Trilam vs. crushed neoprene drysuit

[runsongas]

there are front zip neoprene options from otter and pinnacle other than an expensive DUI. both will be a bit more than a seaskin though. trilam is durable enough for most that unless you will be doing aquaculture or really crawling through places, the downside of the backzip seaskin isn't worth it.

 

[NauticalNick]

I took the easy way out: I asked the opinions of very experienced people who were doing the type of diving (extended range, Great Lakes shipwreck diving) I was hoping to do, and then I opened my wallet! Never looked back. No buyer's remorse. (Well, I did have pockets added and a protective zipper installed when I had my original DS zipper replaced after owning my suit for about six years.)

ETA: If I were to make the purchase right now, I would order silicone wrist seals (to go with dry gloves) instead of the neoprene fold-under wrist seals I have on my suit. I've been watching a lot of videos about diving Iceland's Silfra fissure, and water temps there are barely above freezing--much too cold for me for cold-water gloves or three-finger mitts!

rx7diver

I did silfra (in the winter) with the three finger mitts because it was a rental and it was.... doable. I can see the appeal of the dry gloves though. The additional factor too is that the dives are not that long at Silfra. It's not that big and there's not a ton to do.

 

[rx7diver]

I don't expect to travel with a drysuit. It's going to be used regularly in Puget Sound, probably nowhere else. ...

Flew to Seattle with my DUI CF200SP (crushed neoprene) drysuit Memorial Day weekend 2009 or so, and did my only dive ever in Puget Sound. Was attending a conference. IIRC, I washed out the suit in my hotel room bathtub that evening, and left it hanging on the shower curtain rod overnight and throughout the next day (with the bathroom door closed and the exhaust fan running), and packed it up that evening. I had turned it inside out that first morning after my dive. My suit was really very dry when I packed it up.

I don't know what the housekeeping staff thought about my gear drying all over the bathroom, though. I don't think that that hotel ($$) saw much of this kind of thing!

rx7diver

 

[WillieJustice]

I haven't sold any of my horde yet, but I do have quite a few sitting around unused lol. Yes, this is part of the Thursday night crew in search of 6-gills. Marker Buoy will be out there tonight as well. YSS should have some killer deals on tanks fir black Friday. Next Thursday - Saturday UW Sports will be having their annual sale and tanks will be part of it.

I will be at UW Sports for exactly that reason. I had been thinking about buying a drysuit, but I can wait six weeks for custom at about half the sale price. Tanks are a different thing. I figured to just rent them, except they didn't have what I wanted a couple times. And if I manage to find dive buddies who think a night dive on a random Wednesday is a good idea, letting them down on account of no air just doesn't cut it.

 

[WillieJustice]

Flew to Seattle with my DUI CF200SP (crushed neoprene) drysuit Memorial Day weekend 2009 or so, and did my only dive ever in Puget Sound. Was attending a conference. IIRC, I washed out the suit in my hotel room bathtub that evening, and left it hanging on the shower curtain rod overnight and throughout the next day (with the bathroom door closed and the exhaust fan running), and packed it up that evening. I had turned it inside out that first morning after my dive. My suit was really very dry when I packed it up.

I don't know what the housekeeping staff thought about my gear drying all over the bathroom, though. I don't think that that hotel ($$) saw much of this kind of thing!

rx7diver

I can see that kind of thing happening on occasion in the future.

 

[WillieJustice]

As an update, if it's necessary, I pulled the trigger on a Seaskin Nova a few weeks ago. They say it will ship toward the end of September. That's not too bad. With the undergarment, it was about $800 less than buying a stock size Apollo. The Apollo fit amazingly well for a non-custom suit. I hope the Seaskin fits as well. But, for $800, I can put up with a few nits. Plus, it will be blue, not black. For whatever that's worth.

 

[Rose Robinson]

I'm going to be buying a drysuit pretty soon and am trying to figure out the best option. I'm not especially concerned about brand for now, just trying to understand the difference between trilam and neoprene as a practical matter. I have used rental trilam suits so far, and have found them plenty comfortable when they don't have the occasional leak. I don't have any experience with a crushed neoprene drysuit.

What are the differences in buoyancy, durability, and ease of repairs?

Have a look at DUI.

They have both.

I dive with a DUI, crushed neoprene, soft feet/neoprene neck and wrist seals, fully optioned, Signature Series. My suit has cargo pockets/knife sheath/large Kevlar knee protectors.

Front dry zipper, with dry zipper enclosure, built in suspenders

Rugged/durable, nice and warm, with light undergarments. No buoyancy issues. I wear a two piece T-Max Heat, fleece under-garment and T-Max Heat socks. Winter diving, North Pacific, off BC coast, nice and warm!

Mine was custom tailored for me so it fits properly, (telescoping waist with crotch strap), no overbulk or wrinkles/creases to trap air.

I prefer soft feet. The suit can be completely turned inside out, easy/quick drying/easy inspection/easy maintenance.

Not cheap, but properly cared for, it's a long term investment.

Over the soft feet I wear DUI Rock Boots, OMS Slipstream fins.

Hope this helps,

Regards,

Rose

 

[WillieJustice]

Have a look at DUI.

They have both.

I dive with a DUI, crushed neoprene, soft feet/neoprene neck and wrist seals, fully optioned, Signature Series. My suit has cargo pockets/knife sheath/large Kevlar knee protectors.

Front dry zipper, with dry zipper enclosure, built in suspenders

Rugged/durable, nice and warm, with light undergarments. No buoyancy issues. I wear a two piece T-Max Heat, fleece under-garment and T-Max Heat socks. Winter diving, North Pacific, off BC coast, nice and warm!

Mine was custom tailored for me so it fits properly, (telescoping waist with crotch strap), no overbulk or wrinkles/creases to trap air.

I prefer soft feet. The suit can be completely turned inside out, easy/quick drying/easy inspection/easy maintenance.

Not cheap, but properly cared for, it's a long term investment.

Over the soft feet I wear DUI Rock Boots, OMS Slipstream fins.

Hope this helps,

Regards,

Rose

I have been renting DUI trilam suits for now. I like them a lot. Rentals are battered, but they work just fine so far. That experience is why I ended up with a membrane suit on order. The cost of a DUI is why I went with Seaskin instead. It would have cost at least twice as much, even on sale, to go with DUI. Apollo felt great just trying it on. I hope the custom fit Seaskin fits as well as the standard large Apollo. A standard large DUI fits ok, but not as well as the Apollo I tried on. I am not a commercial diver. I will probably only get out to dive a couple days a month, so absolute durability isn't as big a deal.

 

[Marcozx]

For me its about ease of drying, the UK is poor weather and takes 3 days to dry a neoprene suit.

My trilam dries overnight

 

[MacDuyver]

I dive a crushed neoprene and love it. Stupidly robust. You can absolutely feel the mobility difference, but if it’s in your price range it’s a very viable option. Especially if you shore dive in areas where you might get bounced into or have to crawl across rocks or coral in the surf zone.