I ordered a new Seaskin Nova (trilam) drysuit at the beginning of June. It arrived last week. I took it up to the Saint Lawrence River and did 7 wreck dives from Fri to Mon (yesterday), as part of an Advanced Wreck Penetration class with
@Trace Malinowski. I am VERY pleased with how it worked out.
Dry Suits from Seaskin Custom Drysuits home page - Seaskin Custom Diving Suits
Their suits are all made to measure. I ordered almost every option they offer. The price of the base suit is around USD$540. Mine, with all the options was somewhere around USD$1100. That is including a Si Tech Quick Neck system with silicone seal, Kubi dry glove rings and silicone seals, nice zippered thigh pockets, a Si Tech Trigon pee valve, a YKK plastic zipper, Kevlar knee pads, attached neoprene socks, my name and country flag embroidered on one sleeve and on the upgraded drysuit bag, and gauge holder straps on both sleeves. Plus some other minor options.
I also bought the Seaskin base layer, which is pretty much like cold weather Under Armour, their 250gram 1-piece coverall, their 150gram sleeveless shorty, and their 150gram socks. But, the lowest temps over the weekend were 61F at 150'. So, I wore the base layer and a pair of wool leggings and a long sleeve wool t-shirt. And short wool socks. I tried on the drysuit over the 250gram undergarment at home, but I haven't dived with it yet. The total, with all the undergarments and shipping from the UK here to VA, was just under USD$1500.
It also had in the bag the various owners manuals for the valves and neck seal system, the tool for replacing the neck seal, a big bottle of French talc, for the seals, and a piece of material and tie for making a talc bag.
Results? The suit seems to fit me pretty much perfectly. And it feels very sturdy. Definitely more sturdy feeling than my Waterproof D9X drysuit that I have been using. I did 7 dives that involved wreck penetration. Several with some pretty tight quarters. And all the wrecks are covered in sharp zebra mussel shells. The suit got some dirt streaks on some of the red areas but otherwise still looks like new. My previous drysuits have had thigh pockets with velcro flap closures. I am really happy that I got these pockets with zippered closures. The big flaps just get in the way once they're open and I'm trying to get anything out. With the zippers, I just put a piece of thick bungee and tied a loop in it for one zipper pull on each side. That made it very easy to find the zipper pull and open and close the pocket. I was in and out of both pockets for reels and a backup mask numerous times over the weekend and the pockets worked well for me.
The Seaskin base layer kind of put me off at first. It fits well. But, when I tried it and the suit on when I received it, it was warm and I got sweaty donning and doffing in my living room. The base layer seemed like it was still damp the next day. I thought it seemed like it should have been much quicker to dry. Then I used it for 4 days in a row up in NY and Canada where it was in the 80s surface air temp. I got sweaty. Especially doing 3 dives the very first day. What I realized is that the base layer would still feel damp the next morning, every day. But, I never felt damp when I had it on. My conclusion is that the base layer really did pull the moisture away from my skin and wick it to the outside of the base layer. It kept ME feeling warm and dry, even though it felt slightly damp on the outside. So, I reckon it works exactly like it should. And it's pretty darn cheap. I think I'm going to order another set and some spare silicone seals now, just to have them.
I have owned a Bare XCS2 Tech and still own a Waterproof D9X. I have also thoroughly examined a decent number of other suits, including Fourth Element, Hollis, Mobby's, Aqualung/Whites, DUI, and Santi. Right now, I would put this suit up against any of them for quality. And, being made to measure, it fits me better than anything else I have tried. The price is simply unbelievable!
A couple of pictures:
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It's a bear getting in the water with that much weight on your belt and in your pockets, might have to do a water load-up
