semi-dry review?

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CaptnJack
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semi-dry review?

Post by CaptnJack »

I am looking for a one peice semi-dry wetsuit. Yes I already have a drysuit, 2 in fact. I still want a one peice semi-dry for certain dives.

Has anyone here used the Hollis Neotek 8/7/6mm suit? which I noticed has pockets (a plus) If yes, where did you get it from. I'd like to see one in person and if possible try one on.

If you have a different semi-dry let me know which one, how you decided on it and what pluses and minuses youve noticed.

Thanks for your help.
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Jeremy
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Re: semi-dry review?

Post by Jeremy »

I have the Henderson one piece semi dry and absolutely love it. Great neoprene, super fast to get in and out of, integrated hood, I've been diving it year round every week for three years now.
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Re: semi-dry review?

Post by Jeremy »

Minus is that it doesn't have pockets. I tried a pair of the neoprene shorts with pockets that you can wear over it but didn't care for that at all. Part of the problem was that the shorts were too big though.
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CaptnJack
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Re: semi-dry review?

Post by CaptnJack »

I have some X shorts I don't want to wear a wetsuit, X-shorts and a harness on top of all that. Have to rappel + downclimb to the dive and I don't want to be doing that in my drysuit, hence the wetsuit interest in the first place. While I could probably manage without pockets at all, I have grown so used to them I am not sure I'm really to break away from pockets and diving dry in one giant step. I could sew pockets (or have sewn, glued etc) pockets onto a wetsuit but that drives up the cost considerably.
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Waynne Fowler
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Re: semi-dry review?

Post by Waynne Fowler »

IIRC scubapro put a pocket on the nova scotia?
Aqualungs solaFX 8.7 we use as a rental has had comments about being 'too warm' ..... ????? Whaaa???? The most common comment though has been that its the warmest suit they've used.... no pockets though...
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CaptnJack
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Re: semi-dry review?

Post by CaptnJack »

Hollis - 2 pockets but can't find one in stock
Scubapro - one pocket, locally in stock but thinnest neoprene (6.5mm)
Aqualung - no pockets but "too warm" sounds about right...

No reports on the Henderson's but I have always heard their neoprene is a bit fragile. So not really tempted by this one.
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Jeremy
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Re: semi-dry review?

Post by Jeremy »

CaptnJack wrote:Hollis - 2 pockets but can't find one in stock
Scubapro - one pocket, locally in stock but thinnest neoprene (6.5mm)
Aqualung - no pockets but "too warm" sounds about right...

No reports on the Henderson's but I have always heard their neoprene is a bit fragile. So not really tempted by this one.
Bro, I gave you a report about the Henderson. 250 dives and the neoprene is still like new, and very very nice imo. No pockets though. But I'm a pretty minimalistic diver.
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CaptnJack
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Re: semi-dry review?

Post by CaptnJack »

Jeremy wrote:
CaptnJack wrote:Hollis - 2 pockets but can't find one in stock
Scubapro - one pocket, locally in stock but thinnest neoprene (6.5mm)
Aqualung - no pockets but "too warm" sounds about right...

No reports on the Henderson's but I have always heard their neoprene is a bit fragile. So not really tempted by this one.
Bro, I gave you a report about the Henderson. 250 dives and the neoprene is still like new, and very very nice imo. No pockets though. But I'm a pretty minimalistic diver.
Sorry about that, I meant the Bare that I was looking at as I wrote that. Too many tabs open at the same time.
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loanwolf
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Re: semi-dry review?

Post by loanwolf »

Pinnacle makes some good suits that you can get pockets on in 3,5,7 mm.
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CaptnJack
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Re: semi-dry review?

Post by CaptnJack »

I'm gonna try the Aqualung, price is right for the amount of use. And I think the lack of pockets might be an asset. I can put my harness on without getting hung up on sewn pockets, then once at the water switch the harness for my Xshorts which are really not getting any use lately anyway.
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Joshua Smith
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Re: semi-dry review?

Post by Joshua Smith »

U shud try a bP/wing insted

:grin:

Seriously, though: what dives would be better semi dry than dry? Cavez or something?
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Re: semi-dry review?

Post by Jeremy »

Joshua Smith wrote: Seriously, though: what dives would be better semi dry than dry? Cavez or something?
Pretty much all of them imo. Sold my drysuit a long time ago.
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Re: semi-dry review?

Post by Joshua Smith »

Jeremy wrote:
Joshua Smith wrote: Seriously, though: what dives would be better semi dry than dry? Cavez or something?
Pretty much all of them imo. Sold my drysuit a long time ago.
Really? Can you explain why? I don't really even know what a semi dry suit is....
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Re: semi-dry review?

Post by Jeremy »

Joshua Smith wrote:
Jeremy wrote:
Joshua Smith wrote: Seriously, though: what dives would be better semi dry than dry? Cavez or something?
Pretty much all of them imo. Sold my drysuit a long time ago.
Really? Can you explain why? I don't really even know what a semi dry suit is....
Just a wetsuit that has seals so is more restrictive on the water flow. I'm partly kidding. My semidry has actually held me back to some extent because I am not willing to dive steel doubles in a wetsuit which is preventing me from getting a tech pass in Fundies. But for the minimalism, how fast it is to put on, and how bulletproof it is underwater, it's been really nice. Underwater it's just as warm as my drysuit was, but during winter you need to have a stash of hot water on hand to turn the suit into a jacuzzi during the surface intervals... Otherwise the intervals can be pretty cold.

I don't get cold easy at all, so that is probably a factor too.
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Waynne Fowler
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Re: semi-dry review?

Post by Waynne Fowler »

CaptnJack wrote:Hollis - 2 pockets but can't find one in stock
Scubapro - one pocket, locally in stock but thinnest neoprene (6.5mm)
Aqualung - no pockets but "too warm" sounds about right...

No reports on the Henderson's but I have always heard their neoprene is a bit fragile. So not really tempted by this one.
If you'd like to give it a try.... I have a large in my rental program and you're welcome to give it a go....N/C
Ripper of drysuits, mocker of divers...there are no atheist divers in a mistimed Deception Pass dive. Jeremy
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Re: semi-dry review?

Post by brownc9 »

I have the Oneill J-type, it's ok. I've worn the nova scotia once and I felt it kept me much drier and warmer. I got a heck of a deal on the oneill so I went for it. I'll give it a couple more dives until I start hunting for the next best thing.
If I could do a side by side review of the two of them I'd say the nova scotia was better, but I only have a couple dives on each. Sinking $1000+ into a drysuit seems pretty painful and out of my ability right now.
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Re: semi-dry review?

Post by CaptnJack »

I think I am going to try and use my old beater drysuit. I don't really want to spend ~$400 on a suit for one dive which might be a bust. Ripping that would suck but I will try to be careful in lieu of getting the "right" exposure protection (ie. a wetsuit or semidry)
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Re: semi-dry review?

Post by Nwbrewer »

CaptnJack wrote:I think I am going to try and use my old beater drysuit. I don't really want to spend ~$400 on a suit for one dive which might be a bust. Ripping that would suck but I will try to be careful in lieu of getting the "right" exposure protection (ie. a wetsuit or semidry)
If you want to try my 7mm farmer john for the dive you're welcome too. My guess is that it would be a little loose on you though...
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