Top 10 drysuit buyers guide Hey gang, welcome to scuba diver magazine,
buying a drysuit is a big investment so, you want to be sure that you get the right one. And,
I thought I d draw up a complete drysuit buyers guide because I ve been diving
in a range of drysuits for most of my diving career and know what to look for on a drysuit.
So, lets kick things off with the age old question: neoprene or membrane?
Neoprene Vs Membrane Which is better, neoprene or membrane
drysuits? Neither, or both. Each style drysuit suits a different type of diving and diver. If
one were particularly better all-round, then we wouldn t have the other anymore. Neoprene drysuits
tend to be tougher and warmer. Even though they re often compressed neoprene, they re still a few
millimeters thick which means that they can take a fair amount of abuse and also provide insulation
so you don t need a very thick undersuit. The downsides of this are that they re heavier
and more buoyant so, you have to carry more lead around. Membrane drysuits on the other
hand are just that: a very thin membrane of material with very little insulation. This
makes them much lighter and very easy to repair. Which is right for you, is very much up to you.
For recreational diving membrane suits tend to be the most popular. For more commercial diving
and dives in cold water where you re not moving around a lot, divers tend to choose neoprene. But,
you can use either for both. Entry Zipper
Front zip and back zip are your two basic choices of drysuit zipper. Back zippers
tend to run straight across the back of your shoulders. This means that they re nice and
straight and out of the way and you have plenty of room to get in and out. The only downside is
that you need your buddy to zip you up and let you out if you re desperate to, y know
Front entry are zippers that run from one shoulder to the opposite hip. You can get
in and out of these all by yourself. They can be a little tricky if you re not very flexible. But,
you should have a telescopic body to give you extra space to get your head in.
Then we have two types of zipper itself: metal or plastic. Metal zippers are the
same as the ones on space suits, they can be a bit stiff to move if you don t wax them
but, they don t like to be bent. Plastic zippers are much easier to move and more flexible. So,
you tend to find brass zippers on backzips and plastic zippers on front zippers
Neck & Wrist Seals Three
choices you have when it comes to drysuit seals and if you re buying a brand new suit you often
have the choice. The most basic are latex. It s a thin seal. The important thing to remember is
that these stretch over time so, They ll be really tight when they re new so, resist the
temptation to cut them until they ve been stretched properly. Neoprene are ok, you
just have to be sure you get the right size and you have to roll them neatly to create a seal.
Silicone are the new standard. A lot of new suits come with silicone seals and they re very similar
to latex in that they re thin and stretchy. But, they do have the benefit that you always have a
ring system to hold them in place which means that you can swap a broken seal in minutes and in most
cases fit a dryglove system. Boots of Socks
For your feet you can often get the choice of boots or socks. Integrated boots range from
clunky rubber boots, sometimes with steel toe caps to soft tech boots with neoprene
ankles and straps to keep your foot in place and everything in between. Boots are good because
they re nice and simple and they re attached to the suit, which will make sense in a minute.
Socks are typically neoprene or membrane socks that you then wear rock boots over the top.
Benefit to these are that you have a full-on lace-up boot and if you ever wear through the
boot, you just replace the boot and don t have to send the whole drysuit away for repairs.
The downside is that you can forget your boots and they take more time to get ready because
you need to lace your boots up. Again they both have their pros and cons, which is best for you
might not be best for another diver. Drysuit Valves
Another place you often get a choice with a new drysuit is the valves to inflate and
deflate. You re sometimes given the choice of Apeks or SiTech Valves. Apeks makes valves,
SiTech make valves, they re both quite similar in how they work; you ll have a button on your
chest that you push to inflate and the exhaust valve is automatic. The main difference is the
size of the hole that they cut into the drysuit because Apeks and SiTech Valves have different
diameter fittings and you can t mix and match. Some drysuits you ll get the choice of a cuff
dump, which is just a smaller one-way valve on the wrist instead of your shoulder. Most
divers prefer an auto shoulder dump. If you re planning on using a heated undersuit you ll need a
new valve to get power from your external battery inside your drysuit so, you ll need to know what
size inflator you have fitted to your drysuit. Thigh Pockets
One feature that you ll love to see on your drysuit is a good pair of thigh pockets. You
can live without thigh pockets but, gosh is it so much better when you have some great thigh pockets
to store some stuff where you can easily reach it. Thigh pockets can range from open pouches
that you can just slip things into. To full on zippered or Velcro closure extendable pockets with
separate sections inside to organize your stuff. When it comes to drysuits, they tend to either
come with pockets or without, you don t get to choose different pockets, it s just what the
manufacturer puts on that particular suit. But, some nice features to see are anchor points on
the inside like D-Rings or bungees that let you clip thing things to inside. Quick access pockets
like a little zip at the top where you don t need to open the entire pocket to reach something like
a knife or spare double ender. Breathability
Membrane drysuits can be made from a range of materials. A lot of divers call them trilaminate
drysuits but we have quad laminate and others so, I just call them membranes.
