dry suit purchase

[Doug Lenik]

I've been water detecting for several years now both salt and fresh water. I have a wet suit with booties and gloves.I'm interested in getting some feedback from anyone who uses a dry suit. The wet suit is ok only if the water is above 60 degrees. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[woodwizard]

do know they are very expensive- but then again how much is your life worth?this place has some good prices on dive stuff.http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product_list.asp?deptid=1171

 

[usmc0351]

i just bought another wet suit, a 543, with 7mm mittens and booties, water temp at lake sardis, ms on sunday was 43,,,i felt like i was in warm bath all day,,,never got cold,,,i dont know what size suit you have, but a fleece top and bottoms can make all the difference,,,,,but to your question, i also have a dry suit,,,and guess what,,,,i dont care what you do or how you do it, waters gonna find its way inside,,,,as a matter of fact mine is for sale,

 

[OldBeechnut]

If you are a water hunter I think you need a backup suit, detector, scoop, etc... for all times due to the daily changing conditions and the time it takes to get things fixed or replaced.

Mine are, a {Large} Kayaking Drysuit Front entry, winter 2007/08 in 34 degree water, perfect other then a pain to get in and out. Neck seal was ruff on the hair. Had to dress a little heavier, no insulation, No leaks.
Used Hodgeman bootfoot waders in Winter 2009, maybe 20 times, warm and dry in 30's water temp ..like them because easy to get in and out. One small leak, fixed Aquaseal.
Winter 2009 got a {XLg} MSD900 drysuit, Ebay, Never Used..345.00, I've used it twice this year {low 30's}, fully insulated, Very warm, relief zipper, adjustable neck seal, Heavy duty, rear entry, not to bad to get into but you almost need someone there to pull the zipper, no leaks, went with the exlarge, made it much easier to get into, even if it is a bit oversized.
Check out the old post of chi-town Bruce, he's got a good looking suit..and a fair price with a lifetime warranty. Gulf Hunter has a good looking suit also, was for sale awhile ago, check out his old post....Good Luck...joe

 

[Micheal_R]

When the water and weather is cold up here [in B.C.], I use the dry suit. My choice would be a tri lam with a nice polar fleece, one piece undersuit.... this is what I use. If it gets really cold, I use the neoprene suit. It is warmer,,,, but a lot more buoyant and bulky.

In either case, try for a front zipper unit. I have found latex seals to be better than the neoprene..... but that is a personal choice. Get a set of ankle weights also.

I have never had any leaking with mine... either while wading or diving. They do tend to be a little stiff and awkward to get used to.... but once you are used to that, it is really not much of a concern

And one last thing..... when you have your suit, get off to your friendly value village, goodwill, or some such place and buy a pair of lace up boots that will fit over the suit's booties. This way, you will not be wearing out the dry suit feet, at considerable expense to replace, in your digging with the scoop.

Fair winds

Micheal

 

[Cupajo]

I took the idea for protecting the dry suit feet a step farther and bought a set of neoprene socks at the local dive shop.

They act as a cushion to protect the suit and help keep my feet warmer too.

Today's hunt went well until one of my new gloves leaked.(SHTUFF HAPPENS!!)

After 4+ hours of 39Degrees F. water my feet were starting to get cold.

I had on a thick pair of wicking type socks. thin neoprene booties that are attached to my breathable waders that I wore inside my boot-footed 3Mil neoprene waders that have a very slow leak.

Even after I started to feel the cold I wasn't very un-comfortable except for my wet hand! (The black gauntlet/glove helped a little via solar gain!)

CJ

 

[Micheal_R]

n/t

 

[Doug Lenik]

Thanks to everyone for their advice and suggestions. The lakes are beginning to thaw here in Northeast Pa. and I can't wait for the water to warm.

 

[Cupajo]

I put the double extra large neoprene socks over the booties of the dry suit and then over-sized wading shoes over them to protect the dry suit from stone punctures!

Works for me!

CJ

 

[BARKER]

Hi Folks; Tat is a great site. Thanks for the info.. I added it to my list of sites. PEACE:RONB

 

[Gulf Hunter]

NRS is the one I used. Recently sold it to a mate in Canada, as it was very seldom cold enough to wear it around here, BUT this season it was. NRS has an excellent selection at a reasonable price and their warranty is 2nd to none on apparel. They stand behind their equipment. My advice.....but one with a pee zipper, unless you wanna pee on yourself. Mine did not have one, LOL! Here is the jewel, enjoy!
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[Cupajo]

Hey GH,

Getting in and out of the suits alone can be fun especially for an older hunter like myself who has more bulk to stuff into the thing.

I've had days when I was almost too tired from getting my carcass into the suit to get it wet!

After the hunt I felt like I would just let them bury me in it so I wouldn't have such a struggle getting it off!

It has gotten easier with practice and judicious use of corn starch as a lube on the seals at the wrists.

A rear entry suit is just about impossible without help!

The relief zipper is a must for sure!

GL&HH Friend,

CJ

 

[grumpyolman]

CJ is absolutely right. It's pretty tough putting on a dry suit that's made for diving. There is a difference between a diving wet suit and a dry suit used for protection against the elements. The dry suit that a kayaker or a swift water rescue person might wear is lighter and easier to get in and out of. Also there are no air inlet or air outlet valves. Without putting air into the dry suit, as you go deeper the ambient pressure is greater and it squeezes any air space. In 2-3' of water, I can feel my dry suit starting to pinch to the point that it's not comfortable. When that happens a little shot of air from you air supply fills the space and equalizes the pressure, more so, between the inside and the outside of the suit and it again feels like it did before you entered the water. If you are only wading and not laying on the bottom then that becomes a non issue.

For a person who wades and just want's good protection from the cold, the kind of suit that Gulf Hunter had is easier to get into and kept him dry. What you wear underneath, and they make special pajamas for that, is what keeps you warm. If you go by yourself, you'll need to get a front entry suit or you'll have to ask a passerby to assist with closing the zipper and then opening it when you get out.

There's a place in Seattle called Discount Divers. A guy started a niche business by buying used diving gear and restoring it and then selling it a real reasonable price. I have purchased a lot of used equipment from him. Saved a lot of money and got better stuff than I could have afforded if new. They have a pretty impressive web site that shows much of their used equipment. There's a big section on used dry suits and that's where I first started looking. They sell to people all over the US.

If you buy a used dry suit you ought have someone test it. That involves plugging the neck and wrist seals, closing the waterproof zipper and then filling it with air. If you put it into a tub of water and you see bubbles, it needs service or you'll get wet. Almost all of the problems that cause it to leak can be remedied, but most of us don't have the experience or know how to do it. Once the waterproof zipper is worn, it's a pretty major expenditure to get it repaired. Hope that helps. jim