Where to buy my 1st Bare drysuit, and which one?

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diving4heidi

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Messages
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Location
Southern California
# of dives
25 - 49
Help!!

I've been looking at drysuits for a while now after shivering in the cold California coastal waters for too long! I think I've narrowed my choices down to the Bare Trilam HD Tech or the Bare XCD2 Pro (they don't make the Tech in women's as far as I know). Of course, if I found a really good deal on a DUI, I'd probably go for it, but my budget is limited. I know the issue of trilam vs. compressed neoprene has been discussed a lot, and I'm pretty sure a properly fitted Trilam is the way for me to go (I am a petite woman who already struggles to lug around all the my scuba gear, so minimizing weight is crucial). I do a lot of rocky shore diving, so if anyone has particular comments on what's best for this, I'd really appreciate it. Also, as a woman, I get particularly cold, even in 65 degree water!!

My final, and perhaps most important question, is where is the best place to buy my new drysuit? I know divetank.com is no longer in business, and a lot of you bought your drysuits there, so does anyone else know of a place where I can score a good deal???? I need the whole package...

Thanks,
Heidi :blinking:
 
As much as I hate to say it here, I got my Bare from LiesurePro, but with the deal that I got there was no way I could turn it down. I have had a lot of luck and assistance with the guys from ScubaToys (tell them you are a SB member and there is a discount) as well as a new shop out in California K2Scuba.
 
My partner has just got a HD Tech (she uses the 4th element arctic extreme, incl the socks, under with another layer of polypro) and it came in a womans cut and she loves it, last week she was diving it in 10 degree water (50 F) and she found herself to be very warm when she would've normally been shivering like a leaf in about 10 minutes.
 
K2 Scuba is not listed on Bare's website as an authorized dealer. If you contact them, (I spoke to them in June), they will tell you that K2Scuba is not one of their accounts.

You can confirm that here:
FitzWright Co. Ltd. / Bare Sportswear Corp.
5760 Production Way, Langley, BC, Canada, V3A 4N4
Tel: 604.533.7848 ext 236 Fax: 604.530.8812

This is why I caution folks to stay away from K2scuba & K2scuba.com. Questionable ethics and business practices are why he can not sell XS Scuba, OxyCheq, Salvo, and Apollo, just to name a few. Poor reputation in SoCal with a long list of unhappy divers, shops, instructors, and boat captains.

I highly recommend ScubaToys. They have a great reputation, always answer the phone, are friendly, and have great prices.
 
I recently started diving a Bare Trilam HD and love it. My dives have been in 39 to 48 F and I have been warm and toasty. The blue smurf gloves make a huge difference as my fingers were usually the first to freeze. I have gone to a two piece undergarment as I found the one piece restrictive. I bought from my LDS, they are an authorized dealer.
 
I have them both and I can tell you that the HD Tilam is just as tough as the XCD2 compressed neo for abrasion and such. Bare uses some3 sort of diamond-tuff outer layer on the trilam. It’s a very tough suit. As to the differences in the two – the compressed neo is warmer given equivalent undies, and it is much more flexible as the neo stretches and the trilam does not. The trilam is lighter – not by much, but enough to notice the difference when you’re lugging it around. I dive the trilam about 10:1 over the compressed neo. I think it just works better.

Don’t get drawn into the cult of the DUI – Bare is a better suit for less money – the way I describe it is that DUI is the Harley of drysuits – you’re paying for the lifestyle as much as you’re paying for the suit. Bare is the Honda Goldwing – your just paying for one sweet ride.

I bought both mine (actually 3 of them – 2 for me and an XCD2 for my son) at my LDS here in Oak Hill Texas. He gave me a good enough deal to make it not worth the internet trouble.

BTW – Noticed you were an Aerospace Engineer – my son starts the Aeronautical Engineering program at Rensselaer Polytechnic in Troy NY this fall. He’ll be putting his XCD2 to good use under the ice of Lake George this winter.
 
K2 Scuba is not listed on Bare's website as an authorized dealer. If you contact them, (I spoke to them in June), they will tell you that K2Scuba is not one of their accounts.

You can confirm that here:
FitzWright Co. Ltd. / Bare Sportswear Corp.
5760 Production Way, Langley, BC, Canada, V3A 4N4
Tel: 604.533.7848 ext 236 Fax: 604.530.8812

This is why I caution folks to stay away from K2scuba & K2scuba.com. Questionable ethics and business practices are why he can not sell XS Scuba, OxyCheq, Salvo, and Apollo, just to name a few. Poor reputation in SoCal with a long list of unhappy divers, shops, instructors, and boat captains.

I highly recommend ScubaToys. They have a great reputation, always answer the phone, are friendly, and have great prices.

I have never bought anything from them, just some email and phone conversations with them and the information was good and helped me a lot with learning drysuit diving (prolly shoulda taken a class before my first dry dive, but it is a lil late for that). I second the SCUBA Toys reference, they are a great bunch of people who i have no doubt will treat you right and take care of you.
 
I don't know too much about where to buy, but I will toss in my opinion as to which one to buy! I just switched from a TL350 to the Bare HD Tech and I couldn't be happier. I haven't looked back with an ounce of regret, overall. Things I found to be different. The Bare is a much more rugged DS than the DUI at the same price point. I am not complaining, at all, about the DUI it was a great suit but for my money, I wish I would have purchased a BARE from the beginning.
 
I have never bought anything from them, just some email and phone conversations with them and the information was good and helped me a lot with learning drysuit diving (prolly shoulda taken a class before my first dry dive, but it is a lil late for that). I second the SCUBA Toys reference, they are a great bunch of people who i have no doubt will treat you right and take care of you.


Let me guess, the guy at K2 told you not to take a class right? that is his typical mantra. He gives advice, but has no credibility to his name to do so. Avoid K2 at all costs.
 
Let me guess, the guy at K2 told you not to take a class right? that is his typical mantra. He gives advice, but has no credibility to his name to do so. Avoid K2 at all costs.

Its been a little bit, but I think he mentioned something about a dry diver class and I told him i was not taking one but planned to down the road. He made some recomindtions as to things to do in the pool whle i was "goofing" off with the class*.


*I was certified at the local university (they offer the NAUI class as a phys. ed. credit). After my OW and AOW class I go back and help out as staff (its a good excuse to get into the pool and keep my skills up, and then an ever better excuse to have to go diving when the students do their checkout dives).
 

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