Dry suit questions.

[mdemar]

Hello,
    I just bought a Bare Nex-Gen Drysuit. It was only used 12 times, and I paid under $400 bucks. My first question is a survial one, once my wife finds out can I tell her its a good deal lol. Second if the neck seal does not fit me can and how does one get it changed? This is my first drysuit and I'm fairly new still at diving, are there any pros/cons to this suit? Lastly what else do I need to get for this to go diving, it may be sooner then I think if the wife can find some open water to throw me in lol. Thanks for your time.

[Hydro]

ive got a bare suit, although seals can be done yourself, its a good idea to find a diveshop that can replace them.... ($400 is a decent deal for the drysuit)

do you have all the other things for a drysuit? insulation, rock boots, drysuit hood? inflation hose? and lots of paraffin wax and talc or cornstarch.

good luck on open water if you live in minnesota

[arcFlash]

If the neck is too small you can trim it a little at a time until it's snug. If it's too big Minnesota School of Diving works on suits but I haven't need any work on mine yet.

The only thing is to get the dry suit inflater hose connect to your reg. If you don't know how to do this go to a dive shop.

I'd recommend dry gloves but they are not needed but if it's cold enough to use a suit, use dry gloves. Search posts and you'll find what people like. The Nordic Blue are not that good and too $$$.

A weight belt may be needed if you use an integrated BC. You're likely to need 20+ on lead and it may not fit in the BC.

You're BC may not fit or not fit well with the extra underwear.

Get instruction on diving it.

[tpscuba]

I have had MSD fix my drysuit twice and they do a very good job. I would recommend that you have them pressure test it at the same time they do the work on it make sure there are no small holes somwhere else on it.

[DiverQueen]

Yeah, it's amazing how a handfull of pinholes can really make a dive unpleasant!! :

Don't forget to find good, warm undergarments that fit both you and the suit!!  And do a weight check!  You will need a few more pounds with a dry suit or you will find yourself headed to the surface fast!!  Also look into "Gaiters" to keep the air from getting to your lower legs and feet...Going up fast is annoying  (and dangerous) , going up fast UPSIDE DOWN is a pain!

Get the proper training and talk with other drysuit divers!  Learn from other's experiences!

[lotsofgadgets]

Drysuit repair is not difficult.  When I bough my first one off Ebay I picked up "Wetsuit and Drysuit Maintenance and Repair" by AirSpeed Press.  The book is a wealth of Drysuit DIY, from zipper repair to seal replacement.  I was able to replace both wrist seals and the neck seal by myself (No Leaks!).  Another good source of information is DUI's website.  They have a great step by step on replacing seals. 

[joekarels]

Be prepared for a frustration level in the beginning. Your starting out "new" again. At least that was my experience. Practice practice practice. Things will need to be adjusted differently.

[grumpie]

I use Todd up at MSD for all my dry suit repairs, he does a very good job.Hes a little slow some times, but I (think) that he gets really busy.
grumpie.....

[willadams67]

I suggest that you take a coarse on using your drysuit. I took a class when I got mine. It was helpful in dealing with situations such as too much air in legs, stuck inflater "rapid accent" ,as well as other helpful situations concerning your drysuit.

[LKunze]

If you are just looking for seal replacement you can get that done in the twin cities.  I know two shops for sure that do this, Air Down There SCUBA and Going Under Dive Center.  There may be other shops as well.  For more serious repairs or alterations I echo the other recommendations of sending the suit up to Mark in Brainerd at Superior Diving Repair..