To Buy or Not to Buy - Advise Regarding Drysuit Purchase

[WhiteSands]

I live near the Equator, so all of my diving so far had been in a 3mm wetsuit or just rash guard and shorts.

My friends and I made plans to dive in Austria in winter, and for this dive it can only be done in winter with a Drysuit.

I'll also be diving in Catalina this Dec, so I thought, why not just take this chance to buy a suit and take a course, and then I'll be able to do the dive in comfort.

However, after doing more research and thinking about it, these were some of the pros and cons of buying a suit.

Cons:
- I will only be using it very infrequently. And it's a huge financial cost (I was looking at the Bare Trilam) for something that I may only use once every few years.
- I understand that suits need to be serviced yearly, even if they had not been used. This adds to the cost of ownership
- I'm thinking of buying them in California when I go over, and then I'll have no one to service them for me when I get home.

Pros:
- It's the only way I can get to practice using one regularly (in warm water), to be able to dive with them confidently.
- It's the only way I can think of to do our dream dive in Austria

As I've never owned a drysuit before, I really don't know about the cost / hassle of ownership. Would love to seek your advice on whether to buy the suit or not.

Thanks!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

They do not need to be serviced yearly. Whoever told you that is wrong. The seals do need to be replaced from time to time. Yes. Just had mine done after three years and three hundred or so dives. Take care to rinse, condition the seals, wax the zipper, and keep it stored according to mfg suggestions and no reason why you can't go two years or more between things needing to be done.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Bopper]

Cons:
- I will only be using it very infrequently. And it's a huge financial cost (I was looking at the Bare Trilam) for something that I may only use once every few years.
Who says it has to be a huge financial cost? There are fantastic used drysuits out there for $500 to $800, even less
- I understand that suits need to be serviced yearly, even if they had not been used. This adds to the cost of ownership
I've never heard of this. Yes, a drysuit requires more maintenance than a wetsuit, but yearly service is not required.
- I'm thinking of buying them in California when I go over, and then I'll have no one to service them for me when I get home.
This is a problem. But I always advise drysuit divers to learn how to fix their own suits. You replace your own wrist seals on a suit and your attitude about the suit changes completely because you see the suit for what it is: a glorified bag.

Pros:
- It's the only way I can get to practice using one regularly (in warm water), to be able to dive with them confidently.
- It's the only way I can think of to do our dream dive in Austria
People do dream dives in Austria? You sure you don't mean Australia?

You might want to approach it differently: Instead of "buying" a suit, think of it as "renting" a suit. You buy the suit from someone, use it as long as you need it, then turn around and sell it again. If you buy it for $800, then sell it for $600, then you've essentially rented a drysuit for $200. If you're really good, you'll end up "renting" it for nothing. The better deal you get at the beginning, the less of a "hit" you take in the end. Like I said, there are a lot of great deals on used drysuits out there.

 

[WhiteSands]

They do not need to be serviced yearly. Whoever told you that is wrong. The seals do need to be replaced from time to time. Yes. Just had mine done after three years and three hundred or so dives. Take care to rinse, condition the seals, wax the zipper, and keep it stored according to mfg suggestions and no reason why you can't go two years or more between things needing to be done.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

Hi,
Sorry for the late reply, just came back from a dive trip.

I was told the valves (for pumping/releasing air into the drysuit) need to be serviced yearly or after a certain number of dives, am I mistaken?

Thanks.

---------- Post added October 17th, 2013 at 10:15 AM ----------

You might want to approach it differently: Instead of "buying" a suit, think of it as "renting" a suit. You buy the suit from someone, use it as long as you need it, then turn around and sell it again. If you buy it for $800, then sell it for $600, then you've essentially rented a drysuit for $200. If you're really good, you'll end up "renting" it for nothing. The better deal you get at the beginning, the less of a "hit" you take in the end. Like I said, there are a lot of great deals on used drysuits out there.

Hi Bopper,
Thanks for the great advice.

On buying used, I'm not confident of doing that unless I get to try them on first. I have no experience fitting them and am afraid to buy them off ebay for example.

On drysuit servicing, I think I can probably handle the seals if I can watch a few videos on them. It's the valves that I'm concerned about. Or are those maintenance free?

On the dive site, yes I mean Austria, not Australia. There is a lake there that I must see before I die!

Great advice on thinking of it as "renting" and not "buying". I'll try to buy used if possible.