Henderson Hyperstretch or Insta-Dry

[PFD305]

Looking for a new wetsuit to use in the Keys this summer. Which do you guys prefer Stretch or insta-dry?

[Aussie]

Stretch wetsuit but instadry boots.

Aussie

[mike_s]

Originally Posted by PFD305

Looking for a new wetsuit to use in the Keys this summer. Which do you guys prefer Stretch or insta-dry?

The purpose of the insta-dry is to dry quick but also to stick to your body to keep water movement down, increasing warmth.

Personally I think this would be overkill for Keys' diving in the summer time.


for summer keys diving, get a 3mm full and a 2/3mm shorty. Maybe a vest or rash guard for the warmer days. But anything with Insta Dry in the name is overkill in both exposure protection and cost for the keys during te summer. (just my opinion)

[NitroWill]

a 3mill is overkill for the keys in the summer Hell, Im not even using a suit @ West Palm which is a couple hours further north as the water temps right now are mid 80s!

A 1.5mill is going to be my standard suit!

[CompuDude]

I have InstaDry head to toe. 7mm for SoCal cold waters. (except for the 3mm gloves which are best for my photography dexterity needs)

VERY warm for the thickness. Compare to Hyperstretch, which is the opposite... not very warm for the thickness.

Nothing is easier than hyperstretch to put on and take off, however... in fact, InstaDry ranks among the most difficult to put on and take on, because the slick neoprene (vs. nylon-covered neoprene) sticks to your skin and doesn't slide easily. Is your body type tough to fit in an off-the-shelf wetsuit? The stretchiness of the HyperStretch makes it a great fit that's super easy to put on and take off for anyone.

That said, you really do get used to putting on the InstaDry, and it doesn't bother me any more. Also, it gets easier as the suit conforms to your body (referring to InstaDry here, which literally molds to your body over time so the fit gets better after about 10 dives).

InstaDry is very warm. Dries in a jiffy. Seldom a need to put on a cold wet wetsuit. Hyperstretch, by comparison, is NOT very warm... this is a problem in cold SoCal, perhaps not so much in warm Caribbean waters.

However, they're expensive, and the quick-drying coating is not as durable as nylon-covered neoprene. Sort of a bad combination. The quick dry aspects, however, combined with the lack of nylon, means nothing retains odor. No suit funk. My InstaDry suit still smells like neoprene, not like "me"... and yes, I'm one of those diver who don't lie about it.

The InstaDry booties are simply amazing. No foot stink. Actually dry even if you dive a lot. I don't ever want another bootie, no matter what suits I buy in the future. Oh, and the 3mm gloves are simply amazing as well... nothing can touch their dexterity, not by a long shot. And the warmth they give is far greater than the 3mm thickness would seem to imply.

I may or may not buy an InstaDry wetsuit again. Even after two years in the suit, I haven't fully decided. I suppose I probably have about a year to make up my mind.

I will definitely buy the booties and gloves again, for the foreseeable future.

[WaScubaDude]

Originally Posted by CompuDude

I have InstaDry head to toe. 7mm for SoCal cold waters. (except for the 3mm gloves which are best for my photography dexterity needs)

VERY warm for the thickness. Compare to Hyperstretch, which is the opposite... not very warm for the thickness.

Nothing is easier than hyperstretch to put on and take off, however... in fact, InstaDry ranks among the most difficult to put on and take on, because the slick neoprene (vs. nylon-covered neoprene) sticks to your skin and doesn't slide easily. Is your body type tough to fit in an off-the-shelf wetsuit? The stretchiness of the HyperStretch makes it a great fit that's super easy to put on and take off for anyone.

That said, you really do get used to putting on the InstaDry, and it doesn't bother me any more. Also, it gets easier as the suit conforms to your body (referring to InstaDry here, which literally molds to your body over time so the fit gets better after about 10 dives).

InstaDry is very warm. Dries in a jiffy. Seldom a need to put on a cold wet wetsuit. Hyperstretch, by comparison, is NOT very warm... this is a problem in cold SoCal, perhaps not so much in warm Caribbean waters.

However, they're expensive, and the quick-drying coating is not as durable as nylon-covered neoprene. Sort of a bad combination. The quick dry aspects, however, combined with the lack of nylon, means nothing retains odor. No suit funk. My InstaDry suit still smells like neoprene, not like "me"... and yes, I'm one of those diver who don't lie about it.

The InstaDry booties are simply amazing. No foot stink. Actually dry even if you dive a lot. I don't ever want another bootie, no matter what suits I buy in the future. Oh, and the 3mm gloves are simply amazing as well... nothing can touch their dexterity, not by a long shot. And the warmth they give is far greater than the 3mm thickness would seem to imply.

