who makes the best drysuit

looking to get my first drysuit and was wondering who makes the best one in your opinion. i have to say i am leaning towards dui but really dont know all that much about them so any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated

thanks a lot

DUI makes great drysuits but they are uber pricey. I opted for a Bare because I think the quality is great with excellent features at a great price. Their customer service is great also. I'm sure you'll get lots of opinions. I went to a dive show and tried on different brands before deciding on my Bare.

thanks bud. i appreciate the input. how much was the bare one. also did u opt for a neoprene one or the baggy kind that you wear warm clothes under. sorry forgot what material those are called. just curious which one to go with and why u chose the one u did. i heard the neoprene is warmer but id imagine with proper layering you could actually be warmer in the other kind.

I opted for a custom trilaminate drysuit from DUI (TLS 350) last year and couldn't be happier with it. It's been in waters from 5degC to 28degC!

My choice of DUI was due to reputation and availability (not a lot of choice to see/try drysuits here in Asia).

If you can, I suggest you see/try on as many different brands you can to see which one suits you the most. They're a big investment so get one that fits.

O three

O three

Gets my vote too. I have the MSF and the Ri...

Who makes the best one? DUI

Who makes the most expensive one? DUI

Would I be happy with the next best one? Very likely.

You might also look at White's Fusion. If I ever donned another drysuit, this would probably be it. But, alas, I won't go near water that cold again, I think.

Another vote for O Three. Really good quality suits, well made. A lot cheaper than DUI (not hard) and I have heard of fewer complaints of leaks, etc.

Daniel

The best drysuits I have used are:-

1. A military suit, designed to be self-donning and to run in. As well as being very comfortable, there was a stitched grab handle on the back of the suit, used to drag the suit occupant if they can no longer walk or are otherwise incapacitated.... no idea who made this suit.....

2. DUI - Comfortable. Flexible. Expensive.

3. Othree - The suit of choice for me.

thanks bud. i appreciate the input. how much was the bare one. also did u opt for a neoprene one or the baggy kind that you wear warm clothes under. sorry forgot what material those are called. just curious which one to go with and why u chose the one u did. i heard the neoprene is warmer but id imagine with proper layering you could actually be warmer in the other kind.

I have a Trilam HD Tech. It's extremely durable. We have a lot of zebra mussels here in the Great Lakes and they are razor sharp. I've seen them cut though thinner dry suits such as the TLS 350, which a lot of people around here dive. Mine has held up great. I like the trilam suits because I can layer underneath according to temperature and they dry faster than neoprene. I added a pee valve to mine and that is by far the best money I've spent on diving. I'm free to drink as much water pre-dive as I want without being in a hurry to get out of the water.

I use both Weezle and Fourth Element liners. Both are excellent.

1. A military suit, ..... no idea who made this suit.....

Apparently Solent Divers in Portsmouth make some for them, wouldn't get my vote though, some of the neoprene used by them is a bit dated now....I love my O three

HI,

is their any such thing as the best drysuit, they all have different prices, & most of them work in way they should do.

It does boil down to your own budget & what fits you best. I would say that most would say Dui, whites, Othrees, Bare etc.

All I would say is buy the best you can afford & if you can buy a made to measure it would be better. Then what type of diving

will you be doing? What type have I got Othrees Ri.

Thanks Andy

I have owned a DUI for a dozen years. Nice suit but they are $$$. My next suit could well be a White Fusion. You might look like Spaceman Spiff but who cares.

Unfortunately DUI 350TLS, is the best suit I have ever used. I say unfortunately, as they are the most expensive by some margin.

The basis for this that the TLS material allows great flexibility while still being reasonably tough. This means that they are very easy to dive in.

Whilst many have said that Othree is a good brand, which I don t doubt having owned a msf many years ago, they only manufacture neoprene suits. This makes the comparison rather mute, like comparing apples and oranges.

While neoprene suits do offer an advantage in that they are hard to tear, they do offer significant disadvantages. Namely being less flexible and mobile, slow drying (which in turns makes them hard to repair if you are in a hurry), much heavier to transport, less flexible in terms of undersuit choice and most importantly their buoyancy and insulation properties will change with depth as the neoprene compresses.

In light of these factors to me a trilaminate constructed suit in the only choice.

If you don t feel you can afford a DUI have a look at Santi. They make a copy of the tls350 which are supposedly very durable, but I am unsure how flexible the material is.

Happy shopping

If you don t feel you can afford a DUI have a look at Santi. They make a copy of the tls350 which are supposedly very durable, but I am unsure how flexible the material is.

I have heard great things about Santi as well... unfortunately, the price advantage over DUI is small unless you live in Europe. It used to be much better priced than DUI, but between price increases and the falling dollar, the Santi suits are now almost as expensive as DUI (for US-based people).

Apparently Solent Divers in Portsmouth make some for them, wouldn't get my vote though, some of the neoprene used by them is a bit dated now....I love my O three

The military suit was definitely not a Solent Divers suit.......

I use a Diving Concepts neoprene suit. This is the best suit I've ever owned.

Previously I've used fabric and crushed neoprene suits.

I like it because it is warmer, more comfortable when standing around on the boat, and very comfortable.

This suit is made out of one of the new stretchy neoprene materials. It is very flexible and you can use any combination of underlayers you want. I used a Bare, double thickness fleece in Alaska and was toasty warm. I wear a thin cheap fleece in the California channel islands and am warm.

The only drawbacks to this suit is the change of buoyancy with depth as the neoprene gets compressed. I found the fabric suits to have considerably more drag in the water and not as flexible. Unless you get them too big in which case the drag problem is worse. I find the crushed neoprene suits nice but they are not as flexible.

Having owned 2 DUI and a Apollo suits, I have to give White Fusion Sport my money next if I ever want another drysuit. I tried it for a few dives and it was very nice.

That outer skin is very nice for keeping everything snug and none of that frumpy too much material feel and the resultant added drag. The outer skin is replaceable and they have these really cool looking boots with laces that are designed for military. I couldn't try them as my buddy was the wrong size.

I really liked the Apollo 4mm because of the streamline smoothness and the fusion was as good without the neoprene. I don't dive dry very often and have a bit of acclimatization when using the DUI due to the "looseness" of the suit and the resultant air bubbles. I never had it with the Apollo or the fusion.

The fusion does require more care and steps to get into though. The modular design is good for flexibility.

I like the DUI custom availability, which I needed because I wanted to wear a certain amount of layers underneath and the regular suits just wouldn't fit me. If you know what you are going to wear and are outside the sizes, custom tailoring is a great way to get what you need.

Pinnacle are now also offering suits similar to the DUI TLS 350, they have a couple of different materials to choose from depending on your end use.

BTW, I'm not sure where you're from or when you plan on buying, but here in the States DUI has demo days throughout the country where you can try their products in the water. It's a great opportunity to try their suits.