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| Originally Posted by Jaques Custard Would appreciate any info on choosing a dry suit. As these are a major purchase it would be nice to get some pointers. Although I use a Hunter pro am, which I,m very pleased with, it would be good to see wahat current opinion is on the best suits available. Finally does anyone know wher I could get ho;d of the Az dry suits as that would have been my first choice but I cant seam to find them for love nor money |
Um - the problem as I see it is that the only pointer that can be given is to analyse your prospective diving and buy a suit which FITS!
Neoprene - tend to be warmer and stretchy, closer fitting and yet will tend to compress at depth so you need to compensate.
Membrane - you have to wear nice warm undersuits, yet they tend to be a bit baggier as a result. You will probably wear less lead, and they don't compress at depth.
A good suit will do the same job regardless of the material.
Personally, I would go with a neoprene neck seal every time for comfort reasons. I've got two suits - one with neo wrist seals, one with latex. As I'm a fat git - there is no real difference in sealing for me.
In terms of suit manufacturers - again, it depends on your budget.
For neo - O3, and Otter seem to be well thought of. Personally, I'd probably go for Outer Edge - they are getting rave reviews for quality and several people on here dive them.
Membrane - possibly Protec and Seaskin are the two main contenders, especially in terms of VFM made to measure. I've got an Seaskin and have no complaints in their service or quality. I know a lot of the tech contingent swear by Protec. Common factor - MTM with front entry.
I would always consider what the backup is like, as you will probably need some repairs on your suit at some point. My Northern Diver gave me nothing but problems and I've had issues in getting them resolved.
My seaskin was the reverse, fantastic quality and amazing backup from Richard and the crew.
If it was me - I'd buy a Seaskin again, but I'd also ring as many manufacturers as possible and go with the one I felt comfortable with.