Drysuit ?'s

[SCUBA Dog]

I really like the crushed neoprene. I find it virtually eliminates the pinching from suit squeeze that I have experienced with other types of drysuits. As a result, I don't need to add as much air to the suit while diving.

[arcFlash]

"I have witnessed people using the latex dry hoods and if nothing else they add some comedy to the dive site. I don't know anyone who kept on using these after trying them."

Are you laughing at me and my funny head? It does take a bit to learn but I will not go back to a wet head. Just like most don't go back to wet gloves.

If you like dry hands, you really need to try a dry hood but don't expect it to be effortless.

Outline if your interested:
-Once past 20 feet you need to equalize the hood on the way down and vent it on the way back (it still has a neck seal).
-Air in. Clear your mask but seal the top/bottom so it vents out the side by your eye and goes into the hood. Your mask goes over the hood and seals easily. No digging the hood out from under the mask.
-Air out. Roll to one side and look up. The air vents out by the cheek/chin. It dumps in seconds. If you dump too long water leaks in but not a lot.
-If you don't equalize the squeeze on your outer ear prevents you from clearing your ears.
-If you don't vent the hood fills up like a balloon and pulls your mask off.

[Terry]

                      Hey Michelle!
                I'm in sunny south Florida, (as my vacation winds to an end :'() logging in to work and here and enjoying a cold beer, well away from my drysuit so I can speak/type freely, (air temp is 81 and water has been 77-78, so tricky to keep my beer cold vs. diving in Mpls city lakes),,,,,drysuit,,,,,,,,,what do I remember about that type of diving, oh ya, my Nokia, owned it 10 years now, has been reasealed twice, (needs it again now due to some gal with fingernails like Elvira, damn her anyway! :-*) and rezippered once, sheet rubber suits like Viking and Nokia, are quick to dry, easy to clean (in case your diving in a goose shit infested swamp looking for a lost weightbelt :-\), easy to patch, but heavy and offer no insulation at all. Would do another in a second, must do some brand of dry gloves, I liked my Henderson made of neoprene with attached hood but needed to learn how to take it off without soaking my undergarment from the water above the neck seal but still inside the hood, but it sure kept my melon warm compared to a seperate dry suit hood.
                      But since I'm still on vacation, I need to grab another beer and go see how my gear is drying in the sun, maybe enjoy some more rays, and see how those Florida gals in their bikinis are doing on their tans  8),,,,,,,,,,,TRINITY

[ScubaAl]

arcFlash,
        I have a Viking drysuit with dryhood. Haven't used it in a couple of years as I now have a self donning DUI 450.  But anyway, I installed a small one way purge valve in the top of the dryhood. This took care of the whole cone head thing.

Al

[mermaid]

Hey TRINITY!

From what I've heard, I think dry gloves are the way to go.  I like the “astronaut” wrist seals (or whatever those thingamajigs are called).  I also heard that drysuits need to be sent out to be resealed...which can be time consuming. 

[mermaid]

Thanks again everyone for all of the valuable information on the drysuits.  I REALLY appreciate the help everyone has given me. 

Kirk, I'm glad you mentioned your past use of long underwear and fleece.  I was going to go the same route, but I now I KNOW I'd need more insulation. 

Dog, I was leaning towards tri-lam before, but you bring up a good point about the squeeze that I hadn't considered.

Flash, thanks for the tips on equalizing...my ears do tend to be more sensitive. 

Trinity, hope you had a good vacation...and thank you for the insight on the learning curve with the undergarments and the attached hood.  I'm considering an attached hood myself to keep my melon warm, so it's an important point to make note of.

Thanks again!
Mermaid 

[jasondbaker]

Many of us started diving dry with long underwear and fleece undergarments.  I actually miss the added mobility this solution provides.  And these undergarments are probably warm enough for anything over 50deg. 

Your comfort level is such a personal thing.  It really depends on your body type.  If you don't have much personal insulation you will need better undies.  I get cold easily so I eventually invested in DUI C4 undies.  I see dry gloves as a requirement. Dry hood is an option.

Some of it is mental.  I swear the water is colder in the early spring vs. late fall -- yet my computer gives the same temp readings.  I think by Fall your body is more acclimated to the cold.

[mermaid]

Hey Jason, I like your phrasing of "personal insulation" ;D  Not having dove in cold water before (this was my first summer of diving), I'm looking forward to learning all I can about diving itself. 

[arcFlash]

I still haven't committed to dedicated undies. I'm still using the REI brand fleece. I'm about ready to commit but then it's spending to replace something that still works. I can make 45 minutes on ice before it gets too cold to be fun. Fingers start to get noticeably cold about 35 minutes.

I'm not saying to buy fleece but if you have it. Use it to at lease learn how much undie you need.

I just started using snow boot liners in my suit and they work great if you have roomy integrated boots. The foam style not the felt.

[mattd]

I bought Kristi the ebay undergarment and after she took the pockets out she said she really likes it.  It was less than $100.  I'll likely buy a lightweight one for me (my drysuit came with a comfy warm snowsuit).