Types of Drysuits ?

[ERP]

Karl you have no idea what you are talking about.

There are reasons I did not go with a crushed Neoprene suit, but dryness isn't one of them. They are used just like a shell suit, you wear undergarments for warmth, and the material doesn't change bouyancy at depth.

They are just as dry as a trilam, they are much tougher.
But they are heavier and take longer to dry.

FWIW I own two trilam suits.

 

[Karl_in_Calif]

Steve,

do a poll.

Find out who dives trilaminate shell suits and who dives crushed/compressed neoprene suits.

Make sure boogie711 cannot vote more than once!

 

[BDub]

What difference will a poll make?

C'mon Karl. Your profile says you're a tech diver and you live in California. Surely you must have more knowledge of crushed neoprene drysuits than this?

So, if more people wear shells (which I'm willing to concede), then they are better? I am willing to concede you'll find more shell drysuit divers mainly because of price. Compressed drysuits are more expensive, on average, than shells. I encourage you to try out a crushed neoprene drysuit (see when DUI Dog Days is in town) and wear the same undergarment with a standard shell suit. You'll be shivering within minutes.

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

Karl_in_Calif once bubbled...
Steve,

do a poll.

Find out how many people wasted money buying gear based on bad advice from peeps on the boards who had no real knowledge of the gear they reccommended.

 

[Karl_in_Calif]

More people have wasted money buying DUI than any other suit, crushed/compressed neoprene or shell, same-same.

DUI offers scuba instructors 50% discounts to wear their suit. Students see their instructors wearing them and think the suits are good.

DUI suits are among the worst engineered drysuits available.

YET since instructors get 50% discounts, there is a vast plethora of DUI suits among instructors and in dive stores.

It is one of the biggest lies in scuba diving.


Now, back to crushed/compressed neoprene.

I have seen a few squirrelly thin, short divers wearing these. They may be warm on their first dive, but during the surface interval they freeze on the boat, and by their second dive they are shivering as much as anyone in a wetsuit.

Stick with trilaminate shell drysuits, wear a decent set of thermals underneath, with longjohns in addition if needed, and you will be toasty warm in a shell suit.

Make sure you suit has suspenders. SUSPENDERS.

 

[Mo2vation]

Can you feel the love? I can feel it.



I'm lost here, Karl (and others....)

* Same undies (for arguement's sake, lets say DUI 300...)

* Same conditions - 55 degrees, 65 feet, So Cal winter diving

* Two people (you and me, a couple of Cali's) with the same tolerance to temperature

* We make the same dive, same day, same temp tolerance, same undies. You in a "waffer tin" TLS350 trilam, me in a not-so-waffer tin CF200. All conditions equal.

Is it your assertion, my Cali brother, that the trilam would deliver superior warmth over the CF200?

I gotta go with the gallery on this one - you're mental.

The suit keeps you dry. The undies keep you warm. If you're OK with a trilam (no man-eating barnacles, no rocky entries, no abrative dives) then rock on - you'll be fine. If your diving demands increased abrasion resistance (said barnacles, sharp wrecks, rough caves, rabbits with sharp pointy teeth) go with the CF200. A powerful arguement can be made that there is even a small measure of additional warmth added from the CF200.

All things equal, the suit is protection, the undies are insulation.

If I blew brain and miss-read your posts, OK. But I'm having a tough time getting the angle that trilam is warmer than CF200.

Cheaper, more practical for 99% of openwater diving...sure.

Warmer. Uh, nope.

K


About DUI's "poor engineering..." sounds like someone just got out of a DIR/F class...

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

Karl -

I think you're referring to an actual semi-dry suit where there are gaskets in the sleeves/ankles/neck to reduce the exchange of water, this is still a WETSUIT. You should check out the real neoprene drysuits on the market today before you pass judgemenet. The CF200 (DUI) and the CNX (Northern Diver) are two of the warmest suits in existence. Harvey's makes a 7mm suit that is TOASTY warm, but has neoprene seals and this makes for minimal seapage, but you get a tad wet (or I should say I did in a suit with neoprene seals).

 

[HKRacing]

We're still not too sure what Karl is talking about. "Crushed Neoprene" is patented by DUI and is not wet on the inside! Undergarments are still worn underneath. And as far as not being happy with it, have you seen the plethora of wreck and other divers wearing them from California to New Jersey, that are not instructors?

 

[scubasean]

HKRacing once bubbled...
We're still not too sure what Karl is talking about. "Crushed Neoprene" is patented by DUI and is not wet on the inside! Undergarments are still worn underneath. And as far as not being happy with it, have you seen the plethora of wreck and other divers wearing them from California to New Jersey, that are not instructors?

I didn't see crushed neoprene as a material in the list of things that DUI has patented...But they do have a suit made of layers that have a "collapsed cellular material" as a layer...

Nice stuff!

 

[HKRacing]

http://www.dui-online.com/newsite/tech_crushed_vs_compressed.htm

The above address is to the page on DUI's website that explaines the "process" of the Crushed Neoprene" material that they are famous for. You can even click the link at the bottom of the page, input your address and they will send a 2 by 2 sample along with a catalog and informational sheet.