I may or may not buy an InstaDry wetsuit again. Even after two years in the suit, I haven't fully decided. I suppose I probably have about a year to make up my mind.

I will definitely buy the booties and gloves again, for the foreseeable future.

Great post!

[WestTnDiver]

I must be hard on suits. I've been through 2 3ml hyperstretches and 2 Instadrys. The hyperstretch suits held up OK except for pilling anywhere velcro touched. The problem I had with them had to do with insulation. I'm a warm water wuss. I hate to be cold and the older I get the higher the temp has to be to keep me warm. After about 50 dives the hyperstretch gets thin and looses its insulation. I can tell by feeling the suit and by the fact that the amount of weight I used went down a few pounds. When I replaced the suit with another the weight went back up.
The Instadrys were the warmest suits I've ever had. I went from 4-6lbs on the 3ml hyperstretch to 12lb on the 3ml Instadry. They just didn't last. After 50-60 dives they developed holes in the seams. The first was replaced by Henderson. The replacement had the same problem after 52 dives. They fixed it and it had problems after 40 dives. The glue used to seal the seams peeled off and the two knee patches came loose within two dives of each other. I gave up and Larry sent me the new stretch version of Pinnacle's Merino suit. It doesn't have enough dives to know about holding up, but it looks better constructed. It's not as warm as the Instadry!
Three or four weeks after getting the Pinnacle a package came from ST. It had the yet again repaired Instadry. I thought they had thrown it away! So I'll take it on trips where the water is below 80.

[Puffer Fish]

Originally Posted by WestTnDiver

I must be hard on suits. I've been through 2 3ml hyperstretches and 2 Instadrys. The hyperstretch suits held up OK except for pilling anywhere velcro touched. The problem I had with them had to do with insulation. I'm a warm water wuss. I hate to be cold and the older I get the higher the temp has to be to keep me warm. After about 50 dives the hyperstretch gets thin and looses its insulation. I can tell by feeling the suit and by the fact that the amount of weight I used went down a few pounds. When I replaced the suit with another the weight went back up.
The Instadrys were the warmest suits I've ever had. I went from 4-6lbs on the 3ml hyperstretch to 12lb on the 3ml Instadry. They just didn't last. After 50-60 dives they developed holes in the seams. The first was replaced by Henderson. The replacement had the same problem after 52 dives. They fixed it and it had problems after 40 dives. The glue used to seal the seams peeled off and the two knee patches came loose within two dives of each other. I gave up and Larry sent me the new stretch version of Pinnacle's Merino suit. It doesn't have enough dives to know about holding up, but it looks better constructed. It's not as warm as the Instadry!
Three or four weeks after getting the Pinnacle a package came from ST. It had the yet again repaired Instadry. I thought they had thrown it away! So I'll take it on trips where the water is below 80.

I cannot believe the number of great posts in this thread.. both yours and CompuDude are insights into suits that most people would never see... thanks to both of you.

From what I have seen, the stretch suits are not seam sealed, which makes them not as warm (along with several other things). Pinnacle suits are generally tanks.. their nylon outside the toughest I have ever seen, but I also do not find them that warm. While I have a lot of suits, I dive mostly O'neal, as they take less weight, compress less and are as warm as the insta-dry... just wish ST would handle them.

[mike_s]

Originally Posted by WestTnDiver

I must be hard on suits. I've been through 2 3ml hyperstretches and 2 Instadrys. The hyperstretch suits held up OK except for pilling anywhere velcro touched. The problem I had with them had to do with insulation. I'm a warm water wuss. I hate to be cold and the older I get the higher the temp has to be to keep me warm. After about 50 dives the hyperstretch gets thin and looses its insulation. I can tell by feeling the suit and by the fact that the amount of weight I used went down a few pounds. When I replaced the suit with another the weight went back up.
.

I have the same problem with the hyperstretch. I've got two of them and the one that's a 3mm just isn't that warm anymore. The 5mm is still pretty new so it's not that bad.

But neither is as warm as a regular non-hyperstrech suit.


As for the Insta Dry, for what a 5mm or 7mm Insta Dry costs (close to or over $500 bucks), I just assume put that much moeny towards a drysuit if I need that much warmth.

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by mike_s

As for the Insta Dry, for what a 5mm or 7mm Insta Dry costs (close to or over $500 bucks), I just assume put that much moeny towards a drysuit if I need that much warmth.

I got a ridiculously good deal on mine, else I probably would not have bought it.

I will say that for SoCal, while a drysuit is the way to go for much of the year, there are times when the simplicity of a wetsuit wins... and then I'm glad I have the warm choice of the InstaDry.