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On Wed, 20 Mar 96, ststev@UV*.CA* (Sean T. Stevenson) wrote:
>Anyone can read a book on what to buy, and would be foolish not to,
>but I'm looking for the personal experience to augment what I've read
>and what the manufacturers have told me. My last drysuit was an
>-Sean
Sean, you put a qualifier on your origianl request "cold water diving".
I know nothing about that other than what I get on here. I do , however know a
lot about dry suits. I also talked to Terry Tysal yesterday to ask him what 530
feet in the Great Lakes using my type of gear is like. He said it is a joke,
just wear a certain type of gloves, which ALexander Paul already sent me in the
mail, and do it the way I do Tallahassee cave. Since nobady else but Tysall and
Mike Zee have done what I need to do when I go there, I will defer to them.
As for suits , there are four basic types:
1) Rubber - very dry , very heavy. A commercial type suit.
2) Neopreme - warm shallow , very bouyant, but the buoyancy changes with depth
-
very bad. Only the finest commercial grade neopreme will hold up over time,
most
will crush, so you end up with a sloppy crushed neompreme.
3) Crushed Foeam- would be nice, but does not hold the stiching well, good idea
that didn't work.
4) Trilaminate - the best, most flexible, most comfrotable, depends entirely on
the insulation for warmth. If you are divng real cold, use a thin wetsuit
underneath. Get one with double zippers, inside and out, so that the main
zipper
will not get pulled apart and flood you out.
The absolute best is the DUI LS 350 (Navy Seal Combat Suit). That is what I
use, I have three of them. This suit is self-donnning, is dry , I can run in
it,
swim in it, dive in it. Get a custom suit, and have them use the double pull
zipper. More expensive, but "bullet proof".
Did you ever see the James Bond movie where he hangglides into the water,
swims to shore, and gets out of his TLS and has a tuxedo underneath? This is
what I wear, but you should use the C-4 thinsulate. -G
-
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