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Joined on
3/3/2009
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I've been looking into buying my first dry suit. I'll be using it mainly for winter and spring diving here in the midwest. What are some key features that I should look for in a dry suit?
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Joined on
3/31/2006
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The most important characteristic of a dry suit is fit. A suit that is too small will be constricting and limit your movements. A suit that is too large will hold too much air and make buoyancy adjustments and trim difficult. A suit that has arms or legs that are too long can pose further difficulties. I have seen divers have their boots pushed off of their feet by air rushing into them when the diver moved to a head-down attitude. It is very important to have an experienced, qualified person measure you for your suit, even if you get an off-the-rack size.
I just bought a new drysuit at the DEMA show. My old DUI suit finaly died after 12 years and hundreds of dives. I choose a new suit made by OS Systems. I chose the suit because it is made with a new tri-laminate material. The material is cordura nylon on both sides with a membrane made of breatheable polyurethane in between. Polyurethane is dureable and nearly indestructible. The membrane iallows water vapor to pass through so you stay comefortable on the surface on warm days, but it blocks liquid water so you stay dry during your dive.
Paul Gunderson, the owner of OS Systems, measured me for the suit. We settled on an off-the-rack size with small adjustments to the length of the arms and legs. The catalog design of the suit did not have a neck wrap to keep the diver's hood skirt down so I asked him to put one on. - No problem.
I just got my suit in late December and it looks and fits great. I am looking forward to trying it out soon.
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