Waterproof D1 Hybrid Drysuit

[SCUBA482]

I'm looking at the D1 Hybrid drysuit and hoping to get some info. Has anybody dove this suit on SB that can tell me more about it? What is it made of Tri-Lam? How did the built in liner work for warmth and trapped air? Are the boots extremely large or similar to the DUI suits? Anyway, any info from those that have had the opportunity to test or dive it would be appreciated.

 

[CPH]

I dived one a few weeks ago and personally I did not like it.
I found it heavy and not very flexable.
It was however warm. I dived in 4 degrees and was only wearing a t'shirt. I think the stiffness of it is due to the undersuit being fixed into the outer shell. The other problem I found is you need to have a full covering on your body, like a base layer as the inner suit feels like the green stuff you clean your pots and pans with. Great if you like to exfoliate but otherwise....no thanks.
It is a VERY well made suit and feels extreamly strong but it is not for me.

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

We have a size run In Stock! These Suits look real sharp. They are well constructed from a 10 Butyl layer Trilaminate shell with 3-D Mesh Inner Lining (seams very warm and is suppose to have great venting efficiency)with suspenders. It Comes standard with Integrated Silicone Seals at the neck and wrist as well as an Extra Seals for both. It has a very streamlined insulated boot (not big and bulky).

I haven't had a chance to dive it yet. As with ANY Drysuit, you should wear a Wicking Layer underneath (not a T-Shirt). When sized properly, you should have full flexibility. We have already had a couple of people try them on and they said that they felt great and that the Silicone Seals were real comfortable. Now the next step is to get some dives in on the suit. I'll let you know once we do.

 

[SCUBA482]

thanks to both of you for your input...i checked it out on some other sites and like what i am hearing...it's on order so i'll try to remember to post back after I get it and get a dive or two in it

 

[SCUBA482]

A little feedback on the D1...I dove Wreck Alley in San Diego this weekend with the suit. I wore the bodyzor undergarment with it which is similar to long underwear. I'd highly recommend wearing something under this suit since the spring liner is a bit abrasive against bare skin. The suit is very warm and the included 5mm hood is nice. A couple things I did note however:

The hood needs a larger escape hole on top. I went ahead and fixed this with a pair of wire cutters while on the boat and didn't have a problem with it filling up on subsequent dive.

The exhaust valve doesn't vent fast enough. While descending at depth with little to no air in the suit, the spring liner does a great job at preventing suit squeeze; however, venting the air with this liner seemed to be a bit of an issue. When I got home I removed the inner spring liner and donned the suit with my bodyzor undergarment. This made the suit easier to get on, lighter (note: suit is very heavy with the inner spring liner in place) and allowed for greater mobility. I filled the suit with air while in garage and after playing with the si-tech valve, I was able to get the suit to vent much easier. At this point I'm not sure if the inner spring liner was preventing the suit's ability to vent air efficiently or if I needed to play with the spring on the valve a bit more to loosen it up. I'm also curious if the inner liner needs to be sandwiched a little differently near the valve.

For now, I'm going to dive the suit without the inner spring liner and see how the valve vents. If suit provides ample warmth with just this level of undergarment, then I will probably hold off on further use of the inner spring liner. If not, I'm going to consider trimming the inner spring liner a bit to allow the valve to vent better.

The suit is very warm, built very well and drew a fair amount of attention on the dive boat. The silicone seals didn't leak at all and once trimmed, were easy to get on and off. I did remove the external wrist attachments as I felt they were too restrictive and not necessary for my diving climate (So Cal). The pockets are huge, and even bigger when the bellows are unzipped. The boots are flexible and stout on the sole. The neck seal is an easy replacement; however, the hard ring provides a bit of restrictiveness in the neck similar to a horse collar kind of feeling.

I'll post back after the next dive sans inner spring liner and see how warm the suit is and the efficiency of the exhaust valve.

 

[enhydralutris]

Thanks for this account, SCUBA482. Please keep us posted-I'm interested to hear if the suit will be sufficiently warm without that liner!

 

[chostb]

Yes pleas update your post when you have tryed the D1 a bit more. I'm very much interested i buying one

 

[TSandM]

Very intriguing design -- but truly painfully expensive!

 

[CPH]

Very intriguing design -- but truly painfully expensive!

I agree, and then to remove the liner? Personally I would just buy a different suit.

 

[SCUBA482]

Update...I removed the inner spring line (aka: 3d mesh) and used the bodyzor undergarment in the pool...suit vented perfectly! I will add that I had to loosen up the spring in the Si-Tech valve by playing with it, and it is very possible that was my problem...Now that I know the valve is working fine without the 3D mesh liner, next step is to dive the suit with just the bodyzor undergarment in the ocean to check for warmth and then insert the 3D mesh liner and see if suit vents ok, thus telling me the exhaust valve spring was too stiff...hopefully this weather will clear here in so cal and I'll get out this weekend and give it a go