Whats the perfect drysuit, without drying out my wallet

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I love my Bare XCD2 for the price I think it's one of the best buy rigth now. They are now selling it with the back entry for the one that does'nt like the front entry. Very warm drysuit and very resistant.
 
Buying from an "internet" shop is basically no different from going to the local shop. If you call up a place like Dan's Dive Shop in Canada, they'll send you the manufacturers' measurement form. Get measured and fill this out, and they'll be sending the same thing to the manufacturer that your LDS would.

I got my Bare suit from them, and the prices were almost half of what I would have paid in the states. They sell DUI's, too.
 
ShizzA:
Sorry about that, I didn't even think about giving a price range. I don't want to spend too much more than say $1200 or $1300. Buying over the internet is actually something else I wanted to know about. I've been told that fit on a drysuit is extrememly important with drysuits and when I look on the internet, they typically don't have a very broad range of sizes. So how important is a perfect fit for tech diving? Is it ok to fudge a little bit? If so, what is the most important part of the drysuit to have fitted the best?
Thanks...

My dive buddy has a Gates that he likes that he got for around your price range.
 
Bare Nex-Gen. Got it for around $1300CDN at local shop including trek boots, hood, suit, and bare undergarment. that's tax in too. I think price was reasonable, and I'm thrilled with the suit. Trek boots are a huge bonus to this suit imho. I do lots of shore dives and scaling down some nasty trails, I really like the laced up boots so I'm not slipping all over the place. I'm also a huge fan of silicone seals. Just never really liked the neoprene.
 
Why not consider the Diving Concepts suit from 5thD. Custom fit is only $1600. That is typically a lot less than most custom DUI 350 TLS. I have both a like both of them. I would say the DC suit is a little more rugged and there is no problem with reaching valves. btw, I don't have problems reaching the valves in my DUI either, but some people do,

See an example of the suit at:

http://allenhost.com/gallery/album187
 
You guys talking about $1500 suits for a guy who wants something reasonable are scary!

Look into the Bare NEX-Gen. You can find them around here in the States for $500 or so. Add to that a decent set of heavy Polypro underwear, and you're in business for water into the low to mid 60s. If you want to dive in colder water, then consider the Bare 200gm thinsulate/polypro garmet - Leisurepro sells it for under $200.

This assumes that the suit fits - you need to check size charts. If you're an odd size, then you're hosed because all custom suits will cost you a pretty penny.

I dove a NexGen for a year - spearfishing - and it held up REAL well.
 
Genesis:
You guys talking about $1500 suits for a guy who wants something reasonable are scary!

Look into the Bare NEX-Gen. You can find them around here in the States for $500 or so. Add to that a decent set of heavy Polypro underwear, and you're in business for water into the low to mid 60s. If you want to dive in colder water, then consider the Bare 200gm thinsulate/polypro garmet - Leisurepro sells it for under $200.

This assumes that the suit fits - you need to check size charts. If you're an odd size, then you're hosed because all custom suits will cost you a pretty penny.

I dove a NexGen for a year - spearfishing - and it held up REAL well.

That's one thing I do like about Bare. They make a wide range of stock sizes.

http://www.bare-wetsuits.com/bareshop/diveproduct.asp?dept_id=21010&pf_id=61310

I don't like the nex-gen myself, but that just starts the whole trilam/neoprene/rubber/crushed neo discussion again, which is well covered in other threads.
 
If you don't want a shell suit, then the NexGen isn't for you. But neither are a lot of others.

I personally prefer a shell suit. If I want buoyancy changes with depth, I'll dive wet. I've got a TLS350 now, and got a nice price on it - but I fit a stock size. They're DEFINITELY not reasonably-priced if you don't fit a stock size, and their stock sizes are somewhat restrictive (which no doubt helps them sell custom suits.)
 
I prefer the USIA drysuit. I got the suit, thermal wear, bag, LP hose, and a maintenance kit, all for under a thousand. Plus, they have a lifetime warranty on seam leaks.
 

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