This is a review of the TechSkin for the Whites Fusion dry suit, with pockets.
Those who have dove the Whites Fusion love it, and I count myself as one of these people. However, the two biggest questions for the Fusion have been:
I can address the first question durability of the lycra by pointing to my own suit; Ive accumulated about 100 dives since receiving it, and you really have to look pretty hard to see the wear on it. The reason this question comes up is because the standard lycra outer shell leaves the casual handler with an impression of being very lightweight. I can attest that Whites has done their homework, and the two-layer concept has far exceeded my expectations regarding resistance to tears, snags, and abrasion.
Still, theres that first impression. Whites has sought to address this, and, answer requests from the technical diving community by offering a replacement outer shell thats much more durable feeling in the hand. Thus we have the Tech Skin, which as far as I can tell is built from 1mm wetsuit material strategically placed in high wear locations, and still retains lycra in high stretch areas such as the groin and small of the back, for flexibility.
Then, theres pockets, the drysuit staple of the technical diver. At least from my perspective this has been the number one requested option. Whites resisted this for quite a while. I had a nagging suspicion why this was so the shell would be hard pressed to hold a heavily loaded pocket stable but eventually, they acquiesced, and released a pocket option on the Tech Skin. Woo hoo!
Anyway, enough background. This review was interrupted by an untimely trip to scooter Fiji. The diving characteristics of the Fusion have been well discussed, as well as its custom fit right out of the box. So, Im not going to cover those topics, and instead, will focus solely on the Tech Skin.
With great interest I received the new Tech Skin and pulled it out of the package. My first impression was one of quality; the workmanship is excellent, all the edges were finished, seams were straight and lockstitched, and the overwhelming aura of quality strikes you immediately. This fits in with the rest of the Whites family of products, and is something you have to lay your hands on to fully appreciate.
It took me about 40 minutes, working carefully, to remove the valves from my Fusion, strip off the lycra, pull the Tech Skin into place and replace the valves. Possibly the hardest part of this is getting the Velcro around the wrists, ankles and zipper on straight without having it lopsided. After a couple of tries, replete with swearing, I finally got the Velcro so it didnt look like it had been assembled by a chimpanzee.
As a point of reference, heres me, 195 lbs and 6 2 in the Mk1 undergarments. Note the Mk1 is size Large.
And, heres the lycra skin (left) next to the Tech Skin (right). The Fusion suit size is 2XL/3XL.
When I first pulled on the Tech Skin, I noticed that it seemed tighter in the circumferential direction (the same way a belt gets tighter on your waist). It seemed a bit tighter around the waist and chest, around the thighs and calves, and around the arms. I believe this is because the Tech Skin is cut to the same pattern as the lycra, and of course the 1mm neoprene is a bit less stretchy.
This leads to a trimmer fit overall (as if thats possible!) from the stock Fusion. Theres a lot of excess bladder material under the lycra skin, and the Tech Skin crushes this bulk quite well.
You can see this in these photos:
The Tech Skin also has graphics screened on the suit, particularly on the backs of the arms and between the shoulder blades. Personally I found the Indian based graphics to be tasteful and I liked them, and Im on the conservative side. Also, when on the surface, the graphics tend to blend into the suit.
Those who have dove the Whites Fusion love it, and I count myself as one of these people. However, the two biggest questions for the Fusion have been:
- What about durability?
- Wheres the pockets?
I can address the first question durability of the lycra by pointing to my own suit; Ive accumulated about 100 dives since receiving it, and you really have to look pretty hard to see the wear on it. The reason this question comes up is because the standard lycra outer shell leaves the casual handler with an impression of being very lightweight. I can attest that Whites has done their homework, and the two-layer concept has far exceeded my expectations regarding resistance to tears, snags, and abrasion.
Still, theres that first impression. Whites has sought to address this, and, answer requests from the technical diving community by offering a replacement outer shell thats much more durable feeling in the hand. Thus we have the Tech Skin, which as far as I can tell is built from 1mm wetsuit material strategically placed in high wear locations, and still retains lycra in high stretch areas such as the groin and small of the back, for flexibility.
Then, theres pockets, the drysuit staple of the technical diver. At least from my perspective this has been the number one requested option. Whites resisted this for quite a while. I had a nagging suspicion why this was so the shell would be hard pressed to hold a heavily loaded pocket stable but eventually, they acquiesced, and released a pocket option on the Tech Skin. Woo hoo!
Anyway, enough background. This review was interrupted by an untimely trip to scooter Fiji. The diving characteristics of the Fusion have been well discussed, as well as its custom fit right out of the box. So, Im not going to cover those topics, and instead, will focus solely on the Tech Skin.
Overview of the Tech Skin
With great interest I received the new Tech Skin and pulled it out of the package. My first impression was one of quality; the workmanship is excellent, all the edges were finished, seams were straight and lockstitched, and the overwhelming aura of quality strikes you immediately. This fits in with the rest of the Whites family of products, and is something you have to lay your hands on to fully appreciate.
It took me about 40 minutes, working carefully, to remove the valves from my Fusion, strip off the lycra, pull the Tech Skin into place and replace the valves. Possibly the hardest part of this is getting the Velcro around the wrists, ankles and zipper on straight without having it lopsided. After a couple of tries, replete with swearing, I finally got the Velcro so it didnt look like it had been assembled by a chimpanzee.
As a point of reference, heres me, 195 lbs and 6 2 in the Mk1 undergarments. Note the Mk1 is size Large.
And, heres the lycra skin (left) next to the Tech Skin (right). The Fusion suit size is 2XL/3XL.
When I first pulled on the Tech Skin, I noticed that it seemed tighter in the circumferential direction (the same way a belt gets tighter on your waist). It seemed a bit tighter around the waist and chest, around the thighs and calves, and around the arms. I believe this is because the Tech Skin is cut to the same pattern as the lycra, and of course the 1mm neoprene is a bit less stretchy.
This leads to a trimmer fit overall (as if thats possible!) from the stock Fusion. Theres a lot of excess bladder material under the lycra skin, and the Tech Skin crushes this bulk quite well.
You can see this in these photos:
The Tech Skin also has graphics screened on the suit, particularly on the backs of the arms and between the shoulder blades. Personally I found the Indian based graphics to be tasteful and I liked them, and Im on the conservative side. Also, when on the surface, the graphics tend to blend into the suit.