Fancy helping me spend some Cash on a drybag?

[tom]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (camdiver @ Jan. 05 2004,16:09)]If anyone can reccommend somewhere I could try out a couple of suits then that would be perfect.

When Alison and I did our padi drysuit course with learntodive.co.uk at Wraysbury they had a few different suits around, showed us various features of each, and she did dives in both membrane and neoprene suits so she could compare them (I already had my own by then). We also got lots of useful info I hadn't picked up elsewhere. £80 well spent IMHO. If you can get there by public transport, it might be worth thinking about.

[Conor]

Hi

Appraently you can only hire if you have a cert card .

I'm living in Cambridge at the mo, so if anyone knows anywhere in East Anglia or Central/North london that would definitely let me try a couple of good makes of suits then I would definitely pay them a visit.

Conor

[tom]

Central london shops:

Fish in the City near Liverpool St station (a Mike's WW shop)
Ocean Leisure by Embankment Tube

Both have a small range of drysuits, they have websites so you can probably check out their ranges in advance.

[Fiona]

<font color='#0000FF'>conor

Just had a look at the link for the Bare Trilaminte one, it says it has only done 10 dives but there is slight wear to the wrist seal, a bit surprising for only 10 dives. &nbsp;Also it says the boots at 9 -11 that big if you are only 8-9.

Fiona

[Conor]

Thanks Guys

The more I think about it the more I realised its i most likely a fools economy....the odds of getting the right size and the right condition are too slim. (Esp. when I saw the shoe size (thanks fiona) and also when I compared the drysuit size to undersuit size ??)

I think I'll spend Saturday trawling the shops. Thanks for the tips Tom (I checked out Wraysbury but I couldn't get there before 11:30, probably too late for a course). I'll also go along to the local clubs meeting tomorrow and have a more detailed chat about the course.

So if anyone else knows some good shops within range then please shout (especially if they do ND or Otter and have a trydive pool ), also if anyone fancies a shopping spree then let me know

Cheers

Conor

[tom]

Actually, the Mike's in Chiswick has a pool next door - bit less convenient to get to but might be worth checking out.

http://www.mikesww.com/stores/chiswick.htm

[Snash]

Conor

there is a Mike's just outside of Cambridge and they have a pool although it is not at the shop.

Give them a call and see what they suggest. Explain the situation about transport etc. Talke the line, one course leads to another etc

http://www.easod.co.uk/home.htm

Good luck - actually bit of a bummer really as I would love to have gone to the Stoney bash (would have been my first YD bash) but am away at that time. Otherwise could have given you a lfit.

Hope to goes well.

Simon

[John Gulliver]

Just wanted to point out that LIDS is in March. I bought a good trilam suit for only £310 there last year (at 4.45 on Sunday afternoon, having tried it earlier in the day).

[AdmiralHanson]

<font color='#000080'>You can't beat the 4.45 bargain hunt !

Just to follow the tips, give E-Bay a miss for suits.

There's no doubt that you're serious, then use that to convince your local dive store that you'd like to buy one and see if they won't spend that bit extra time with you sorting one out. Failing that, is there an experienced diver in your club that could help you ?

Or, as John says, remember LIDS in March ..... Although they're miles away from you, you'd have to go a long way to beat an Otter suit. They'll even REMAKE it for you, if you find you're having persistant problems with the first one, such is the standards of their 'quality control'.

Although Northern Diver has been suggested, I had a nightmare getting a suit from them a couple of years ago and it was bad enough having to go 70 miles back to their factory. &nbsp; &nbsp;Personally, even though the suit is sorted now, I'd never get another one from them.

[Fiona]

<font color='#0000FF'>Hi Conor

I had a rethink over the post I added yesterday where I suggested you hire one from Stoney, your next posting said you didn't have a cert card, which made my suggestion very silly.

I wouldn't recommend you hiring for the day without some sort of experience with a suit beforehand. &nbsp;As I am based in a club I always thought the Drysuit course was a bit over the top, as all you need is someone with experience to give you some guidance. &nbsp;Anyway what I am really saying is don't go for one on ebay, but from either the manufacturer of LDS and if a course is the only way then do that. &nbsp;You still have about 6 weeks.

Hope you find what you need, and sorry for the silly option of hiring on the day.

Fiona