Hey
@Bierstadt,
Just my 2 cents - probably mostly redundant.
If I were only going to have 1 suit, it would be the Nova. But, my reasons for that may not carry the same weight with you. My reasons are:
- front zip (asking which, if they were both front zip, is irrelevant, since you cannot get an Ultra with front zip)
- lighter and quicker drying - so, better for air travel
- not as hot when worn in warm weather
- a bit more versatile in the range of undergarment thicknesses it will accommodate, because of the telescopic torso
If I were ONLY going to use it locally, always with a buddy to help zip it, and in water that was 50+, I would go with the Ultra. But, for water down in the upper 30s to low 40s, I go with the Nova, so that I could use very thick undies with it for those temps, and still have a good diving experience when using the suit with thin undies in warmer water.
Honestly, though, all that said, I think the issues of weight, drying, and travel are the big factors. Oh, and zipper placement. If those aren't factors for you, then I think it's just kind of personal preference. Either one could be used comfortably.
I have owned 4 drysuits. My newest (the Ultra) has a metal zipper (because they don't offer a plastic zipper option on the Ultra). All the previous had plastic and I've had no reason yet to regret having plastic.
I dived Lake Erie last September. I wore my Seaskin Nova with the 250gm undersuit on the first day. I thought it was warmer than I needed. I wore the Nova with the 150gm undersuit on the second day and was quite happy with that. It sounds like you are even more cold-tolerant than I am. I will put on some kind of full wetsuit when the water temp gets much below 80. Though I did just dive 6 days in a row, 4 dives per day, in Utila, where the water was 80 - 81, and I did all that diving with only shorts and a rash guard. I started to feel a little chilly in the water on the last day. I had a 1.5mm full suit with me, but just never bothered to put it on.
Regarding your option list:
- I would get the Si Tech Quick Neck system. A neo neck seal is very durable. I got one on my new Ultra. But, I only did that because I have a backup dry suit and I will never fly anywhere with just the Ultra. For your one and only suit, I would have replaceable seals all around.
- Waterproof now sells a replaceable neoprene neck seal that you can use in a Quick Neck system. I have one for my Nova, but haven't installed it yet. DRiS sells them.
- My opinion is that the Kubi dry glove system is the best system on the market. I think the second best is the Ultima. Rolock and the different Si Tech systems come somewhere way below those two. In my opinion. I have posted a long piece in the past comparing Kubi and Ultima. Search for that if you want. The gist is, I think Kubi is better, but I can't say that it is enough better to be worth the extra money. That is up to each individual. I invested in Kubi before the Ultima system was around, so that's what I stick with. If my suits all burned up in fire tomorrow, I would probably still buy Kubi again, because I think the little bit better that it is, versus Ultima, is worth it - TO ME.
If you have big hands, the oval rings may or may not be big enough for you. My hands take size L or XL gloves, just depending on the specifics. So, large-ish. I use the Kubi 80mm rings. I have not compared them, but since the oval rings are one-size-fits-all, I am skeptical that my Kubi rings are very much more bulky than the oval rings. Kubi offers 90 and 100 mm rings as well, so my 80mm are on the smaller side. They are just barely big enough to get my hand through with a glove liner on - which means they fit perfectly.
- I do not like hoods with a skirt. I would (and did, actually) get the short neck hood. It still overlaps the neck seal. Also, I got the Seaskin hood with my Ultra, but I have not worn it in the water yet. After trying it on, I'm not sure I like it. It doesn't fit as snug around my head as my other hoods and the face opening seems very small. But, I will actually try it in the water before I give it a final judgment. Regardless of the hood brand, though, I only have and use "drysuit hoods" which means no skirt. All the hoods that I have overlap the neck seal, so can be tucked into the simple warm neck (just by a little bit).
- I like all your other options. Pee valves are awesome, but they're easy to add yourself, so not compelling to order one up front. I did not get the DIR valve placement, but after hearing feedback from a couple of friends that did, I would consider it on my next suit. It was not an option for the Ultra. The DIR placement seems like it makes dumping gas even easier. However, with really thick undies on, and depending on what harness you have on your BCD/BPW and whatever other stuff you may have in your chest area, my concern would be that the DIR placement might be really hard to reach if you needed to adjust it during a dive. My normal placement can be a little bit of a stretch to reach when I'm dressed for really cold water and carrying deco cylinders.
- One other option you didn't list is Trilobites. I did not get that option on my Nova. I did on my Ultra and I am glad I did. I got one on each forearm. When I ordered my Nova, I didn't really understand exactly what that option was offering. I'm glad I paid more attention when ordered the Ultra. For the price, you get a pouch that holds a Trilobite sewn onto the suit. AND you get the Trilobite itself, with the normal spare blades. The cost is not a whole lot more than what it would cost you to just go buy a Trilobite at your local dive shop anyway. And it's sewn to the suit, so no straps to dick around with or figuring out where to put it.
Good luck!
