Hello I was looking for opinions on which drysuits people like better.
I'll be doing normal diving
I have an Ursuit cordura dress with a front zipper (and latex seals). A front zipper is nice as it lets you dress, undress and pee alone. A telescopic waist is then needed (so that you can enter the suit), but I have never found the folded fabric to be a problem. On the other hand, my dive buddies having suits with a back zip have encountered problems when they needed to pee on land and I wasn't around. A back zipper is more streamlined though, so if you always have support personnell at your diving job then it might be nicer. No telescopic waist and so on...
Latex seals are nice unless you are allergic to latex. Tight and dry and flexible. They need some talcum powder and they need to be replaced every few years, though (they become less elastic and might rip). Sometimes (rarely) they get vulcanized and need to be replaced. That is extremely annoying. There are silicone seals too. I haven't used them yet. User replaceable silicone neck seals are available for Ursuit suits. They are not a bad idea, but you need to install them carefully of course. And they are user replaceable. The third option is neoprene seals (and then you need to turn the neck seal in/double).
The Ursuit cordura dress is very tough - abrasion and cut resistant that is. I have taken it to places where no diver should crawl, and I have exposed it to intensive dry abrasion and very sharp limestone, and it has kept me dry. The outer protective zipper lost two teeth though. I have sat on sharp stones and it did not get punctured (good luck?). It is less flexible than some shower curtains are (Ursuit heavy light, the basic version), but the difference is not relevant under water IN MY OPINION.
The Ursuit suits are sewn and taped and it is the inside tape that keeps the water out. In six years I have not had any problems with leaking seams, but some other people claim they have. I cannot confirm or deny.
For "normal diving" (whatever that means) I would recommend an affordable drysuit, possibly trilaminate (flexible), that fits you well. It is a piece of clothing after all. You need to try it on. Ursuit does make a breathable drysuit for hotter climates: BDS Kevlar. It doesn't like sharp pointy stones though. The cordura dress is good armor, but does not breathe and is stiffer. The basic suit is more flexible and cheaper and less tough and does not breathe. You can't get it all in a single suit.
I cannot describe other suits, such as Bare, DUI, Polarsuit/DiveRite 905 or Santi...
you can always take out the liner if you prefer. But I have dove with the liner in cold water and relatively warm water for NJ standards... I like the suit - but then again I bought it - so take it for what that is worth...
