Picking a DrySuit

DUI TLSse
-nylon trilaminate material
-rear entry

Why buy a drysuit? For me, the answer has been long in coming. I've been diving in my 7 mm wetsuit in Northern California for 3 years and have stubbornly resisted getting one. First of all, drysuits are prohibitively expensive, running from $1500-2500. They are also baggy and create a lot of drag in the water. Feeling at one with the water is very important to me, and being encased in a drysuit would only separate me further from the water.

Why have I changed my mind? We were starting to do deeper and colder dives. I was tired of ending each dive shivering uncontrollably and near hypothermic. With a drysuit, if I wasn't exactly warm underwater, I at least could quickly warm up on the surface by staying dry. Also, pulling on or pulling off a tight wetsuit especially a 7 mm one is not a fun experience. A drysuit, would be far less strain to don, then a wetsuit. Finally, a nice drysuit seems to be something every long-term self-respecting diver should own.

After almost a year of on-and-off research, I've narrowed down my top choices:
-DUI (Diving Unlimited International), TLSse (see picture above)
-DUI CLXse
-Diving Concepts Pinnacle
-Pinnacle Evolution

DUI CLXse

-Cordura Blend exterior

-Rear entry

DUI TLSse

Walk up and down the Breakwater, and you will see the DUI TLSse (or TLS350) on almost every diver walking by. It costs about $1498 for the fully customized version, as advertised on the DUI website. In summary, this is a drysuit composed of a nylon-rubber-nylon trilaminate material. Trilaminate material, is just a three layer material that was invented for the military in defense against chemical and germ warfare. Usually rubber is the middle layer, providing a waterproof barrier. Because trilaminate material doesn't stretch, these types of drysuits tend to be baggy. The TLSse is less baggy than other trilaminate drysuits offered by DUI because it is a rear-entry (back zipper) drysuit, rather than self-donning (diagonal front zipper). The reason for why rear-entry drysuits are less baggy escapes me.

DUI CLXse

The DUI CLXse is the more hardy version of the TLSse. Like the TLSse, it is a trilaminate drysuit, except instead of having a nylon exterior, it uses a Cordura blend. It is slightly more expensive, running at $1798. (See below.) The Cordura blend makes this drysuit much more abrasion resistant than the TLSse, which is important if you're diving in rougher conditions, or just plain careless with their gear, as I am.

Diving Concepts Pinnacle

The Diving Concepts Pinnacle has cornered the market with the most experienced divers in the Monterey, CA. Instead of trilaminate material, it is composed of a single layer of compressed neoprene. This drysuit is perhaps the most durable of the bunch, and also the most streamlined. Being slightly stretchy, you can get away with using less fabric on this type of suit. The Diving Concepts stock sizes are cheaper than the cost of DUI stock suits. However, the customized Diving Concepts suits are much more expensive than the DUI customized suits, running at around $2000+.

Diving Concepts Pinnacle

Pinnacle Evolution

The Pinnacle Evolution was a front-runner because one of my local dive shops, Blue Water Aquatics, had a good offer on the Pinnacle Evolution. This drysuit also uses the durable Cordura blend trilaminate material. For $1800, the local dive shop was offering the suit at an attractive price, and was giving me the opportunity of patronizing a neighborhood small business that I wanted to support.

Pinnacle Evolution

-Cordura blend exterior

Final Choice - DUI CLXse

My final choice is the DUI CLXse, and it was based on the convergence of price, streamlinedness, durability, customizability, and warranty agreement.

People on Scubaboard rave about the prices for DUI suits offered by Divetank. I called, and found out that they were offering the CLXse, fully customized for fit and color, for $1400. This price also includes the undergarment, a drysuit hood, boots, and gloves. This price was truly unbeatable, by local dive shops and other internet sites.

Streamlinedness was also important to me. The drysuit had to be as conforming as possible in order for me to move easily through the water. Short of the Diving Concepts suit, this suit was as streamlined as any.

Knowing how much abuse I would inflict upon my gear, the durability of the drysuit was paramount. The CLXse was many times more abrasion resistant than the TLSse I was considering. Cordura blend is used on high end sporting equipment and I know first hand how durable this material can be.

Most important was the customization of the drysuit. All customized DUI drysuits are designed around 20 or so body measurements. Neither the Pinnacle, nor the Diving Concepts drysuits have near the sophistication around fit as DUI. Having looked at DUI, Diving Concepts, and Pinnacle's stock size measurements, I realized I would never fit into a stock size. Being Asian, I have wider calves, and shorter legs than most American women. Customization was my only option. At $1400, Divetank was offering an unbeatable deal around the fully customized CLXse suit.

There were various other factors that contributed to my final decision. The sales service around the Diving Concepts drysuits was non-existent. After several e-mails and phone calls, I was told to look up a local dive shop. In contrast, DUI is very well established with accommodating customer service. DUI's 7 year warranty far outlasted any other warranty offered by any other company. Also DUI, I was told, manufactures their drysuits with more care than other brands. The gluing on the interior of their trilaminate drysuits is hand done. The Pinnacle Evolution, by contrast uses machine gluing.