entry or higher end?

[j1j2j38]

Any recommendations on entry drysuit vs. a pricier drysuit for starting out? I'm in the north east, but I likely will only do at most 10 dives in water that I couldn't get away with my 7mm wetsuit. But I'm interested in trying ice diving, and at some point maybe cave diving. I don't know whether it would be better to get say the older Pinnacle Freedom model for around $600 or the Whites Fusion for around $1200. Or maybe it's not worth getting a drysuit at this point. Any thoughts on your experiences with buying a drysuit at a point when you were unsure how much use it would get?

[CompuDude]

I'm a huge fan of starting off with a very inexpensive, and probably used, drysuit, rather than spending north of $1k (let along north of $3k) on something you may not like, and in your case, may not use enough for it to be worthwhile.

If you have money to burn, by all means, trick out your DUI Signature series. But for the rest of us, starting with something under $600... maybe even under $400, makes a lot of sense. Learn to dive dry in it. Learn if you like diving dry (takes at least 20 dives to really know, usually). Learn what you like in a drysuit, learn what you hate, and learn what you really want to spend money on next time. And then either keep the starter suit as a backup or sell it for roughly what you paid originally and move on.

[WaScubaDude]

Originally Posted by j1j2j38

Any recommendations on entry drysuit vs. a pricier drysuit for starting out? I'm in the north east, but I likely will only do at most 10 dives in water that I couldn't get away with my 7mm wetsuit. But I'm interested in trying ice diving, and at some point maybe cave diving. I don't know whether it would be better to get say the older Pinnacle Freedom model for around $600 or the Whites Fusion for around $1200. Or maybe it's not worth getting a drysuit at this point. Any thoughts on your experiences with buying a drysuit at a point when you were unsure how much use it would get?

Might ask around for the best suit for ice diving. I am guessing it will likely be a neoprene or at the very least crushed neo, otherwise you would end up needing a super super thick undergarment instead of just a super thick undergarment.

For both regular diving and cave diving I know DUI sets the standard. I dive a Bare NextGen Pro, but it would likely be considered too thin for caving (I dont cave or do wreck penetration). For caving I think you are looking for very abrasion resistant, fairly form fitting with well placed easy to use valves.

Lastly, do consider a used suit. I see many DUI and other top suits on Craigs List in my area. I would be very cautious buying a suit sight unseen.
I would look closely at the suit as well. Buy a used suit that truly shows very little wear, no re-sealed or re-seamed jobs, look closely at the latex seals for checking, cracking and hardness (don't buy a project if you do not have to) Look closely as well at the zipper and valves for signs of corrosion. A little patina on the brass of the zipper is OK but white and green corrosion is a sign of poor maintenance.
Dont be afraid to make an offer on a suit, as it really is a buyers market right now.

Good Luck!

[fire diver]

I highly recommend getting a drysuit. You will probably never go back to your 7mil wetsuit again.

As was already said, if you can get a GOOD used drysuit cheap, then go for it. But you run the chance of having something like a leaking seal of bad zipper, that will mean a couple hundred more in repairs.

I think the $600 pinnacle is a good looking drysuit. Everyone at my LDS has bought them and likes them. The price is good too.

[TommyB]

Originally Posted by WaScubaDude

For both regular diving and cave diving I know DUI sets the standard. I dive a Bare NextGen Pro, but it would likely be considered too thin for caving (I dont cave or do wreck penetration). For caving I think you are looking for very abrasion resistant, fairly form fitting with well placed easy to use valves.

A Next Gen will work great for caves. You don't need to worry about abrasion resistant at this point in your cave diving ventures. Once you reach side-mount where you will actually be scraping your suit against the sides/bottoms/tops of the caves then worry about if your going to scratch it.
Only a few holes you'll be crawling into wearing backmount and those holes are not going to tear your suit.

I use both the Next Gen and the DUI Sig Series FLX 50/50. The Next Gen is a perfect starter suit. Makes a great suit for a back-up, and makes a great suit for the shorter dives.

[j1j2j38]

Thanks. So do you think the Nex Gen is better than the Pinnacle Freedom? I'll also take a look at Craigslist to see if there's anything local.

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by TommyB

A Next Gen will work great for caves. You don't need to worry about abrasion resistant at this point in your cave diving ventures. Once you reach side-mount where you will actually be scraping your suit against the sides/bottoms/tops of the caves then worry about if your going to scratch it.
Only a few holes you'll be crawling into wearing backmount and those holes are not going to tear your suit.

I use both the Next Gen and the DUI Sig Series FLX 50/50. The Next Gen is a perfect starter suit. Makes a great suit for a back-up, and makes a great suit for the shorter dives.

I agree, the whole point of cave diving is perfect buoyancy so you never touch the cave walls (or floor). Why do you think GUE's suit of choice for the WKPP project is the DUI TLS350, a fairly lightweight, thin shell suit?

People doing lots of surf entries (shore diving) in the ocean, and wreck divers (definitely) have the most need for a drysuit that can take a beating, not cave divers.

[WaScubaDude]

Originally Posted by CompuDude

I agree, the whole point of cave diving is perfect buoyancy so you never touch the cave walls (or floor). Why do you think GUE's suit of choice for the WKPP project is the DUI TLS350, a fairly lightweight, thin shell suit?

People doing lots of surf entries (shore diving) in the ocean, and wreck divers (definitely) have the most need for a drysuit that can take a beating, not cave divers.

Obviously I am a big fan of the Next Gen. Heck of alot of suit for very little $, Dries in minutes very light weight and not bulky thru the middle.

I don't cave, my caution had to do with watching videos with cavers squeezing thru restrictions, not just all the equipment hanging off. Maybe should have used the term "puncture resistance" instead of abrasion.

[j1j2j38]

While I'm interested in ice and cave diving in the future, my primary use for the drysuit at the moment will be shore entry new england diving in the winter, so if trilam suits like the nex-gen or pinnacle freedom aren't going to hold up to that, then maybe I should be looking at something tougher? If so, do you think neoprene vs. crushed neoprene makes a big difference if the vast majority of my diving will be no deeper than 100 ft and probably less than 75 ft? It seems like the crushed neoprene (at least the CF200) is relatively more expensive.

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by WaScubaDude

Obviously I am a big fan of the Next Gen. Heck of alot of suit for very little $, Dries in minutes very light weight and not bulky thru the middle.

I don't cave, my caution had to do with watching videos with cavers squeezing thru restrictions, not just all the equipment hanging off. Maybe should have used the term "puncture resistance" instead of abrasion.

Your average newish cave diver doesn't spend much time squeezing through restrictions until they have been cave diving for quite a long time (as TommyB alluded above). Even then, the sort of rocks you're squeezing over are less of a concern than you'd think. Drysuit material is pretty tough... a bigger issue for drysuits are sharp edges on wrecks, sharp shells on mollusks (think razor clams) and sharp spines on urchins... mostly ocean-based risks, especially where ocean surge is concerned.

The bare NextGen is, by all reports, a great starter drysuit. And for some, it's all they'll ever need.