Drysuit Advice Required

PeteG · 24 March 2019, 19:06

Evening all.
I've tried a few 'surface' drysuits on this weekend ( Gil/Gul & Crewsaver) and although generally happy with the overall fit and feel of them, one thing that I definitely didn't like about ANY of them was the tightness of the neck tube. I know it's got to be pretty damn snug to do it's job, but these were so tight that they actually felt like they were restricting breathing and sending my face a decent shade of red!. I tried the next size up in all 3 and although the neck felt a little better, the mass of extra body material and length mean they really weren't the right size for me. So, my question is....do the necks 'give' a little with regular wear, and is it possible to stretch them as well? They were the neoprene glideskin type, size I need is medium, and I haven't exactly got an oversized neck (just 15.5in shirt collar!).
Ive heard of some using a rugby ball etc for a few days or a week to loosen it off a bit but I'd be interested to hear owners views. I guess the only other options would be to either have one made to measure or an off-the-peg one altered by a drysuit altering professional ??. Opinions welcome

JamesF · 24 March 2019, 19:32

The last (only) neoprene neck seal I had slackened off quite a lot over its lifetime. Maybe 1" – 1 ½".

I'd have thought the rugby ball trick would be worth a go. I'm not sure if you can trim a neoprene seal back to the right size like you would with latex.

Gazzago · 24 March 2019, 20:02

I tried stretching a latex neck seal over a pan for a couple of days. It made a small but noticeable difference.

Latex neck seals have rings you can trim them down to make the neck wider.

What I found worked well with mine was just pulling it down lower on my neck. Seems daft but it worked for me [emoji1303]

willk · 24 March 2019, 20:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeteG

They were the neoprene glideskin type, size I need is medium, and I haven't exactly got an oversized neck (just 15.5in shirt collar!).

I've used these over many years (one suit for a decade) an the neck didn't change worth a damn.

I think off the shelf sizing might be your problem - that and the fact(?) that different people have different tolerances to neck restrictions. If you aren't a Conservative MP then a bit of extra collar space is a plus. At medium, 15.5" is a tad oversize, particularly when you consider that lads fix their collar and undercrackers sizing when they are 21yo...

IMO, you may be in "special order" territory.

PeteG · 24 March 2019, 20:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by willk

IMO, you may be in "special order" territory.

Mmm...I feared as much. Didn't really want that extra 'special order' expense for a first one tho..

But it might be worth it in the long run.
There are some repair places that replace neck seals for £30-£60 so I could explore the possibility of getting an off-the-peg suit which fits perfectly in every other way and getting a replacement neck seal the correct size for my expanding 52yr old, 15.5" neck

Thanks all.

willk · 24 March 2019, 21:24

Ask the retailer first. Seals are simple. You cut the suit, you void the warranty.

PeteG · 24 March 2019, 21:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by willk

Ask the retailer first. Seals are simple. You cut the suit, you void the warranty.

Yes, fair point made. If I had it altered I guess would have to accept the warranty period coming to an instant end.

jeffstevens763@g · 24 March 2019, 21:35

Some latex neck seals are designed to be cut they have ribs round them.
For comfort get a suit with 2 MM neoprene seals talc the seals always and invert the seal inwards on the neck. Don't shave before you use it because the seal irritates the skin but you do need seals that fit and you need to get use to wearing one

Sealskin in Leeds do surface suits around £400 made to measure you download a form with loads of measurements on it and spec your suit that way you get a good fit which will last years

Orwell boy · 24 March 2019, 23:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeteG

Mmm...I feared as much. Didn't really want that extra 'special order' expense for a first one tho..

But it might be worth it in the long run.
There are some repair places that replace neck seals for £30-£60 so I could explore the possibility of getting an off-the-peg suit which fits perfectly in every other way and getting a replacement neck seal the correct size for my expanding 52yr old, 15.5" neck

Thanks all.

I bought a musto suit that to get my shoulders in had to be for a six foot man ,as i am only 5ft 6" i needed at least 6 " off the legs ,musto directed me to Hammond dry suits at dartford in kent , first exit and 1 mile after the dartford crossing , absolute stunning british family owned company ,did my alteration and i collected when passing a week later ,also do made to measure suits but may be a bit rolls royce for ribbing
https://www.hammond-drysuits.co.uk/d...rice-list.html

beerbelly · 25 March 2019, 08:01

I have quite a fat neck and my typhoon neoprene neck was restricting the blood flowing and I could feel my carotid artery pulse the first few times I used it but I persevered with the purple face lol and now it feels the most comfortable fit ever .(it is my first dry suit and I think that I was just feeling claustrophobic with the neck seal thing though I doubt I would like a latex neck ) the latex wrist seals responded well to it being stored with an empty stella bottle in each wrist. place I bought it did say if I couldn't get used to it they could send it to typhoon to be altered as there local to me

PeteG · 25 March 2019, 20:55

Thanks for all the comments, recommendations and companies suggested. I'll investigate a little further but I've got a pretty good idea now what I'm going to do, and who to contact if I need some professional help later. Cheers all

mikew4 · 26 March 2019, 00:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeteG

Thanks for all the comments, recommendations and companies suggested. I'll investigate a little further but I've got a pretty good idea now what I'm going to do, and who to contact if I need some professional help later. Cheers all

Buy one with ribbed neck seal that is designed to he trimmed. That way no warranty issues. I have an ION Fuse windsurfing drysuit which works a treat and comfy after I trimmed the neck seal.

jeffstevens763@g · 26 March 2019, 10:16

o3 are a good diving suit very comfy not sure what range they have just be aware too that some people have issues with latex causing rashes.

Miller · 26 March 2019, 23:50

Could you fit a sitec replaceable neck? They do silicone neck seals on diving drysuits and are much better than latex seals... And, if they rip you just replace yourself

Mikefule · 27 March 2019, 17:54

I bought a drysuit in November. In the shop, everything fitted, but the neoprene neck seal was very uncomfortable. I was red in the face, and struggled to get the neck seal off.

On the advice of the person in the shop, I warmed the neck seal in very hot water then stretched it over a melon. I let it cool then removed the melon and repeated the exercise. After doing this a few times (fewer than 10) it was fine.

Last week, I was out on the sailing dinghy for 3.5 hours, plus some time in launching and recovering, so 4 hours of continuous wearing. Most of the time, I barely noticed the neck seal — just occasionally felt the need to pull it away from my neck if I had been turning my head for a long time (as you do in a sailing dinghy).

PeteG · 27 March 2019, 22:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miller

Could you fit a sitec replaceable neck? They do silicone neck seals on diving drysuits and are much better than latex seals... And, if they rip you just replace yourself

Thanks. A replacement (slightly larger) neck is an option, but most of them I'm looking at aren't latex anyway. They all seem to be neoprene glideskin.

PeteG · 27 March 2019, 22:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikefule

I bought a drysuit in November. In the shop, everything fitted, but the neoprene neck seal was very uncomfortable. I was red in the face, and struggled to get the neck seal off.

On the advice of the person in the shop, I warmed the neck seal in very hot water then stretched it over a melon. I let it cool then removed the melon and repeated the exercise. After doing this a few times (fewer than 10) it was fine.

Last week, I was out on the sailing dinghy for 3.5 hours, plus some time in launching and recovering, so 4 hours of continuous wearing. Most of the time, I barely noticed the neck seal — just occasionally felt the need to pull it away from my neck if I had been turning my head for a long time (as you do in a sailing dinghy).

Good info. Thanks. I called Gul direct and they actually recommend gentle stretching if necks are too tight and assured me they do 'give' under such persuasion :-)