viking drysuits look pretty nice.... are they?

[skierdude911]

Are viking suits as durable as say a CLX 450?
Which hood system is best?
What kind of glove system can you get with them?
What kind of glove system is best?
Can you custom order them?
Can you order them with a p valve?
Are the viking boots comperable to the DUI boots?
Are the Viking boots nice?
HOW MUCH IS THE VIKING SUIT??? <the big question.


I would like to hear your experiences with Viking suits, or suits in general. Thanks in advance for any help you guys/ gals could give!!!!! Thanks, Mark :54:

 

[Tractor Tom]

...but I have spent a season in my Viking Xtreme and like it a lot. The Xtreme is NOT one of the heavy Vulcanized rubber suits, but a new design, lighter, trilaminate like suit.

Are viking suits as durable as say a CLX 450?
Can't say, I don't dive a CLX 450

Which hood system is best?
I like my attached rubber hood with the insulating beenie a LOT.

What kind of glove system can you get with them?
Viking has a new attached glove system with a 1/8 turn connection on hard plastic rings that is quite affordable.

What kind of glove system is best?

I can only speak for the gloves I have used, and am happy with the Viking glove system.

Can you custom order them?
Contact Bob3 here on the Scubaboard and ask him. There are plenty of sizes available... if they can fit me, they can fit most everyone....

Can you order them with a p valve?
You can certainly install a p valve with little trouble...

Are the viking boots comperable to the DUI boots?
I haven't worn the DUI boots, and can't respond to this.

Are the Viking boots nice?
I think mine are "pretty", does that count? (kidding...) I find mine to be warm and well fitting. What exactly does NICE mean?????

HOW MUCH IS THE VIKING SUIT??? <the big question.
My entire suit, glove system and Softwear 300 wt unides set me back less than $1k. I find the Viking Xtreme to be a very 'affordable' suit.

 

[lakesdiver]

I can second all Tom's comments. I've not tried dui's rock boots, but I prefer Viking's to the old style dui. Sturdier, I don't feel every pebble walking to the water, and they insulate better. I've had mine 3 years and am quite happy with it.

 

[MantyMonty]

I spent a lot of time on this laptop researching, deciding, comparing, saving etc. etc. and took the Dry plunge with Bob3 yesterday. Bought the E-xtreme Viking, dry gloves etc. from him and it couldn't have been easier. One difference between the DUI450 and Viking E-xtreme is frontal zip and shoulder zip as the Viking offers. If you want a front zip Viking, they offer the Pro-Tech/Combat vulcanized with front zip. But, they may be in short supply soon/temporarily due to a material shortage according to Bob3. The boots are attached on the Viking, which is one less thing to carry to the dive site, no so with the Rock Boots. I also could see small stones etc getting trapped in-between the Rock Shoe and the soft bootie as the 450 offers. Don't know if this actually ever happens, but if it could, it would to me. After researching these companies, both of them have quite a following and both have one heck of a reputation for quality and longevity. Enough said, I will give further updates when my E-xtreme arrives in 4-6 weeks from Sweden.

 

[skierdude911]

Wow, nice replies! I am thinking that the viking is starting to look like a better value.

How does the heavy rubber vulanized compare to the viking trilam?

What kind of warranty comes with a viking?

How prone to damage is the latex seal that is on the hood? How often/ how hard is it to replace?

How prone to damage are the gloves? Torn glove in icewater = death, is the viking glove system safe?


Thanks in advance for any info..... mark

 

[Tractor Tom]

I will SUGGEST for a second time, that you send a PM to Bob3, who is the individual on this board that has the greatest knowledge of Viking Drysuits. He will answer all of your questions, help you with sizing, and provide you a VERY competitive price. He is the the fellow with all the answers, and a very nice fellow to deal with.

Good luck with all the questions....

 

[Rick L]

I just bought one last saturday.
I tried it out in the pool (felt nice and comfortable)
One thing I wasn't to sure about was the size of the cuffs
on my wrists? I lobster a lot and have my arms under rocks all the time. Was thinking of getting long gauntlets
to pull over the cuffs? Anyone else have any ideas on
how to minimize the wrist size? Also worried of ripping the
cuffs or wearing them out this way.
Rick

 

[Tractor Tom]

I've been wearing my Xtreme for a season now and have just gone to the Viking Dry Glove system, but with you reaching into the rocks to get bugs, it seems like some protection is in order. Kind of like a long cuff on a pair of work gloves. It seems to me it would be easy enough to put some log gauntlet style cuffs on a pair of wetsuit gloves, to give the sleeves and wrist seals on your suit some protection. The cut off leg portions of an old wetsuit comes to mind, glued and stitched to a heavy pair of wetsuit gloves would be just the answer! Might get some second looks with that kind of a rig, but if it works for you, who cares????

 

[Bob3]

Wow, nice replies! I am thinking that the viking is starting to look like a better value.

How does the heavy rubber vulanized compare to the viking trilam?

What kind of warranty comes with a viking?

How prone to damage is the latex seal that is on the hood? How often/ how hard is it to replace?

How prone to damage are the gloves? Torn glove in icewater = death, is the viking glove system safe?


Thanks in advance for any info..... mark

"vulanized compare to the viking trilam" The material the Xtreme is made out of is a single layer, not a laminate. It's quite a bit lighter in weight & wouldn't hold up as well in a knife fight.

"What kind of warranty" There's a 1 year warranty on seams. Out of the hundreds of suits I've sold there have been only 2 warranty returns, one a tiny spot on the back of the hood was leaking (guy's hair was getting damp) & the other was a blown zipper that we gave the guy the benefit of the doubt.

"How prone to damage is the latex seal that is on the hood?" Not very, it's almost a non-issue. I have suits over 10 years old with the original hoods, neck seals & zippers. Cuffs are subject to more abuse but they're easy to repair/replace yourself.

"Torn glove in icewater = death" Nope, both glove systems use the existing cuffs, and if the rings are attached to the suit permanently, you can still insert a cuff inside the critters.

For bug hunting I'd recommend some nice Kevlar gloves, like the Endurotech. They're long enough to cover your cuff.
I wouldn't recommend rings for bug hunting, but then I don't use rings myself because I'm always sticking my hands in holes, etc.
The original Viking rings would be the most durable under those conditions.