Trilam Drysuit for a student: Bare Trilam Tech or Seaskin Nova

[ReillyP]

Bare is Canadian, that says it all.

I'm assuming you mean it's good quality then?

 

[grantctobin]

My worry with the seaskin is that even though it is half the price of the BARE, it won't be worth it in the long run.

I am expecting 1/4th of the cost as customs. No one locally can service them outside of basic leak fixes and such so if I blow a zip that will be 400$ + shipping both ways (I'd assume ~400 dollars)

The BARE is in stock now and I would have it in hand before I leave for my trip. If i order the seaskin, it could be 12 weeks meaning I would need to return from my remote research station to pick it up, meaning ~200-400$ just to go get the thing.

If the BARE is ~3700 CAD

and the Seaskin is ~1700 CAD + ~400 customs + ~400 for the trip to get it + ~120 for shipping + ~20 to get my measurements. I think I am only saving ~1000 $

Yes saving that 1000-1400 on paper sounds good but as soon as I need to service it, those savings I think will be eaten up by having to send it back.

Any input would be appreciated as I will be ordering by this Friday.

Should I just get the BARE and be happy knowing I have a suit I know that works in-hand, where I won't need to leave to pick it up?

Any savings I get with the seaskin would probably go towards a santi heated vest or just school expenses.

Will your drysuit service center not service a different brand zipper repair? Perhaps I'm spoiled with the Florida options, but that's laughable.

 

[waterone]

No one locally can service them outside of basic leak fixes and such so if I blow a zip that will be 400$ + shipping both ways (I'd assume ~400 dollars)

Many places should be able to service a Seaskin for just about anything you would ever need done. "Basic leak fixes" are pretty easy to fix by the user.

Bare is Canadian, that says it all.

Says what, that you'd rather buy anything but Seaskin?.

 

[jlcnuke]

My worry with the seaskin is that even though it is half the price of the BARE, it won't be worth it in the long run.

I am expecting 1/4th of the cost as customs. No one locally can service them outside of basic leak fixes and such so if I blow a zip that will be 400$ + shipping both ways (I'd assume ~400 dollars)

The BARE is in stock now and I would have it in hand before I leave for my trip. If i order the seaskin, it could be 12 weeks meaning I would need to return from my remote research station to pick it up, meaning ~200-400$ just to go get the thing.

If the BARE is ~3700 CAD

and the Seaskin is ~1700 CAD + ~400 customs + ~400 for the trip to get it + ~120 for shipping + ~20 to get my measurements. I think I am only saving ~1000 $

Yes saving that 1000-1400 on paper sounds good but as soon as I need to service it, those savings I think will be eaten up by having to send it back.

Any input would be appreciated as I will be ordering by this Friday.

Should I just get the BARE and be happy knowing I have a suit I know that works in-hand, where I won't need to leave to pick it up?

Any savings I get with the seaskin would probably go towards a santi heated vest or just school expenses.

That's a whole lot of extra costs. My Seaskin (to the US) was £1,246 (including a bunch of other stuff with the suit), plus £104 shipping. Customs fees was around $67 iirc. They shipped it to my house, so I certainly wasn't paying $400 to go pick it up either (are you having it shipped somewhere that's a 2 day drive to pick it up??). A friend measured me for free.

Additionally, if they can replace a zipper on an XYZ trilam suit, they can replace it on any drysuit (they may not do it, but there's no reason they couldn't). There's no proprietary equipment on the suit that needs special tools or training that anyone working on any other drysuits shouldn't already have.

 

[ReillyP]

That's a whole lot of extra costs. My Seaskin (to the US) was £1,246 (including a bunch of other stuff with the suit), plus £104 shipping. Customs fees was around $67 iirc. They shipped it to my house, so I certainly wasn't paying $400 to go pick it up either (are you having it shipped somewhere that's a 2 day drive to pick it up??). A friend measured me for free.

Additionally, if they can replace a zipper on an XYZ trilam suit, they can replace it on any drysuit (they may not do it, but there's no reason they couldn't). There's no proprietary equipment on the suit that needs special tools or training that anyone working on any other drysuits shouldn't already have.

400$ for the trip for the suit as BC ferry is 100$+ one way, would need 1 round trip, a second ferry / private boat charter to take the suit to my remote location and 100$ for my buddy that would drive the thing out to the second ferry drop point.

400$ estimate for customs as the service center I talked to said he is charged 20% on duty from UK diving products. 120$ for shipping is what seaskin quoted.

I wish I could ship it to my research site but there is only 1 logging road in and mail gets delivered via ferry with a surcharge....(18 dollars for something prescription bottle sized pick up....)

 

[Chris H]

400$ estimate for customs as the service center I talked to said he is charged 20% on duty from UK diving products. 120$ for shipping is what seaskin quoted.

I wish I could ship it to my research site but there is only 1 logging road in and mail gets delivered via ferry with a surcharge....(18 dollars for something prescription bottle sized pick up....)

I’m in the US, and my Nova cost me about $52 in customs fees.

 

[sea_ledford]

Sounds like you are in the "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush" type situation.

You are already waffling on it, get the one locally that you can dive with when you need it. If you can spend your time at the research station diving wet, and it would just be nice to have a dry suit... now you are back to waffling. In that case you might also look to see if you can get institutional pricing.

Out of curiosity, what research station are you going to? Sounds like an adventure!

 

[jlcnuke]

400$ for the trip for the suit as BC ferry is 100$+ one way, would need 1 round trip, a second ferry / private boat charter to take the suit to my remote location and 100$ for my buddy that would drive the thing out to the second ferry drop point.

400$ estimate for customs as the service center I talked to said he is charged 20% on duty from UK diving products. 120$ for shipping is what seaskin quoted.

I wish I could ship it to my research site but there is only 1 logging road in and mail gets delivered via ferry with a surcharge....(18 dollars for something prescription bottle sized pick up....)

ouch... that sucks for you. Good luck

 

[ReillyP]

ouch... that sucks for you. Good luck

Yeah its unfortunate.... that is worst-case scenario but I wouldn't want to plan for the drysuit to be 2k cheaper and get a bunch of unexpected expenses upon arrival.

I am very much thinking I will just order the BARE tomorrow or something haha

 

[ReillyP]

Sounds like you are in the "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush" type situation.

You are already waffling on it, get the one locally that you can dive with when you need it. If you can spend your time at the research station diving wet, and it would just be nice to have a dry suit... now you are back to waffling. In that case you might also look to see if you can get institutional pricing.

Out of curiosity, what research station are you going to? Sounds like an adventure!

I will be at Bamfield marine sciences center! Very excited