Some are made to be tough and abrasion resistant, others light for travel. But,
one nice feature to have if you spend a lot of time in your drysuit is a breathable material.
It makes very little difference underwater but, on the surface the drysuit is breathable like a fancy
rain coat or hiking boots. It still keeps the water out but, it allows the sweat from inside
out. A soon as you zip yourself into a drysuit it s a sealed air-tight bag so your sweat has
nowhere to go. Unless the material is breathable. If you tend to strip out of your suit right after
the dive it won t be that important but, if you do spend some surface time in your suit,
it s a nice feature to have. Clever Features
Some drysuits have some aces up their sleeves that are either factory fitted or after-market
additions. Some drysuits have built in undersuits. It s basically a mesh layer
inside the suit that maintains a constant layer of air all around your suit. Some suits
can have P-Valves fitted, which are just how they sound. A valve on your inner thigh that
connects to a hose inside your suit that fits to an external catheter for those really long dives.
Mounting points on wrists to hold dive computers in place. Braces on the inside
to hold the suit up if you take the top half off. Most drysuits have braces now. Drygloves,
I ve mentioned before. Some drysuit manufactures make their own, others have partnered with Kubi so
they re fitted from the factory or if you have latex cuffs you can fit Kubi to them yourself.
Some drysuits have some special features so, it s important you check them all out and see if you re
missing out on anything. Undersuits
You need an undersuit to pair with a drysuit. And a decent undersuit is more than just an expensive
set of sweats. Undersuits are constructed to wick moisture away from your body and in a lot of cases
divers don t know they ve had a leak until after the dive and they realise their sleeve is wet.
Undersuits are either traditional quilted material for volume or modern mesh that s uncompressible.
Single piece and two piece options. Singles are handy in that it s one suit so
there s no extra bulk on your mid section or risk of a bare patch if you stretch. The
downside is that you may be limited in how much you can stretch if the material doesn t allow.
Two part, is just the opposite but they tend to be quite long around the waist to avoid bare
patches. And just like ladies jeans, pockets are really handy for keys and things when you
re on the surface. Made 2 Measure
Drysuits tend to come in off the shelf sizes as well as made to measure for an additional fee.
Some divers automatically jump to made to measure because they think they ll never find a size that
fits them properly. But a lot of manufacturers now offer very wide size ranges that include tall,
short, broad and relaxed sizes. They might not be in stock at your local dive centre but,
they should be able to get them in if the manufacturer still makes the suit.
It's always worth trying on a couple off the shelf sizes in the undersuit that you re planning to
wear. It will be a hot and sweaty affair if the shop doesn t have A/C but, you want to be sure
that the suit is comfortable in what you re going to wear and you may not need a M2M suit anyway. If
it is M2M that you need to go for, double check every measurement twice, exactly where you measure
from and to and what you should be wearing to make sure you give them the correct measurements
because the suit you will receive is custom and your problem to fix if it doesn t fit.
So, personally, right now, I dive a front entry, membrane drysuit with a plastic
zipper for reference. It has socks and rock boots over the top which can be a bit of a pain if you
need to do your laces up just after food. I used to dive a neoprene drysuit when I was teaching,
it s convenient, especially in the warmer months because if you trust it, you can wear
a long sleeve T-Shirt underneath if the water is warm enough. If you want some inspiration I
did a video on my top10 favorite drysuits right now a little while back, you can watch that up
here and we have a bunch of drysuit reviews on our website scuba diver mag dot com, so,
head over there and check it out. Thanks for watching everybody and safe diving.