| Imported post
I have a Polar Bears Discovery suit, have had it almost 6 years and am quite satisfied with it, although I know others have bad experience of them. I did have to replace the zip, though, and I've also replaced the neck seal. As regards the zip, I recommend a heavy duty zip. They are not all that more expensive and are a lot more robust. If you can, get Viking's conical neck seal. It's very long, so you can tuck it inwards about an inch. Mine is perfectly dry, which the original seal wasn't. It's also a lot more robust. It did feel a bit tight the first few dives until I got into the water but that soon stopped. I would never cut or stretch a neck seal unless it was absolutely necessary. Far better to put up with what feels like semistrangulation for a few dives imho. If you DO cut them, use a scalpel or similar. The slightest nick in the edge wil unfailingly develop into a tear after a while.
Drysuit boots seem to be a sad story. Just about everybody I know has had punctures or cracks, often at the seams.
By the way, Viking's rubber drysuits are probably the most hard-wearing suits you can get (with the possible exception of DUI's crushed neoprene, which cost a fortune, at least here in Sweden). They are very heavy, though, and, in my opinion, as ugly as sin!
Finally, Hobby mentioned Poseidon's Unisuit Exclusive. I've had one of those and hated it. It leaked at the neck and wrists (I called it the world's most expensive semidry) and the long, round-the-neck, zip was very vulnerable to breaks. Also, self-donning isn't as easy as Poseidon would make out. Most people seem to ask their buddy to help them close it half the time. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes impossible.
I'm no expert on drysuits but that's what I've learnt about them so far.  |