Why 'still works' can beat 'newer exists'.
Why 'still works' can beat 'newer exists'. Exposure protection is part comfort, part performance and, in some configurations, part of the overall buoyancy strategy.
What changes the choice
My summer 3 mm is old enough that I can see wear and small areas beginning to give up. The first one I bought had a problem and was replaced under warranty; the replacement has lasted for years.
Modern neoprene keeps improving in softness, stretch and thermal performance, so I know a newer suit could be better. But I dislike spending money to solve a problem I do not yet have. I will replace it when its function no longer justifies keeping it.
The practical point
The best exposure system is the one that keeps the diver functional for the whole dive, including the time spent before and after the water.
Why I have not replaced a visibly old suit
My Scubapro 3 mm is old enough that I can see areas beginning to show wear. I also know neoprene technology changes and a modern replacement could be softer or warmer. Yet the current suit is still comfortable and still does the summer job I ask of it, so I keep postponing the purchase.
I actually had an earlier example of the same suit deteriorate badly and be replaced under warranty. That history makes me attentive to condition, but it does not convince me that every old product should be discarded while it remains functional.
Thermal protection changes the entire configuration
A suit is not just clothing. Its thickness and buoyancy alter weighting, trim, mobility and gas use, and a drysuit adds a separate buoyancy space that must be managed. That is why I do not ask which suit is “best” in isolation. I ask what water temperature, surface weather, duration, workload and dive type I expect. The fundamentals are covered in my articles on how wetsuits provide thermal protection and how a drysuit changes thermal protection and buoyancy management.
In Malta, my practical ladder is simple. A soft old Scubapro 3 mm remains my summer suit while it still does its job. When I want substantially more wet protection I use the Waterproof W1 7 mm, and the front zip matters because I can close it myself. When cold, surface wind, long technical exposure or the need for an independent buoyancy space justify it, I use my made-to-measure BARE HD2 trilaminate drysuit.
Convenience is not trivial
Being able to dress without depending on someone else is valuable when I am teaching, guiding or simply arriving at a site with no helper standing beside me. The same is true of gloves, hood and boots: if they make valve work, finning or equipment handling awkward, warmth has been bought by sacrificing another part of the system. My choices try to keep enough dexterity for the dive I am actually doing.
Redundancy must be described accurately
On selected technical sidemount dives with a single-bladder wing, I value the drysuit as a separate source of buoyancy. That does not turn every drysuit dive into a technical procedure and it does not remove the need for appropriate training. It simply shows again that one component can have more than one system-level function.
Comfort is part of safety, but so is mobility
Being warm enough can improve concentration and gas use, but an exposure system that prevents me from reaching valves, clips or fins creates another problem. I therefore test the complete combination: suit, undergarments if any, hood, gloves, boots, fins and weighting. Thermal protection is a system, not a thickness number printed on neoprene.
Explore related topics
This article stands on its own, but these pages go deeper into the parts that connect directly with it:
