Questions for Aqualung Fusion users

[tdmp]

I have been interested in picking up one of these for a while so when I found one in good condition at a good price, I took the plunge. It is a Drycore Fusion L/XL with the Tech skin with silicone neck / wrist seals. I did my first dive with it today and had a few questions for regular users of the Fusion suit. For the record I'm 6'1", 185lbs and have around 200 previous drysuit dives.

Zipper - One of the reasons I got this suit is I wanted a self-donning suit as opposed to the back zips I normally use. That last 1 inch of the zipper is really tough to close, I had to use my helper bungee / hook to do the trick. I even put generous amounts of zipper wax on first. However, I see videos all the time of people zipping it up like its nothing. Also, I couldn't get the outer plastic zipper to close over the inner brass zipper. Is this normal?

Fit - I understand that the suit is supposed to fit snug, closer to a wetsuit than a normal drysuit. I have removed the suspender straps from the two upper attachment points inside the suit as some recommended to increase mobility. However, from the waist to around my knees, the suit fits very tight. I can't do a full squat in the suit and donning / removing fins in the water was more challenging than normal. Is it supposed to fit that tight?

Drying - Do you need to undo the velcro around the ankles / wrists for it to dry effectively? I'm not traveling with the suit so I'm not looking for it to dry quickly but wanted to know if I hang it up for a day with the outer skin velcro still attached will it still dry properly.

Thanks.

 

[-JD-]

I have a L/XL Aircore (newer) version of the Fusion Tech with a brass zipper and SiTech wrist and neck seal system. I am about 5'10 185. My experiences may or may not be fully relevant.

Zipper - One of the reasons I got this suit is I wanted a self-donning suit as opposed to the back zips I normally use. That last 1 inch of the zipper is really tough to close, I had to use my helper bungee / hook to do the trick. I even put generous amounts of zipper wax on first. However, I see videos all the time of people zipping it up like its nothing. Also, I couldn't get the outer plastic zipper to close over the inner brass zipper. Is this normal?

I have some shoulder mobility issues and, yes, the last inch of the dry zip is tough. Try grabbing the dry zip with the left hand a few inches from the end of the zipper and pull forward/down. This moves it into a slightly easier to access location and provides tension to work against.

Put a small, loop of paracord on the outer zipper to form a zipper pull. Then use a similar technique with the left hand and pinching the zip pull between the right thumb and index finger, push the slider home with the tip of the index finger.

Fit - I understand that the suit is supposed to fit snug, closer to a wetsuit than a normal drysuit. I have removed the suspender straps from the two upper attachment points inside the suit as some recommended to increase mobility. However, from the waist to around my knees, the suit fits very tight. I can't do a full squat in the suit and donning / removing fins in the water was more challenging than normal. Is it supposed to fit that tight?

The skin is supposed to be snug to control the bubble but I have not found it to seriously limit my leg mobility (including squats) with the light to mid-weight under garments that I've used. I have not gotten around to diving with my arctics yet, though I have tried them on with the suit.
JiC, Have you looked to confirm that the skin is actually a L/Xl?

Drying - Do you need to undo the velcro around the ankles / wrists for it to dry effectively? I'm not traveling with the suit so I'm not looking for it to dry quickly but wanted to know if I hang it up for a day with the outer skin velcro still attached will it still dry properly.

I would not disconnect the velcro attachments for drying. They are very grippy, and difficult to get aligned nicely when reattaching.
I turn my suit inside out and hang it at the end of the day to get that dry and minimize the me-side stink, then in the morning, I put it right-side out and hang for a day or two, temperature and humidity dependant.

 

[Marie13]

I had a Fusion with the thin neoprene outer skin until recently. Put a fan on it to help it dry.

 

[Marie13]

Put the suspenders back on. Just leave them loose. You’ll be SOL without them if you want to drop the top of the suit during SI.

 

[tdmp]

Thanks, all good points. I checked and the skin is a L/XL. I will put a loop on the outer zipper to see if that helps and try that "trick" to help with the brass zipper.

Is it possible to "misalign" the outer skin and inner shell that might limit the amount of movement in the suit?

I have a L/XL Aircore (newer) version of the Fusion Tech with a brass zipper and SiTech wrist and neck seal system. I am about 5'10 185. My experiences may or may not be fully relevant.



I have some shoulder mobility issues and, yes, the last inch of the dry zip is tough. Try grabbing the dry zip with the left hand a few inches from the end of the zipper and pull forward/down. This moves it into a slightly easier to access location and provides tension to work against.

Put a small, loop of paracord on the outer zipper to form a zipper pull. Then use a similar technique with the left hand and pinching the zip pull between the right thumb and index finger, push the slider home with the tip of the index finger.


The skin is supposed to be snug to control the bubble but I have not found it to seriously limit my leg mobility (including squats) with the light to mid-weight under garments that I've used. I have not gotten around to diving with my arctics yet, though I have tried them on with the suit.
JiC, Have you looked to confirm that the skin is actually a L/Xl?


I would not disconnect the velcro attachments for drying. They are very grippy, and difficult to get aligned nicely when reattaching.
I turn my suit inside out and hang it at the end of the day to get that dry and minimize the me-side stink, then in the morning, I put it right-side out and hang for a day or two, temperature and humidity dependant.

 

[tdmp]

Put the suspenders back on. Just leave them loose. You’ll be SOL without them if you want to drop the top of the suit during SI.

What I meant was that at the top of the inner shell there are two slots that you can slide the front suspenders through so they are pulling from the top of the shell and not just the lower attachment points. I have read about some shoulder mobility issues and people having success with removing the suspenders from those two upper slots and just having them connect to the lower velcro attachments. That is what I did.

 

[-JD-]

Is it possible to "misalign" the outer skin and inner shell that might limit the amount of movement in the suit?

The only thing that I can think of at the moment is if the skin is significantly twisted on the legs. Should be easy enough to follow the seam line down the skin along the leg to check.

 

[mc42]

What I find helpful is doing an undergarment stretch when I get in the water to help redistribute all the stretchy bits in both the suit and Fusion undergarment that don’t always sit in the right place after donning.

I simply float face down in the water, close the shoulder dump, inflate the suit enough so that the undergarment can move easily inside, and stretch arms and legs out as far to the front and back as I can.Then open the dump to let out the air and you’re ready to dive.

 

[tdmp]

Also, is it normal to get condensation along the inside of the inner suit (drycore not aircore)? I finished a dive and along the legs noticed that the lining was wet in certain areas. The undergarment wasn't wet so I don't think it was a leak. I hadn't noticed this with a previous neoprene drysuit.

 

[runsongas]

yes, because your sweat is being wicked from your undergarments, but the drycore is not breathable so it recondenses on the inside.