new drysuit

[Kate R]

<font color='#000080'>right, i'm buying a new suit. i can't afford it, but i don't care. i've been diving in my old, too-small, ex-rental neoprene job for 4 years now and it's starting to leak like a sieve. last sunday at guildenbugh i was completely wet, and colder than i'd ever been in my life!!

so, i'm buying an otter. was going to get a skin, but apparently they're not always the best for v small people like myself, as the material can be a bit inflexible. i was advised to go for the bliss suit, which is cut slightly differently (meant to be more comfortable), and made with cordura ribskin which is slightly more stretchy than normal otter skin but still tough. (can also be made with flexi-skin but i think that might not be so hard-wearing)

was going to go with the normal apeks low-profile auto dump, and was thinking of a snazzy black/blue/silver colour combo, though i might chicken out and stick with all-black  

so, does anyone have any comments on the above, especially the skin/ribskin issue? also, i know si-tech autodumps are meant to be better than apeks (i just dive with a cuff-dump at the moment).... should i think about getting a si-tech dump now, or see how i go with the apeks first?

cheers, kate

[MATTBIN]

I believe the Oceanic Flexia thingy is good for being flexible, as Bunny (on Handbag) has used/bought one if memory serves, she's also on here, sometimes.

Apeks low profile - mixed reports but most dont like them. Mine was OK for a short while, then it leaked, then I broke it, so I got an Apeks original as I couldnt get hold of a SciTech in time. Personally with a new suit I would negotiate a scitech if possible, if not I'd get one on order pronto and use the Apeks till it was useless. Nice to have a spare just in case anyway.

HTH
Matt

[Dominic]

Get a Sitech now. You WILL replace it later if you don't - at least, all of us seem to be..

MY otter is blue, grey &amp; black, so you'll just have to think up you own color scheme, I'm afraid

[Juz]

<font color='#32CD32'>Hi Kate,

Firstly Otter as a company are in my opinion excellent. Great value and I've always had excellent service from them.

I dive a skin suit and think it's very good. It's done in the region of 250 dives in 3 years and still looks pretty good.

It has a low profile apeks dump and I've never had any problem whatsoever with it. Personally, I'd give it a try then decide.

HTH
Juz

[Kate R]

<font color='#000080'>

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Dominic @ Feb. 03 2004,15:49)]MY otter is blue, grey &amp; black, so you'll just have to think up you own color scheme, I'm afraid

oh my god, how confusing would that be?! good thing you let me know, just think of how many people would have got us mixed up!  

might speak to my friendly man about how much extra a si-tech valve would be....

[MATTBIN]

As a spare about £50 last time I enquired.

Matt

[Mary]

<font color='#F52887'>Well Suz and I both have the codura/bliss suits and very nice i have to say too, personally I've never had any problems with the standard autodump they put on. But this could be luck don't know..... &nbsp;anyway my biggest problem now is that it's getting on the baggy size as I shrink so i may have to take i back and see if they can take it in a bit.

Colourwise this is of course a very important issue, I'm black with blue arms, Suz is all black, so the black blue silver combination looks promising

[Kate R]

<font color='#000080'>

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (MATTBIN @ Feb. 03 2004,16:11)]As a spare about £50 last time I enquired.

that much? i've just looked on the divers whorehouse website and that said £33 for si-tech as opposed to £36 for an apeks (web price, unfitted)

mary - i was going to go for the NUSAC uniform of a black otter, but i then started having strange revolutionary thoughts.... i could see colours! blue! silver! nothing more exotic than that though, i'm not going to go for his-n-hers black-and-yellow otters  

[Mary]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Kate R @ Feb. 03 2004,16:23)]mary - i was going to go for the NUSAC uniform of a black otter, but i then started having strange revolutionary thoughts.... i could see colours! blue! silver! nothing more exotic than that though, i'm not going to go for his-n-hers black-and-yellow otters  

<font color='#F52887'>hey I managed to break free from the mould too &nbsp; , but have to agree don't think matt would really thank you for the matching His and Hers look.

[MATTBIN]

Kate
except they didnt have any in stock when I called, the only way I could get a new valve was via my LDS and that's what they wanted immediate delivery Apex Original or two weeks minimum si-tech. Whorehouse couldnt give &nbsp;me a delivery date at all.

Matt