Drysuit or neoprene?

I'm starting this topic because jwsmith had some questions about drysuits and thought it might be a good idea to talk about the pro's and cons of each.

Below is my response to jwsmith:
IMO neoprene works well in the water. For some reason out of the water out of the water they're a bit on the chilly side and restricting. A dry suit on the other hand is super warm and very flexible. Problem, price. Drysuits are BANK! But if you do have the scratch I think it's worth it.

About the gaskets on the sleeves etc. it's all about care. Use your suit, wash it off if you've been in the salt, dry it out inside out of the sun and keep it there. Most all plastics and rubber get destroyed by the sun so keep it outta there when not in use. I'm guessing your buddy left his suit out in the sun after using it and that's why it's failing. If you take care of it well you'll already need a new one before it starts failing on you.

And if you are in the market for one, remember, you get what you pay for.

Z

Neo for me please.....i tried a dry-suit once and damn near passed out trying to get it off(air-tight around the ankles and wrists)

I've gone through at least 5 suits in over 15yrs of EVERY WEEKEND USE.(surfing)
Z is 100% correct on the RINSE and DRY out of the SUN.....and you get what you $$ for.

I wore /rubbed through the chest and arms/wrists before it starts to fail= rotten,cracked rubber. Be sure to hang inside-out first...then after a few days, reverse it. If you store it flat, bundled up wet or hanging inside out(long term), the rubber will hold that crease, resulting in a CRACK, when you stretch it(putting it on)  I always rinsed and hung and they have lasted well over 4season each.



 

I want to start free-diving soon, and a decent neoprene suit with built-on-hood is not inexpensive.  I'm a skinny guy without natural insulation.   As long as I'm spending the money, I just want the right suit so I can be in the water longer.

Wetsuit?   Drysuit? 

I went to the fine local diveshop yesterday and they are now selling "semi-dry" suits.

Oh the bitter confusion.  Please advise.  I'll wash and dry it in the best manner.   -Matt

You can get a 7MM full wetsuit (farmer john and top) for under $100.  Add booties ($25ish), hood ($25ish), gloves ($15ish), mask/snorkel ($25-expensive - get one that seals to your face...), weight belt ($25ish), fins ($25-50), and the basic tools for abalone gathering ($15).  This represents the basics, and it's where I think anyone should start diving.  If you find that you want a drysuit you should have figured out if you're the type to crawl on the rocks, fight surge and breakers around sharp rocks, reach way up under barnacle covered rocks...etc. because you'll trash either kind of suit doing these things, and it's better to learn that in a wetsuit!  Another problem with a drysuit is:  how the heck long can you hold your pee?!      

Good advice!  Abking speaks NO BULL.. nor any other type of beatinROUNDtheBUSH.

Thanks Eric.  I'll go with the neoprene then.  Besides;  it makes me look so very handsome.

Make it a tight one, Matt.  It'll loosen up in the water, and if you have too much room in there you'll freeze!   

I love my kayaking/rafting drysuit, but no way would I use it for freediving. Ain't no way I'd use a diving drysuit for kayaking. Completely different suits for completely different purposes.

Thank you everyone on this thread.

I will therefore be in a snug fitting 8 mil neoprene full suit if you see me.

Please don't mistake me for an otter or seal or a cephalopod sans a few legs.

My dive setup is a 7mil one piece suit and a hooded vest (3mil body, 5 mil hood).  I had problems with my farmer john.  First, it wasn't a beavertail so, it was almost impossible to get the top on when sitting on the yak.  Then there was the crotch squeeze once everything got wet.  It seemed my whole world was narrowed down to figuring out how to swim with my b*lls in a vice .  Make sure you have enough room from shoulders to crotch. 

Another problem with a drysuit is:  how the heck long can you hold your pee?!

Taking a leak is no problem.  I have a Kokatat dry suit that has a horizontal zipper across the waist area thay allows for relief.  I love my drysuit because it keeps me warm and dry, especially my feet.  Still can have a problem with cold hands though. In fact I like fishing in the cooler weather now because I am more comfortable.  In the summer I have to be careful because I could overheat if it gets too hot, so on really warm days I'd revert to my wetsuit.  But since it's usually cooler till mid morning and I'm off by mid day, even the summer hasn't been a problem on the coast in the last two years.  I was a little concerned about using it at Mendo, because Mendo II was quite warm in the day, but last year was not a problem, and I don't recall feeling too warm throughout the day.

When I first got it, the neck gasket bothered me.  It can be trimmed back to size, but I was a bit too insecure to start cutting it back, less I get it too loose.  But after I cut two rings off of it, it fits very comfortably and I really never even think about any discomfort associated with the wrist or neck gaskets anymore.  The key to comfort is having the gaskets appropriately trimmed to your size. I think, if you like to be warm and have warm feet, a dry suit is the way to go...especially if you like sturgeon fishing: No motion, slow circulation = cold feet.

I bought mine from the Kayak Academy in WA that also schools individuals in kayaking.  They told me that I could free dive with my suit, which they do, with no problem.  Only thing they wouldn't recommend is to use it for SCUBA.  I haven't tried it but I might try it for ab diving this year to see if it's feasible for that. 

Kokatat suits are guaranteed for life.

I talked wid my bud who had the cracking rubber wrist-gussets on his dry-suit.

His theory now, is that he allowed the sunblock he was using on the backs of his hands, get onto the rubber.

Just FYI.

Judd

he allowed the sunblock he was using on the backs of his hands, get onto the rubber.

Just FYI.

Judd

and my sunglasses too!    were cracked in TWO?!
IjustTHOUGHTtheyWEREaGOODdeal!...NOT

I would love to have a drysuit, and they may well be worth whatever you pay for them.  As for a lifetime warranty for a drysuit that they say you can free dive in, I think they'd deny my claim when they saw the shreds!  I'll have to look into it.  For kayaking I think I'd much rather be in a drysuit (if I could bring myself to pay for one), but diving I think I need the neoprene.  Good thread, Z.

Eric

I've been freediving for a little over 20 yrs now, I've had maybe 5 different suits, one of which was a dry suit, of all the people I know I don't know anyone at the moment that freedives in a dry suit, scuba absolutley yes, but not freediving.

 My own experience was that no matter how much I tried I couldn't get all the air out of the suit so everytime I headed straight down, any air left in the suit went up around my feet and made it feel like I was kicking with balloons around my ankles, then the more air I did get out, the colder the suit got.

A few years ago I finally "treated myself" to a Picasso Camu Thermo Flex.  It's one of the few things I've ever purchased that was better than advertised, it feels like a second skin and is warmer and more flexible than I would have imagined, unfortunately it was pricey.  Still cheaper than a good dry suit tho.

All my suits were treated like royalty when at home, washed, dried inside and out and hung on padded hangers, but that's because they get treated so badly when being used.