Dry Suits Basics 101 - Need Help Please

I am considering buying my son a dry suit so he can wakeboard a little longer this fall but I know nothing about them.

He will be 15 in a couple of weeks and is about 5' 10" 135 lbs and still growing. His younger brother is almost 13 and is 5' 2" 100 lbs. I am guessing I can't get one suit that will fit both kids? But, maybe someday his runt of a little brother will grow into something that fits his older brother now.

I would like to know briefly how they work. What do you wear under them? Is your life vest over or under? Do you need gloves or booties? I am guessing booties in the bindings is tough, so don't your toes get cold?

What do I look for when buying one? Any material better than others? Any brand or model better than others?

I have looked on e-bay and there are all sorts of them there. Apparently some are for scuba diving??

Where is a good place to buy them. E-bay, Overton's, anywhere else?

What should I expect to pay?

And lastly, with their sizes (mentioned above) what size suit should I buy?

Thanks!!

they work in 1 of 2 ways:
1. really really thick neoprene, that water cannot get through with tight head/ankle/arm holes
2. loose fitting waterproof material with tight head/arm/ankle holes. (I prefer)

The oneill boost is my favorite, with that since its a baggy fit you can wear sweatpants and a sweat shirt under if you would like.... the other ones are a little tight for such things.

the scuba ones will be like 7.5mm or thicker, which would work but will allow almost zero movement.

I got my drysuit off this website in the classifieds, traded for shane boots that I got for $200... but ebay is good, but you run the risk like always of getting one thats really beat.... then again there is a lot of new stuff on there too

My votes for the "best" ones:
Oneill Boost or Assualt
Bare makes a nice nylon one
Gladiator Nylon Dry Suit

Any of those should work, the bare and Gladiator would most likely be cheaper than the oneills.

good luck, sizing if maybe a little different for each but the company's site should help with that

Vest goes inside. I also like the baggy suits so you can add layers under the suit as it gets colder. As temps go down you'll want gloves - I use some sealed seam gloves from Oneill. Toes do get cold, and you are correct - booties are impractical. Closed toe bindings help a lot though.

My daughter and I both have Bare Ultra suits. My girlfriend has the Oneill Boost. The Bares are going into their fourth seasons of use; the Oneill will start its third season this fall. All are wearing very well.

We ride weekly through the cold months as weather permits, so these suits see a lot of use. Keep them clean and keep the seals and zipper treated with the conditioner they will provide with them and you will get years of use.

I got the Bare suits through a group purchase on Grizzly for like $240 shipped, which is about as good as you can do for a new suit IMHO.

I also got my Bare drysuit through Grizzl-sports for around the same price, I think (my wife ended up buying it for my birthday). It's on its third season and is holding up pretty good, considering I'm the only one in my group that has one, and everyone uses mine.

Thanks for the replies guys.

I tried the Grizzly Sports web site and it said to call, no prices were listed for the O'Neill Boost or Bare Ultra. I called and they must be closed for the holiday weekend. I will try again Tuesday.

$240 shipped would be GREAT. The best price I have found so far is about $350 for the Boost.

Between the 2, which is best??

His birthday is the 16th, I am trying to get something by then.

I can't comment on the Oneil, I have no experience with that brand. I will say the Bare keeps me dry and there is no issues with movement even when I'm wearing sweats underneath. I have found with Grizzly watersports that its always best to call, and sometimes the only way you can get a price.

both o'neill and bare make good drysuits. i have a used o'neill for sale if that's an option. it does need new ankle seals which you can get replaced for $25 (that's what it is here). let me know if you're interested.

Do give Grizzly a call. They will give you a great deal.

As far as which suit (Bare or Oneill) is best, they both have some nice features. The Bare has a nice elastic waist band that helps the suit stay put. The oneill has some internal suspenders. I personally like the waist band better, but it is personal preference. The Oneill's nylon shell is a bit more supple than the Bare, which is more stiff feeling. The Oneill has a neoprene neck seal which would probably be more comfortable, but I think the latex seal on the Bare keeps out more water (both will let in some water when you crash).

I think you would be well served with either one.

Mike Sieple's company Barefoot international (BFI) makes a nice suit as well. You can usually find a lot of them on ebay.

i'm not a fan of the bfi drysuits at all: too stiff and uncomfortable.

I have an O'Neill Boost and like it a lot. The seals wear out every few years and are easily replaced; I've sent mine back to O'Neill to get OEM seals installed.

The number of layers underneath depends on how cold you get. I'll usually wear a thermal layer, top and bottom, like for skiing.

I have gloves that I will occasionally use. It's a real trade-off. Without gloves, hands definitely get cold. With them, though, and the forearms get tired much faster.

I might get a pair of closed toe boots for winter riding. I love my open toe Zeus's, but the toes definitely get cold in the middle of winter.

Can you guys let me know what sizes you have, how big you are, what suit you have and how it fits? Trying to get some idea of what size I should get him.

He is tall and skinny (5' 10" 135 lbs, about a 29" waist), makes it tough to find the right size.

Also, what should I look for in gloves?

Thanks again

Being that he is 15 and is still growing I would go with the large. I'm 5' 10" 165 lbs, 32 waist and have the large Bare drysuit, and it fits me perfect. I think if you go with a large he wont be growing out of it in a year or two.

Buy for length, as they are all baggy. 5'9", size medium, O'Neill Boost.

Gloves you want as thin as you can get away with. O'Neill Psycho gloves in 1.5mm are good.

Several ways to keep your leg and wrist seals working longer.

First after drying completely, store your suit in a box or bag out of the sunlight/uv rays.

Also use a silicone spray on the seals (both inside and out (Aqua Seal brand or similar food grade quality the kind you get at a wakeboard shop). Don't use silcone like what you get at Napa or the Hardware Store.

Use the spray throughout the season too not just at the beginning and end.
Also get a wax stick for the neck zipper and wax the zipper.

I have an OS Drysuit which will cost you more but has really good seals and stitching.
Just my opinion.

Anyone have good experience with Bio Seals (http://www.apollosportsusa.com/Products/Drysuits/Bioseal.htm), which I heard such good reviews on (from non-wakeboarders)? I got some for this year and tried them out once, and they didn't seem to help with keeping water out of my wrists. (I have a Bare suit that I bought 6+ years ago, and it's always leaked at the wrists - sometimes even just when swimming around.) I'm gonna go back to just using wristbands ("real" or made from cut socks) to keep the water from running down my arms.

^^^For the price of the neck and wrist seals your better off buying a new drysuit.

> For the price of the neck and wrist seals your better off buying a new drysuit.

I think if the Bio Seals actually work, it would be worth it (since I've heard so much that every drysuit will leak, so buying a new one won't help).

The neck seal might work for me. I didn't get a leak there when I tried it, but that doesn't normally leak too much anyway. Also it was making my circulation get cut off even more than usual (what I hate most about wearing a drysuit).

The only time I get water in mine is when I wipe out going into the water head first, or when a buddy doesn't zip it all the way closed.

First time I wore my drysuit was the first time I had ever tried a drysuit. I had one of my buddies zip me up, and I got in the water, and didn't know what to expect. I remember thinking "man it feels like water is running down my back". I ended up swimming back to my boat cold and wet. My bone head friend didn't zip it closed.