Drysuit Dilemma

[Scu-bamboo]

Hi Sub,
yeah i have dived in a drysuit before - well, two different ones as hire
i ended up getting wet both times!

im just going to have a shop around, but thatns for the contact info in leeds..

xx

[Arfie]

I would go (in fact I have been) to Seaskin.

Richard is a nice chap who will give you the time of day and will chat things through with you regarding options etc. He seemed a bit surprised when I said I was ordering as he normally gets people in to chat and get measured up before they go and do the rounds looking at everyone elses suits.

It's just down the road from you, so nothing lost by calling in and just chatting with him.

I've neved dived in a drysuit so I have no personal point of reference other than other peoples recommendations. I know Endoman isn;t the sort who will big something up because he owns it, in fact I had to listen to him moan about his old suit. But he is very happy with his Seaskin, and I read up on the problems others have had with Seaskin and they all seem to have been sorted to their satisfaction. These reports from the likes of BB and PeeBee meant more to my choice than other cheerleaders that had no issues with their suits.

Arfie

[Buoyant Babe]

Originally Posted by Arfie

I would go (in fact I have been) to Seaskin.

Richard is a nice chap who will give you the time of day and will chat things through with you regarding options etc. He seemed a bit surprised when I said I was ordering as he normally gets people in to chat and get measured up before they go and do the rounds looking at everyone elses suits.

It's just down the road from you, so nothing lost by calling in and just chatting with him.

I've neved dived in a drysuit so I have no personal point of reference other than other peoples recommendations. I know Endoman isn;t the sort who will big something up because he owns it, in fact I had to listen to him moan about his old suit. But he is very happy with his Seaskin, and I read up on the problems others have had with Seaskin and they all seem to have been sorted to their satisfaction. These reports from the likes of BB and PeeBee meant more to my choice than other cheerleaders that had no issues with their suits.

Arfie

Yup, both Seaskin and O Three get great reports for Customer Service.

Nats - I really would recommend you go have a mooch round Richard's factory to get an idea of what you might want out of a suit. I'm sure there is no obligation to order from him if you tell him you are there for a look and will need to think about it after your visit.

You will be able to see the difference between a membrane and a neo and decide what is going to be good for the type of diving you might want to do. Having seen the build quality of Richard's suits for the price he charges it is excellent.

When I went I was still undecided as to whether I was going to stick with neoprene or go back to membrane. I went back to membrane because I really wanted a front loader and the guaranteed flexibility to do shutdowns. It dries quicker too

[Brian of Aquanauts]

I would advise writing out a list of your requirements for a suit as Woz did earlier, and then find a suit that fit's all those.

My ideal suit has the following:

Lightweight material, for comfortable wear all day long.
Good reach with my arms so I can do shutdowns.
Fit must look good, close fitting, not too baggy.
Enough room for thick undergarments so I can do 3-4 hour dives in cold water.
Close fitting boots/socks not those buoyant as hell neorprene jobs.
Tight around calves to minimise the amount of gas they can hold, for easy trim.
Front entry zip.
Allow a good location for auto dump.
Some type of knee re-inforcement (double layer ok).
Must allow cuff rings to be fitted later
Some styling, not just a bag.
Manufacturer must be willing to make alterations if needed.
Manufacturer preferably localish (or I'm willing to travel for the fitting).
Cost not really a factor.

So once you have a list you can go out and see if you can tick all those boxes. For me it ended up as a Membrane Explorer Polar Bear Suit, but am sure a DUI TLS350 would have also worked.

Different people will have different requirements and hence may want a different suit.

HTH

Brian

[Treerat]

I use a Polar Bear Voyager, a great suit but top of their range, they have other options that would suit your ideas.

One of the main reasons I have one is that they are local to me, means plenty of excauses to pop in, say hello and have a coffee.

I'd have propably ended up with one anyhow because we use them at work and are a great suit.

Try the list option, narrow down the search to a couple of options then try them.
Andy

[David]

Originally Posted by Scu-bamboo

i am think of buying a drysuit...and dont really have a clue where to start!
first off...membreain or neo?

I would to see who is close to you and start there...
getting it fixed because it leaks can be a pain... it will leak at some point :-)

but the more expensive suits seems to leak less....

of learn to fix it yourself...


David