Since 303 can be used on the seals, how 'bout on the zipper? I never had a drysuit zipper yet that was easy to open. If 303 won't ruin latex seals, it sure can't hurt a metal zipper.
Review: Whites Fusion Drysuit - say goodbye to cave cut
- Thread starter fdog
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I don't have quite as many dives on mine as TS&M (40 maybe) but so far no zipper zipper issues. I do wonder how people with poor shoulder mobility get on with it though, I can just get mine done up before I can no longer rotate my arm, on a stiff day I have to use my left hand to push the zipper closed the last cm.
I got the fusion with the tech skin and so far love the mobility it offers and how easy it is to control the bubble inside the suit. Not that I found it difficult before getting a fusion, but the stretchy skin makes a pretty big difference.
I have only one complaint about the suit. The pockets. They're crap. My grievances against them are:
1) They are tiny, if you want to carry wetnotes, a spare mask and a dsmb/spool its a tight squeeze
2) They're made of the same material as the suit. This helps in fitting everything I want to take with me in them because they stretch but it makes getting anything back into a pocket (unless its my wetnotes which get their own pocket) quite difficult. It makes getting things out a little trickier than it should be. It sticks to my mask skirt. It makes the pockets really flimsy and almost impossible to get things back into.
3) No sewn in bungee, just grommets. At least there is a place for a bungee, which is an improvement over previous whites pockets, the the bungee knots are annoying, I'd rather just have a nice loop or two of bungee sewn in, or at least have the grommets at the bottom so I could have an upward facing loop.
Aside from the pockets I think its a great suit.
I got the fusion with the tech skin and so far love the mobility it offers and how easy it is to control the bubble inside the suit. Not that I found it difficult before getting a fusion, but the stretchy skin makes a pretty big difference.
I have only one complaint about the suit. The pockets. They're crap. My grievances against them are:
1) They are tiny, if you want to carry wetnotes, a spare mask and a dsmb/spool its a tight squeeze
2) They're made of the same material as the suit. This helps in fitting everything I want to take with me in them because they stretch but it makes getting anything back into a pocket (unless its my wetnotes which get their own pocket) quite difficult. It makes getting things out a little trickier than it should be. It sticks to my mask skirt. It makes the pockets really flimsy and almost impossible to get things back into.
3) No sewn in bungee, just grommets. At least there is a place for a bungee, which is an improvement over previous whites pockets, the the bungee knots are annoying, I'd rather just have a nice loop or two of bungee sewn in, or at least have the grommets at the bottom so I could have an upward facing loop.
Aside from the pockets I think its a great suit.
djcheburashka
Contributor
I agree with you about the pockets... They stink!
I asked the whites folks about this when they had a demo day, and did not hear anything encouraging
I asked the whites folks about this when they had a demo day, and did not hear anything encouraging
How are the pockets attached? Would it be feasible to have a seamstress cut off the OEM pockets and sew on some nice big ones? There are no sewing issues with the waterproof layer, which usually prevents this sort of thing.
Annoying that they're not good to begin with, certainly, but I wonder if it's possible to fix it relatively easy, for those motivated to try.
Annoying that they're not good to begin with, certainly, but I wonder if it's possible to fix it relatively easy, for those motivated to try.
Well, I think that part of the issue is sag, since the pockets are attached to the stretchy outer layer. If you were to sew on proper pockets they would probably end up around your knees. I've stripped my halcyon pockets from my old suit and have an xxl pair of neoprene shorts that I'm going to get them sewn on to, as soon as I get off my butt and find someone who can do it.
There is one thing that I've wanted to try but haven't because a) I'm lazy and b) I', chicken. As I said before, the main issue is sag. If you were to put on proper pockets the outer layer wouldn't be able to support them. But you might be able to remedy this by attaching velcro to the inner layer and to the inside of the outer layer where the pockets attach, essentially creating another attachment point for the outer layer. If this worked out then you could have proper, non sagging pockets permanently attached to your suit. If it doesn't you'd end up having to explain your extra velcro to other divers.
There is one thing that I've wanted to try but haven't because a) I'm lazy and b) I', chicken. As I said before, the main issue is sag. If you were to put on proper pockets the outer layer wouldn't be able to support them. But you might be able to remedy this by attaching velcro to the inner layer and to the inside of the outer layer where the pockets attach, essentially creating another attachment point for the outer layer. If this worked out then you could have proper, non sagging pockets permanently attached to your suit. If it doesn't you'd end up having to explain your extra velcro to other divers.
The tricky part, of course, is getting the velcro attached to the internal part. That's the one you don't want holes in.
I wonder if a velcro-coated belt might do the same trick, when matched against the velcro on the inside of the pockets?
I wonder if a velcro-coated belt might do the same trick, when matched against the velcro on the inside of the pockets?
There's a real easy answer . . . Keep the Lycra skin, and use X-shorts. That's what i'm doing. The X-short pockets are great, and the X-shorts don't sag.
digital_steve
Contributor
That seals it for me sadly
I like big, sturdy pockets and hate x shorts
Another trilam for me it is
I like big, sturdy pockets and hate x shorts
Another trilam for me it is
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digital_steve
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Dunno yet!!
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