George, I hope you're getting some useful information out of this thread.
I'd say some basic things you need to be aware of: One is that dry suits work because of their seals. You need to have seals that fit, and when seals fail, your suit is unusable until they are fixed. Because of this, there are a number of choices in seals. You can get them in neoprene or latex. Latex is thin, flexible, and at least in my experience, easier to get on and off than neoprene. Latex is also fragile, and is fitted by being cut. If you screw up cutting your seals, they'll leak; if you cut them improperly, they'll tear. Perfumes, solvent or gasoline fumes, sunlight and ozone make latex seals stiffen and crack, as does skin oil. Latex seals are fairly easy to replace (at least the wrist seals are) but not cheap. DUI has a zip seal system that allows swapping out a torn seal in the field. People seem to like the wrist zip seals but I've heard a lot of negative stuff about the neck ones. Diving Concepts has a quick change wrist seal system, too.
I seem to get, for whatever reason, about 50 to 75 dives off a latex neck seal. I'm sick of replacing them, so I went for neoprene this last time, and I wonder why I didn't do it long ago. The neoprene seal is a little harder to get on and off, but it's warm, it's soft, it doesn't leak, and I understand it will be far more durable.
If you are going to use dry gloves, you pretty much need to have latex wrist seals, or a zip system like DUI has. Be aware that the DUI system can leave you in dry gloves where, if you rip a glove, you flood your suit (the integrity of the original wrist seal has been destroyed).
Second is ease of entry/independence. I have a Mobby's trilaminate suit that has a horizontal front zip. It's one of the only suits I've seen that is truly self-donning. I require no help whatsoever to get in and out of it. On the other hand, my Diving Concepts diagonal front zip requires help, as does my husband's diagonal front zip Bare. The DUI diagonal front zip suits seem to depend on the diver/suit combination. My dive buddy can get in and out of his without help, but another friend of mine needs help starting her zipper. If you always dive with a buddy, it's not a big deal, but it can be a nuisance.
Related to the zipper issue is mobility. When you put a suit on, you may not think about the things you might need to be able to do underwater. You need, for example, to be able to reach your drysuit exhaust valve easily. Some suits make that simple, others make it difficult. You should be able to bend over and touch your toes. Not necessary, you think? Try picking up the fin you've dropped if your suit binds when you bend over! You should also be able to reach the back of your neck with your suit on (zipping hoods, adjusting neck seals).
A lesson I learned the hard way is that the dump valve has to be located where the suit is easy to vent. A dump valve on the front of your chest requires that you assume some kind of position where that valve is the highest point in order to vent the suit. It's not a big problem if you always ascend vertically, but if you shore dive and swim upslope, it's a major pain (or worse, a safety hazard). The best position for me is on the outer surface of my upper arm -- then I only have to shrug a little to vent the suit while swimming shallower.
If you can get a close fit in a stock size, do it. Most of the drysuit horror stories have to do with custom suits that don't fit or don't work.
And Doc's right. If I were a man, I'd have a p-valve. The drysuit frantic waddle to the car to shuck gear, shuck suit, and trot to the restroom is a PITA. Unfortunately, for me, it's unavoidable absent diapers. Guys have it made.
I'd say some basic things you need to be aware of: One is that dry suits work because of their seals. You need to have seals that fit, and when seals fail, your suit is unusable until they are fixed. Because of this, there are a number of choices in seals. You can get them in neoprene or latex. Latex is thin, flexible, and at least in my experience, easier to get on and off than neoprene. Latex is also fragile, and is fitted by being cut. If you screw up cutting your seals, they'll leak; if you cut them improperly, they'll tear. Perfumes, solvent or gasoline fumes, sunlight and ozone make latex seals stiffen and crack, as does skin oil. Latex seals are fairly easy to replace (at least the wrist seals are) but not cheap. DUI has a zip seal system that allows swapping out a torn seal in the field. People seem to like the wrist zip seals but I've heard a lot of negative stuff about the neck ones. Diving Concepts has a quick change wrist seal system, too.
I seem to get, for whatever reason, about 50 to 75 dives off a latex neck seal. I'm sick of replacing them, so I went for neoprene this last time, and I wonder why I didn't do it long ago. The neoprene seal is a little harder to get on and off, but it's warm, it's soft, it doesn't leak, and I understand it will be far more durable.
If you are going to use dry gloves, you pretty much need to have latex wrist seals, or a zip system like DUI has. Be aware that the DUI system can leave you in dry gloves where, if you rip a glove, you flood your suit (the integrity of the original wrist seal has been destroyed).
Second is ease of entry/independence. I have a Mobby's trilaminate suit that has a horizontal front zip. It's one of the only suits I've seen that is truly self-donning. I require no help whatsoever to get in and out of it. On the other hand, my Diving Concepts diagonal front zip requires help, as does my husband's diagonal front zip Bare. The DUI diagonal front zip suits seem to depend on the diver/suit combination. My dive buddy can get in and out of his without help, but another friend of mine needs help starting her zipper. If you always dive with a buddy, it's not a big deal, but it can be a nuisance.
Related to the zipper issue is mobility. When you put a suit on, you may not think about the things you might need to be able to do underwater. You need, for example, to be able to reach your drysuit exhaust valve easily. Some suits make that simple, others make it difficult. You should be able to bend over and touch your toes. Not necessary, you think? Try picking up the fin you've dropped if your suit binds when you bend over! You should also be able to reach the back of your neck with your suit on (zipping hoods, adjusting neck seals).
A lesson I learned the hard way is that the dump valve has to be located where the suit is easy to vent. A dump valve on the front of your chest requires that you assume some kind of position where that valve is the highest point in order to vent the suit. It's not a big problem if you always ascend vertically, but if you shore dive and swim upslope, it's a major pain (or worse, a safety hazard). The best position for me is on the outer surface of my upper arm -- then I only have to shrug a little to vent the suit while swimming shallower.
If you can get a close fit in a stock size, do it. Most of the drysuit horror stories have to do with custom suits that don't fit or don't work.
And Doc's right. If I were a man, I'd have a p-valve. The drysuit frantic waddle to the car to shuck gear, shuck suit, and trot to the restroom is a PITA. Unfortunately, for me, it's unavoidable absent diapers. Guys have it made.
