Trilam vs. Compressed Neoprene

[brizzolatti]

I am a relative novice in cold waters. I trained in trilam suit but have just bought Northern Diver Divemaster. Attached link gives some info.

http://www.diveshop.co.uk/pages/drysuits/divemaster.html

I was really surprised how comfortable the Divemaster was pretty much from the off in the water. I wore it for Rescue Diver course and almost forgot I had it on. I found it warmer than the trilam had been and less bulky given I didn't have to wear the same thickness of undergarment. I wore the same weight with both suits but I think I was overweighted when I was wearing the trilam. I didn't find buoyancy control any more easy or difficult in one or the other.

I was going to get a trilam because that what I trained in and it felt comfy enough. But after trying suits on in the shop and speaking to experienced divers, I went for the Divemaster. I'm very happy with it.

It;s an individual thing - go with what you feel most comfortable in. See if you can get a chance to try them out in the water.

 

[loosebits]

The CF200 fabric does have some stretch in it. I don't find it to be as stretchy as foam neoprene but it will allow the suit to have a snugger fit than a trilam suit.

 

[Warren_L]

Would then a compressed neoprene suit be easier on the seams then than a trilam since there is no give on trilam material?

 

[Warren_L]

Just had a good look at a CF200 and I must say that I am quite impressed, but the price tag is definitely higher than many of the others I've seen. As a compromise, I could go with the CNse, which is a bit cheaper, without sacrificing too much. What to do....

 

[sasdasdaf]

I would discourage you from going for a shoulder zip suit. The few instances I have seen of people using them has led me to believe thay they restrict shoulder mobility.

My recommendation is to go for a trilam suit with a front entry. Crushed neoprene has no advantages over trilam. And you don't need the extra toughness unless you plan on dragging yourself all over wrecks/reefs/caves.

 

[UP4AIR]

:scuba: I have found that I have no mobility restrictions in my CNse with the shoulder zip. It does take a dive buddy to zip though. All of the suits have strengths and weakness. Choose one that you can afford. A $2000 drysuit is nice...but what's the point if now you don't have the money to fill the tanks and to replace other worn gear because its all in the suit?

 

[sasdasdaf]

Agree with your point. It's just that I have more than one buddy who has had trouble reaching valves due to the back entry suits. One of them used a front entry one day, and it was night and day.

 

[DeepScuba]

So wlo93, how do you like your new suit?? (CF200)

 

[Warren_L]

I haven't decided on anything yet. I'm still trying to figure out if I should shell out an extra $1000 and get the CF200, or I could go with a trilam like the bares ATR HD, or even the back entry CNse. The nice thing about the DUI suits is that there's a 7 year manufacturer's warranty against defects versus 1 year for just about everything else.

 

[Kevin R]

Warren

Vlada was wearing a shoulder entry CF-200 and I was wearing a front entry CF-200 on Big Jims boat a couple of weeks ago. Mine has around 450 dives on it over 3 1/2 years, mainly in doubles and with stage bottles. It is an extremely tough suit, but is very heavy when wet and dries slowly. I am now experiencing problems with the feet leaking and I've gone through 3 exhaust valves. My next suit will be a custom built Diving Concepts trilam from Northern Tech Diver.

When choosing your suit, keep in mind that the choice of undergarment is as important as the suit. All the suit does is keep the undergarments dry. The undergarments are what keep you warm. A proper fitting 400g thinsulate provides the required thermal protection without being overly thick. The undergarment must not restrict motion. While shooting video for Dan MacKay's DIR Fundamentals course, I've seen many students who cannot reach thier valves simply because the undergarment becomes a straightjacket once they are in a horizontal posisition, either because they are ill fitting, or because they are to thick and heavy. Before you buy, take a look at the Diving Concepts stuff they have at NTD. 400g, strech lycra outer shell, and custom fit. You're going to be down there next weekend anyway right? Talk to Dan, he's had several different brands including DUI, and has experience with many more through the courses he runs.

Kevin Ripley