Drysuits 2020! O'Neill or Promotion?, Or ???

donwh · Joined: 10 Apr 2000 Posts: 139

Posted this in the general forum, but I wanted local knowledge, if possible...

Hi All-
It's getting towards the fall sailing season here in New England. My Assault hybrid drysuit was just deemed unrepairable by O'Neill (after about 30 sessions).
Searching the iw forum I found little current suit info. My current choices are the O'Neill neoprene baggy top O'Neill Fluid Neo drysuit, or the Promotion Men's 4mm Dimension drysuit.

Any thoughts appreciated.

wdsurf · Joined: 22 May 1999 Posts: 335

Got the dimension liteweight wear it on Great Lakes in 35 deg air and water warm got it last winter wore it thru spring no problems

cgoudie1

I love my Promotion drysuit. I've got the all neo 5/3 unit they've
been trying to get away from for several years. I'm not as manly as Mike,
but I have the same issue. Leaks at the wrist. I'd still get this
drysuit over any other.

-Craig

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20881

cgoudie1

Hey Mike, I have a Kokatat goretex also that I use in Utah, but I find the
Promotion easier to swim in, even if I've properly burped the Kokatat.

-Craig

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20881

I think I concur. It depends mostly on how thoroughly my K is burped. Even though I empty it neck deep just before leaving shore, within minutes it's got a lot of air in it even if I didn't eat beans w/breakfast. The K is warmest if it has enough air to maintain some separation between suit and skin, but it's hard to maintain the right balance. But, man, when those issues are addressed, the only thing that feels lighter and better is just board shorts. That full suit of yesteryear's neoprene is hea-vee.

Everything's a tradeoff.

donwh · Joined: 10 Apr 2000 Posts: 139

Craig wrote:
I love my Promotion drysuit. I've got the all neo 5/3 unit they've
been trying to get away from for several years. I'm not as manly as Mike,
but I have the same issue. Leaks at the wrist. I'd still get this
drysuit over any other.

-Craig

See, that's the crux for me. I assume you're talking all neoprene, upper body baggy suit, which apparently Promotion doesn't make any more. They have the "cloth" type baggy top (not sure of the material). O'Neill has the opposite, they have the Fluid neo top drysuit, and stopped making the other style Hybrid Assault. I look at my O'Neill Assault here that I just got back from O'Neill being rejected for repair 'cause the top part has become permeable. The thing still looks primo, having only about 25 sessions over the past 3 years or so. What a waste. Hoping the Promotion Dimension or newer O'Neill Fluid neo will last longer. I often sail in waves in the winter and can't have it become porous like this one did last season.

cgoudie1 · Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2020 8:17 pm Post subject:

Greetings, the upper body is neo, but it isn't baggy, at least on my body,
but the arms are cut very large. They aren't advertising them, but
when I was in there last November, they had a whole rack full, not sure of
sizes though. You should call them, and see if they have what you want.

-Craig

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20881

Promotion's neo dry suit isn't designed to be baggy. It IS designed to be very roomy where we need room to provide freedom of motion in the shoulders and upper arms and loose enough in the forearms to prevent constriction. Back when I bought my Promotion all-neo suit, I couldn't get my arms and shoulders into O'Neil's suits ... just too tight unless completely oversized top to bottom.

That said, I deliberately bought an oversized Promotion neo dry suit. I had 'em send me two sizes, one too big and one way too big. I tried them on at home and returned the merely "too big" one. I LIKE being able to jump into my full suits and LIKE having them fall almost to my ankles and sling the suit's arms off my wrists. WTH WANTS to fight a suit on or off, especially after a long session?

But that wasn't why I bought a double-over-sized Psychofreak. I bought it because I flat could not get into or out of a one-size-over without help. It took every ounce of strength and sweat I could muster to get the double-over size on or off, and I still needed help sometimes.

jpeter · Joined: 18 Oct 2009 Posts: 350

For what it's worth, my Ripcurl 5/4 Flashbomb is warmer (and drier) than any drysuit I ever owned. I'm sold on the integral hood for warmth and minimal water intrusion. Mine is a few years old when it was made as a 5.5/4. The 5.5 mm is from ankle to neck with the arms only at 4mm. I picked mine up for 350$, so a cheap option. They make a 6/4 now also.
JP