MTM - Nylon 180 vrs Cordura/Polyester & other questions

[CotoChris]

After hearing the sad demise of my Beauchat Drysuit (but as I just found out made by ND) I'm investing a MTM made by Chris Hammond. I'm asking the same question to him but like to hear the YD opinion:

What is the difference between the Nylon 180 and the Cordura/polyester material. Which one is more comfortable and less 'stiff'?

Other questions whilst I'm at it:

Neoprane vrs Latex seals?

Neoprane Neck cover? Pros & Cons?

Fly zip? Does it reduce the 'quality / strength' of the suit? Should it be woth a cover?

Is a wrist dump worth it as well as a auto dumo? In practise does one have one or the other or both. If so why?

Also what do you do with an old leaky drysuit? Fill with helium abd fly it above my house? Target practise suit?

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by CotoChris

What is the difference between the Nylon 180 and the Cordura/polyester material. Which one is more comfortable and less 'stiff'?

Don't know the nylon quoted, but IMHO Cordura is stiffer, prone to bobbling, and holds water (you get a noticable wind chill between dives).

Originally Posted by CotoChris

Neoprane vrs Latex seals??

Latex forms better seals IMHO. Neoprene is more comfortable, warmer and much less prone to tearing. When neoprene reaches end of life it can become "leaky" without deffinately showing itself - latex rips catestrophically.

Originally Posted by CotoChris

Neoprane Neck cover? Pros & Cons??

I don't know - I use neoprene on my neck seals (latex on wrists).

Originally Posted by CotoChris

Fly zip? Does it reduce the 'quality / strength' of the suit? Should it be woth a cover??

No idea, never had one.

Originally Posted by CotoChris

Is a wrist dump worth it as well as a auto dumo? In practise does one have one or the other or both. If so why??

Probably not worth both. A good auto dump, fit and more or less forget (Ok you can tighten to hold more air if you want, or lossen to dump more easily - I dive with 1-2 turns and ascend open). Wrist dump, you have to raise your arm to dump, and wiggle to get gas to migrate - but with no adjustment I never felt warm enough and sometimes it failed to dump quickly enough leading to alarm beeping (also got alarm every dive when I lifted my arm).

Originally Posted by CotoChris

Also what do you do with an old leaky drysuit? Fill with helium abd fly it above my house? Target practise suit?

Donate it to charity - flog it to a student - sell the valves / hoses - bin it - keep it as a spare (ROTFL).

All the above are just my 2p, but I hope it helps a bit.

Cheers, Paul

[ardhill]

Originally Posted by CotoChris

Neoprane vrs Latex seals?

I have and prefer, neo neck seal and latex wrist seals

Neo is warmer, more comfortable, and if you are prone to a neck rash from latex, it will stop that. Small tears are not the end of a dive in a neo neck seal unlike latex. If you are prone to venting air from your neck seal on a dive, then neo is alos better IMO. But the down sides are that it is isn't as dry as latex and harder to get on and off. You also don't have quite so much movement in neo as you do in latex. But for me, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

I use heavy duty latex wrist seals as they work, keep me dry and I can't find any real downsides. The heat thing isn't a factor as I have neo gloves over the top of the seals.

Neoprane Neck cover? Pros & Cons?

I found it a bit of a pain when I had a latex neck seal. It was something else to sort out when kitting up.

Also what do you do with an old leaky drysuit? Fill with helium abd fly it above my house? Target practise suit?

If it is better than nothing, then keep it as a spare in case you need to send your good suit off for repairs.

[CotoChris]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Don't know the nylon quoted, but IMHO Cordura is stiffer, prone to bobbling, and holds water (you get a noticable wind chill between dives).

Cheers, Paul

What bobbling? Can not figure this one out!

[ardhill]

Originally Posted by CotoChris

What bobbling? Can not figure this one out!

Chris, I assume he means when material, especially wool, goes like this:
Fabric Shaver for Wool Soakers Longies Pants

[String]

Originally Posted by CotoChris

What is the difference between the Nylon 180 and the Cordura/polyester material. Which one is more comfortable and less 'stiff'?

Im just getting rid of my Codura suit, found it very heavy, takes a long time to dry and generally more restrictive than other materials.
EDIT:- I'd agree with bobbling. Very obvious on my suit (about 150 dives) where the straps fit and so on. Its cosmetic only though.

Neoprane vrs Latex seals?

Depends
If you have thin or groovy wrists in particular latex provides a better seal, if not then whatever. I have found latex easier for me personally to get on and off but others say the opposite.

Neoprane Neck cover? Pros & Cons?

My old suit had one, noticed absolutely no difference with it vs not having it in terms of warmth. The main use of them is if you have a "bibbed" hood as it seals in there instead of flapping everywhere. Personally, i wouldnt bother.

Is a wrist dump worth it as well as a auto dumo? In practise does one have one or the other or both. If so why?

My old suit came with an auto dump and i ended up fitting a cuff dump as i just couldn't get on with it.
Found it slow to dump, was in the wrong place for easy air and generally required a lot of work or contortions to dump.
A cuff dump is simple - raise arm and it dumps, lower arm and it stops. Simple and effective.
Other suits with the dump valve better positioned get more joy out of auto but i prefer cuff. Having said that, my new suit if it ever arrives will have a shoulder dump. I'll give it a try but there's a strong chance i'll buy and fit a cuff dump if i cant get on with it.

Also what do you do with an old leaky drysuit? Fill with helium abd fly it above my house? Target practise suit?

eBay obviously!

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by ardhill

Chris, I assume he means when material, especially wool, goes like this:
Fabric Shaver for Wool Soakers Longies Pants

That's exactly it... the fabric wears in such a way that it gathers in small balls (still attached) called bobbles. It doesn't affect the material particularly, but it looks rubbish...

Cheers, Paul