Blue, was I wearing my TLS350 when we dove together? I can't remember. I love mine but I am ready to get a full cordura CLX450 as soon as someone either gives me the right deal or I get connections to get one.
In the last year or so, I have done only one wet suit dive, and that will probably be my last. My 350 is really comfortable in the water.
Here's some things about DUI: They are overpriced, however, they are as good as all of the good things you have heard about them. You get service by paying all that exta money, and they want to keep that as a known factor in the industry so that people keep paying that extra money without hesitation.
I would not get hung up about the flexibility issue. If your trilam suit is properly made, you will have full ranges of motion. You don't need the flexibility of neoprene because trilam that is properly cut doesn't need to stretch; the cut takes care of your movement.
The telescoping torso, in particular, is what allows the full range of movement while also allowing a good cut. It adds no extra drag at all. Surprisingly, I find that it doesn't even do so when backwards kicking. There is no air trapping issues with it at all.
Go with a suit that has a self donning feature. This is one of the reasons I stick with DUI. Yes, it is great to have dive buddies but don't get any equipment that assures that you will need one to put it on. Order your 450 with the "old style" zipper that closes from top to bottom rather than the new one that closes from bottom to top. DUI will do that for you if you request it.
Unless you are doing extensive beach diving and such, I would skip the rock boots and go with turbo soles. Rock boots are a mess for fitting into most fins unless you use the largest Turtles or Jet Fins (there may be others but they don't count anyway
). I can use my same fins with either wet suit booties or my TLS350 turbo soles.
Cordura is pretty darn durable. Neoprene certainly cuts much easier on the sharp edges of wrecks. Though it is not very positive, you will have to wear extra weight by using crushed neoprene. I would not go with any neoprene options under any circumstances. Even my 350 has not had any punctures in it . . . yet. I am sure it will happen some day since all I pretty much do is wreck dive. When that happens, that is what repairs are for. Hopefully, I will long since already have my 450, which will be very much more resistant to cuts and punctures.
Go with the bellowed pockets on both sides. Zippers are just another thing to break or get jammed. You can easily replace the velcro IF you ever need to do it at all (I know of no one with this problem). When you get the suit, cut off the metal rings inside the pockets and replace with bungee cord. You do not want any metal to metal connections.
Do you really need the butt pad? I just carry a boat cushion with my dive gear and sit on that. Since I dive double 120s, my "tush cush" elevates me to just the right height so that I can sit with my rig on without it trying to pitch me forward.
You can go with the kevlar knee pads. If you dive in places like California or those boats in Palm Beach (which we won't mention) that require you to crawl onto them, you will have the protection you need.
I would go with the zip seals and stay away from the rings. The whole purpose of the custom suit is to have a good fit. Why go and bulk it up by adding the rings. With zip seals, the rings can pretty much be a thing of the past.
Hope this helps.
In the last year or so, I have done only one wet suit dive, and that will probably be my last. My 350 is really comfortable in the water.
Here's some things about DUI: They are overpriced, however, they are as good as all of the good things you have heard about them. You get service by paying all that exta money, and they want to keep that as a known factor in the industry so that people keep paying that extra money without hesitation.
I would not get hung up about the flexibility issue. If your trilam suit is properly made, you will have full ranges of motion. You don't need the flexibility of neoprene because trilam that is properly cut doesn't need to stretch; the cut takes care of your movement.
The telescoping torso, in particular, is what allows the full range of movement while also allowing a good cut. It adds no extra drag at all. Surprisingly, I find that it doesn't even do so when backwards kicking. There is no air trapping issues with it at all.
Go with a suit that has a self donning feature. This is one of the reasons I stick with DUI. Yes, it is great to have dive buddies but don't get any equipment that assures that you will need one to put it on. Order your 450 with the "old style" zipper that closes from top to bottom rather than the new one that closes from bottom to top. DUI will do that for you if you request it.
Unless you are doing extensive beach diving and such, I would skip the rock boots and go with turbo soles. Rock boots are a mess for fitting into most fins unless you use the largest Turtles or Jet Fins (there may be others but they don't count anyway
). I can use my same fins with either wet suit booties or my TLS350 turbo soles.Cordura is pretty darn durable. Neoprene certainly cuts much easier on the sharp edges of wrecks. Though it is not very positive, you will have to wear extra weight by using crushed neoprene. I would not go with any neoprene options under any circumstances. Even my 350 has not had any punctures in it . . . yet. I am sure it will happen some day since all I pretty much do is wreck dive. When that happens, that is what repairs are for. Hopefully, I will long since already have my 450, which will be very much more resistant to cuts and punctures.
Go with the bellowed pockets on both sides. Zippers are just another thing to break or get jammed. You can easily replace the velcro IF you ever need to do it at all (I know of no one with this problem). When you get the suit, cut off the metal rings inside the pockets and replace with bungee cord. You do not want any metal to metal connections.
Do you really need the butt pad? I just carry a boat cushion with my dive gear and sit on that. Since I dive double 120s, my "tush cush" elevates me to just the right height so that I can sit with my rig on without it trying to pitch me forward.
You can go with the kevlar knee pads. If you dive in places like California or those boats in Palm Beach (which we won't mention) that require you to crawl onto them, you will have the protection you need.
I would go with the zip seals and stay away from the rings. The whole purpose of the custom suit is to have a good fit. Why go and bulk it up by adding the rings. With zip seals, the rings can pretty much be a thing of the past.
Hope this helps.
