Dry suits

[jasondbaker]

I'm planning on buying a dry suit over the next month. My preference is to buy local to ensure a good fit, service, etc. I want a quality shell suit that is primarily for FW open water dives -- maybe a dozen wreck dives a year. I prefer suits with a "sock" instead of a boot. That way I can use different boot options. I am unsure whether to go with a back zip or self-donning. My semi-dry is back zip and I have no problems with it. Here are the suits I'm looking at:

Whites Nexus 2003
Dive Rite 905
Andy's DS1 (tech cut)
DUI TLS350 (cave cut)

I have also considered the FifthD dry suits. Those are basically modified Andy's suits. They might not be available outside of Seattle. I plan to order custom made undies (300 weight) from a shop in Seattle.

I'm looking for any recommendations, including dive shops to purchase the suit.

[tpscuba]

Jason: We handle both whites and Andy's
Front zip is great you can zip it yourself. Back zip you need someone to help you it's not like zipping a semi or back zip wet. Although I have seen it done using a tree branch. Zipper needs to be clean and well lubed.
I like the Andy's over White's because of the way they seal their seams but they are a spendy suit.
The nextus shell package is a great buy
Rick

[Dirt]

Jason,
You should look into DUI CF200. It's a crushed neoprene suit. They're more comfortable, & more durable than other suits. Check them out at . They also utilize the RockBoot system which uses the neoprene sock. It's by far the best dry suit system I've seen.

Scuba Dive & Travel in Minneapolis deals in a lot of them. Richard is the owner & he uses one himself. Give them a call. 612-823-7210

[LKunze]

The CF-200 is a nice suit and is heavy duty. I purchased a used one myself last summer but I returned it because it leaked. The cons with the CF-200 though are that is very heavy and it takes a LONG time to dry compared to a tri-lam suit.

[jasondbaker]

I visited Richard at SD&T a couple weeks ago and looked at the suits. The CF200 is a nice suit. The only negative is the weight/dry time issue.

Here is my updated list of suits I am looking at. I will publish the quoted prices (without tax).

Whites Nexus 2003, boots, undies -- $800
Viking Extreme -- $800-900
Andy's DS3 extreme -- $1100-1200
DUI TLS 350 (used) + rock boots -- $900-1000

I will use a sock/rock boot system with any of these suits. I will also buy the diving concepts dry glove system. The undies will probably be Softwear custom (seattle).

Do any one of these suits present a clear value? Buying a dry suit is the most challenging gear choice I have faced -- too many options and too few differentiators.

[LKunze]

Yeah...that is a tough call Jason. I would guess the DUI and the Andy's are of a little better quality in terms of seams and durability but I could be wrong. The Nexus as you probably are aware is a bi-lam and not a tri-lam like the others so not quite as durable but a pretty nice deal though. Since you are buying undies separately it probably makes more sense to go with one of the other suits. If I'm not mistaken doesn't the Viking Extreme come with an attached hood? That seems to be a bit of a con for that suit although I've heard you can cut the hood off to use a different hood but then you lose the warm neck collar feature that the Whites and DUI both have. Not sure if the Andy's has the warm neck collar feature.