit for insulation.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Northern Diver suits have been around for ages, they also supply the British forces.

With a neoprene suit you shouldn’t need additional thermal layers. I just wear jeans and T-shirt with mine. Neoprene seal shouldn’t be that tight, but don’t cut them, they need a few inches skin contact to make the waterproof seal. Use talcum powder or KW jelly to get them on.

The neck seal, if neoprene, gets turned in, but no more than 1 inch or it will leak.

Water on Friday was 42f below the thermocline in the quarry. My 7mm farmer john did great, it was my hands and feet that got cold.

The Northern Diver manual say's the neoprene neck seal needs to be turned down 2". (50mm or 1.96"). Your experience may be better than their manual. Do you still say 1"? This is trivial, but it's too cold to have a leak on my first dive

Depends on the thickness, flexibility, and the brand of dry glove. My wife's suit does fine OS (much like Kubi but cheaper, larger and plastic). I had to trap the inside O-ring in with zip ties to keep mine from popping off as the seal is a bit thicker.
In general latex is simply easier to use with dry gloves.

Using a thermal inside a drysuit depends on the suit, the water temp, and personal tolerance to cold. I dive in the NW, have a 5mm compressed neoprene (top quality stuff), and still wear a full Weezle inside. No one around here uses just the suit for insulation.

I can't imagine diving this suit without something underneath. It's warm, but it's not THAT warm I can't imagine the NE is all that different from the NW.

Does anyone know if Kubi will work with a neoprene suit?

Edit - just measured hands for the Kubi system. If it works I would need 90mm ring and XXL gloves

 

[fmerkel]

Those look like pretty thick seals. I doubt Kubi would work.

Turn down-1", 1 1/2", 2"; depends on how long the seal is, how long your neck is, how thick your neck is. 1" is not a magic number. Just tuck it in until it seems to fit nicely.
The tuck acts as a pressure gasket. When you get vertical air gets under and behind the fold and presses it into your neck a bit helping it seal.

Your temps are actually colder than ours. You'll need some thermals I think. I'd rather be a tad warm than a lot too cold.
I tried a 7mm uncompressed drysuit with just a thin poly layer under on my first neoprene dive. Hey, it was the same thickness as my wetsuit I figured. FROZE, especially below 60 feet when the suit became about 2mm thick! Quality compressed neo simply works better.

 

[Edward3c]

The Northern Diver manual say's the neoprene neck seal needs to be turned down 2". (50mm or 1.96"). Your experience may be better than their manual. Do you still say 1"? This is trivial, but it's too cold to have a leak on my first dive

The exact amount you need to tuck in will depend on the length of the seal, but the test is when you look up water shouldn’t run past your Adam’s apple.

In water below 9’C I do wear a thermal layer as well.

 

[Storker]

it was my hands and feet that got cold.

That's usually a pretty sure-fire sign that you don't have too much core warmth. If your core is warm, your hands and feet will often be decently warm, too. If your core gets a little cold, the first thing your body does is to turn down blood supply to your extremities, to preserve core and brain temperature at the expense of your extremities.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

That's usually a pretty sure-fire sign that you don't have too much core warmth. If your core is warm, your hands and feet will often be decently warm, too. If your core gets a little cold, the first thing your body does is to turn down blood supply to your extremities, to preserve core and brain temperature at the expense of your extremities.

Agreed. I mean, diving wet in 42f water will probably get pretty cold pretty fast. At 45 min it was just starting to creep in, so I called it. I knew it wouldn't be a long dive....I just needed to dive

Edit - just for clarification, I dove a 7mm fj on Friday with 5mm wet gloves, which is why I asked about dry glove system. Just recieved the ds in the mail, have not done it yet.

 

[Graeme Fraser]

Water on Friday was 42f below the thermocline in the quarry. My 7mm farmer john did great, it was my hands and feet that got cold.

The Northern Diver manual say's the neoprene neck seal needs to be turned down 2". (50mm or 1.96"). Your experience may be better than their manual. Do you still say 1"? This is trivial, but it's too cold to have a leak on my first dive



I can't imagine diving this suit without something underneath. It's warm, but it's not THAT warm I can't imagine the NE is all that different from the NW.

Does anyone know if Kubi will work with a neoprene suit?

Edit - just measured hands for the Kubi system. If it works I would need 90mm ring and XXL gloves

Yes, Kubo dry gloves work fine on a neoprene suit. Most of the upper tier manufacturers list it as an option or it can just as easily be a retrofit.