I finally stopped buying fancy drysuits after a job near Port Angeles last winter

Everyone in this field swears by the high end drysuits, but I had a $3,500 DUI let go at the crotch seam after just 18 months of regular use. Meanwhile my buddy was diving in a $1,200 bare bones suit that he'd patched six times himself and it kept him dry through the same season. After that leak I grabbed a used one off a older diver for $400 and it lasted me two years with just a few glue fixes. I think the markup on these premium suits is mostly branding and not real durability. Has anyone else found that spending less actually works better for them?

3 comments

3 Comments

tessap9718d ago

Nah, gotta hard disagree here. A $400 used suit is a gamble, not a strategy. You got lucky with that thing, but I've seen guys show up in budget suits and they're shivering after 30 minutes in the PNW water because the material is thinner and the seals don't hold. The DUI you had was probably a dud from the factory, that happens to every brand, but the warranty on those is way better than fixing a used suit yourself. The real value in premium suits isn't just the dry part, it's the flexibility and movement you get when you're doing complex work underwater. A stiff suit from 10 years ago will keep you dry but you'll fight it all day.

finley_smith18d ago

Man, I feel you on this. The movement part is huge. I learned the hard way with a cheap suit that was basically a garbage bag with arms. Could barely reach my own valves on a deep wreck dive. Premium suit flex is worth the money if you can swing it.

abby_fisher18d ago

Three pounds of neoprene in a baggy suit and I looked like the Michelin Man trying to do a valve shutdown. Couldn't reach my own left shoulder without the whole suit riding up to my armpits. Learned real quick that a flexible suit doesn't just feel nice, it saves you from looking like a drowning marshmallow in front of your whole dive team.