P Zip is it worth getting?

[davis]

I am about to get a new drysuit and was wondering if it was worth having a P Zip , not valve , fitted. Do they give trouble with leaking or are they the same as the main Zip as long as you maintain them, thanks.

[big_si]

I had one on an old suit. It was ok. Didn't leak or anything but to be honest I didn't really use it that much...

[MarkP]

Originally Posted by davis

I am about to get a new drysuit and was wondering if it was worth having a P Zip , not valve , fitted. Do they give trouble with leaking or are they the same as the main Zip as long as you maintain them, thanks.

I think they're spectacularly useless. They bugger up the cut of a good suit and do fail as they're in an area where there's a lot of movement.

Get a P-valve instead.

[Woz]

This should have the answers you require:

Getting my knob out for a wee

[Rob Dobson]

I had one fitted to my O'three suit. Totally reliable but not that useful I found. By the time you get out of the water, get out of your kit, get to the head, unzip, phaff about trying to get through several layers of undersuit to liberate 'mini-me' aim, at the porcelain and fire - you could have unzipped your drysuit in the same time.

I found that as my dives became longer (deco) the zip just wasn't a practical option and I needed a valve fitted. Can't unzip in the water... Well OK you *can*

[jackdiver]

Originally Posted by davis

I am about to get a new drysuit and was wondering if it was worth having a P Zip , not valve , fitted. Do they give trouble with leaking or are they the same as the main Zip as long as you maintain them, thanks.

Short answer is YES, it is worth having one. It is soo much more comfortable being on a rib for a day...

But personally I'd rather have a pee valve (and now have).

[nigelH]

Another vote for a p-valve.

The only time a zip would come in handy is when I am RIB cox only for the day and since I'm not diving I don't hook up the consumables. The valve works on every other trip.

[Richard Mason]

How about if you do non-deco diving?

We don't have heads on our boat, it's a hang it over the side job and if there's one thing I hate it's leaning over the edge of the boat with d/s rolled down to my upper thighs - I'm sh!t scared of falling in for one thing.

I reckon the zip, if reliable enough, would come in handy.

[MarkP]

Originally Posted by Richard Mason

How about if you do non-deco diving?

We don't have heads on our boat, it's a hang it over the side job and if there's one thing I hate it's leaning over the edge of the boat with d/s rolled down to my upper thighs - I'm sh!t scared of falling in for one thing.

I reckon the zip, if reliable enough, would come in handy.

P-valve still dumps all over a "comfort" zip. Stay suited and just sit on a tube with the valved leg hanging over the side.

Bliss.

[Rob Dobson]

Originally Posted by MarkP

P-valve still dumps all over a "comfort" zip. Stay suited and just sit on a tube with the valved leg hanging over the side.

Bliss.

Wot he said.