Polar suit

[Hardway]

Any body have or use this suit. Thinking going that way instead of dry suit. Pros and Cons would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[arcFlash]

I have only dove wet (5mil and 3 mil) and dry so I may have too limited experience but with over 100 dry dives, it's way better than anything wet. I even have a dry hood so my hair stays dry. I will be diving tomorrow morning (yes for fun) and I couldn't do it wet.

Water, even ice dives are doable in a standard 7mil or farmer but you need to change out of the wet and you need shelter that you may not always have. A semi-dry is still semi-wet and the last thing you want to do is shiver while pulling your wet feet out of a suit in the back of your car.

If you just want to dive the good season in MN, go cheaper and get a good 7mil with hood and glove.
If you want to dive a long season in MN it sounds fine.
If you want to dive year round in MN, save up and buy a good used drysuit.
If you really like diving and are very active, go dry, you'll end up there soon enough so go dry right away.

[grumpie]

I went out to Christmas lake yesterday to check on the pump house entrance. they put a new gate there and its locked. Its on holly lane, car pool out there and take a bike along. dump your gear at the gate and leave some one there to watch it.
take the car back and park it in the church lot, ride bike back to the gate and down to the pump house, then go diving. sorry thats the best I could do for you.
grumpie....

[nellamit]

I have dived in water as cold as 46 degrees with a 6 mil farmer john wetsuit. I think the problem is keeping warm between dives. unless you have a heated shelter, you may be limited to 1 dive a day. I'm sure glad I'm a dry diver now.

[Firecaptn15]

I would agree with arcflash depends on how active you want to be.
I have an artic which is the hoodless version of the polar suit, I dont usually get as cold as quick as my friends who dive in a regular 7mil wetsuit. It is nice for summer use (down to the low 40's) but it still gets pretty chilly when the water gets cold. and you are still wet when you get out.

The only diff between this and a reg suit is water doesnt move in and out of the suit as much due to seals at the neck, hands, and ankles.

Pinnacle now has an extreme which is 8/6 instead of 7/5.
But if I had the choice I would go dry.