Thinking about a new drysuit (and I'm tall and skinny)

[Tigerman]

IIRC Bare suits can be special fit from the manufacturer as well.. I did use a DUI CF200x for a while but didnt really like it much, mostly for the fact that it didnt keep me dry, so I got myself a BARE CD4 ProDry, which I found much dryer and quite comfortable. Not as comfortable on land tho, as its 4mm crushed neoprene..

 

[CompuDude]

I talked with my LDS today... she's a USIA dealer but doesn't carry their drysuits because she said she doesn't care for the material. I know the Techniflex is pretty new so I don't know if she's seen that one or not. Something about not liking coated material. But she can order one for me if I decide to go that route.

Most of the suits they sell are DUI or Bare. I didn't realize it, but she said Bare will do custom fitting too. They also are a Whites dealer, but like USIA, don't have any of their drysuits in stock. So I guess I'll research Whites some too.

I was quoted $2200 for a Signature Series CF200 though. I dove a 13 year old CF200 today and it actually worked really well, except I didn't like the position of the purge valve. I think I'll have one put in the forearm. And it's pretty heavy. I'm not sure if it was a L or XL, but the fit seemed pretty good.

Brian

Just about any suit can be custom ordered. The fee for custom cutting varies by manufacturer.

CF series (or any crushed neoprene) suits are all going to be heavy... that's one of the complaints about them. There's nothing more durable, though.

 

[bdshort]

Any opinions on having the purge valve on the forearm vs. the shoulder? The purge valve location on the CF200 I was borrowing was in an absolutely horrible spot, more on the forward part of the shoulder than the side, and I had to go vertical to get air out. While doing this, it occurred to me that having the purge on the forearm would probably work really well. Are there disadvantages to this location I don't know about?

 

[CompuDude]

There are those who swear by cuff dumps and those who view them with suspicion. I have heard that make things very easy... but sometimes TOO easy, dumping when you are just reaching for something. I have no personal experience with them, however, so that's a bit beyond my purview.

I know exactly what you mean, however. Some suits seem to have the dumbs WAY too far forward on the arm. No idea why. Take a look at the White's Nexus II for a classic example of piss-poor dump valve placement. Great suit otherwise, from what I understand, so what were they thinking? Hint to drysuit manufacturers: Air goes up. And most people dive face down. Think.

The USIA suit I have now has near perfect valve placement, I have to say, in terms of being on the outside of my arm. I haven't really noticed valve placement being a huge issue with DUI in general, I must say. If you're having a suit made as opposed to OTR, you may be able to specify the placement you prefer. Ask and you can probably find out, in any event.

 

[bdshort]

This was an OLD DUI I was using today... 13 years old, but hardly ever dove, so it's still in pretty good condition. Which USIA do you have? That's the brand I'm leaning towards, mostly because of the very enthusiastic reviews of the Techniflex I see here, and the fact I can get a custom fit suit for way less than DUI.

edit: Nevermind, I see you currently have/had an older USIA and are getting a used CLX450. The CF200 I used today was a large (I think) and it fit pretty well except the arms were too short by an inch or two. I think the telescoping torso helps.