10 Best Scuba Diving Drysuits in 2023

Feeling the need to stay dry and toasty warm on each and every dive you make?

If so, it might be time to invest in a drysuit.

Drysuits are must-have pieces of kit for divers who regularly explore cold waters. They’re also handy for divers and dive pros who spend a lot of time in temperate waters.

Unlike wetsuits, drysuits keep you warm by trapping a layer of air between the suit and your body. To do this effectively, drysuits need to be completely watertight.

Waterproof exteriors and snugly fitting seals at the neck, wrists, and sometimes ankles, make this possible.

If you’re on the hunt for your very first drysuit – then spend some time looking through our product reviews for some of the best options on the market.

Things to Consider Before Buying a New Drysuit

We won’t beat around the bush — drysuits are expensive. They’re even more expensive if you rush into a purchase and don’t spend some time beforehand thinking about which kind of suit is right for you. With that in mind, let’s go over a few key drysuit considerations.

Neoprene or Membrane Drysuit?

There are two main types of drysuits: neoprene and membrane. Which one you pick highly depends on your preference and the type of diving you’re planning on doing. Here, we’ve summarized each to make choosing the right one easier.

What Are Neoprene Drysuits?

Neoprene drysuits, as the name suggests, are made out of neoprene, just like wetsuits are. Some of them undergo a process of compression or crushing to make them durable and waterproof. Normally, neoprene drysuits have a lining on the inside and outside of the suits to make them waterproof. They’re thick, very warm and insulating but also quite heavy as a result. The bubbles in the neoprene have an effect on buoyancy when diving in deeper water, due to compression. Compressed neoprene drysuits are basically wetsuits that undergo compression and become thinner. This makes them waterproof, more durable, and more comfortable to wear. Additionally, because the bubbles get compressed during production, there’s less of an effect on buoyancy. Another type of drysuit material is crushed neoprene. The neoprene goes through a process that changes the structure. This makes it even thinner, more durable, and have a much smaller effect on buoyancy. Generally speaking, neoprene drysuits are thicker than membrane suits and more insulating. This means you might only need only a thin layer of undergarments, depending on the water temperature, of course. They’re more form-fitted and stretchy underwater but are heavier to transport.

What Are Membrane Drysuits?

The most common membrane suits available are known as trilaminate suits. They’re comprised of three layers of fabric, making them waterproof. Depending on the manufacturer, the number of layers can vary. Membrane suits are not as warm as neoprene drysuits, because their fabric isn’t very insulating. If you opt for a membrane suit, it’s important that you buy undergarments that will keep you warm enough underwater. Membrane suits are great if you’re planning on diving in many different water temperatures since you can adjust your undergarments to the climate. Best of all, they’re super light, making them ideal for the traveling divers among us. Also, membrane suits are super easy to clean and dry quickly.

What Are Shell and Laminate Drysuits?

Shell and laminate are just other names for membrane drysuits. Like all membrane models, the suit itself is thin and warmth is provided by the undergarments the diver wears.

Socks or Boots?

After deciding what kind of material you want your suit to be made of, it’s time to think about what you need on your feet. Most drysuits come with either a sock or a boot attached. Depending on what kind of diving you’re planning to do and what’s more convenient for you, both can have their pros. Let’s take a look now.

Socks

Socks on drysuits are commonly made out of the same material as the drysuit you’ve chosen. They’re thin, aren’t particularly sturdy, and rip easily on rough terrain. This type of footwear is designed to be worn with a detachable shoe also known as a rock boot. Rock boots come in many different forms and are made for a variety of purposes. The kind you get depends on whether you need warm boots, robust boots for shore diving, and other factors. A beneficial feature of removable rock boots is that they can be easily repaired or replaced. They also have a tighter, more customized fit, making precise finning much more efficient However, rock boots can be costly and heavy to travel with. They can take a lot of time to put on and you may also need larger fins to accommodate large rock boots.

Boots

Some drysuits have boots attached to them instead of socks. They’re sturdier than socks but not as durable as rock boots. Boots attached to the suit are easier to put on, especially when you’re boat diving. Additionally, they’re lighter and easier to transport than socks and rock boots. They’re also more affordable. One possible downside is that they don’t usually fit as well as rock boots and allow more space for air pockets. Attached boots are also harder to fix and replace since you’ll have to send in the whole drysuit for repairs.

Seals

Drysuit seals are an incredibly integral part of your suit. Without them, it wouldn’t keep you dry! Usually, there are three seals on a drysuit, one at the neck and two at your wrists. Sometimes there are seals at the ankles. Some drysuits come with an integrated hood which has a seal around the face, preventing your hair and head from getting wet. Others have dry gloves included in the set-up, which is especially beneficial for cold water diving. There are three main seal materials that you can choose from, neoprene, latex, and silicone. Each has its pros and cons and divers shouldn’t expect any seal to last forever. Let’s take a brief look at each material now.

Neoprene

The good: A tough exterior, even pressure against your body. The bad: Can’t be used with dry gloves, neck seals may need to be folded over to be effective, not as much stretch as other seal options.

Latex

The good: Affordable, very flexible, effective seal. The bad: Will stretch and degrade over time, liable to rip and tear, can feel very tight. The ugly: No good for people with latex allergies.

Silicone

The good: Comfort, easy to change with a ring system, excellent seal. The bad: Silicone is not easy to adhere to other materials so a ring system is needed, quite fragile.

To P-Valve or Not to P-Valve?

P-valves are always a hot topic of conversation. Depending on if you’re a man or a woman, they can look and work very differently. Without getting into the nitty-gritty of pee mechanics, here’s a bit of P-valve info. Drysuits are dry and filled with air, which creates a bit of a problem when it comes to peeing, especially on long dives. A P-valve is a valve that allows you to urinate without wetting yourself. They work rather simply with men and are relatively easy to use. However, they’re a little bit more complicated to attach to women’s suits and use takes a lot of practice (trust me.) P-valves will always come with an additional cost and you’ll have to consider this when you decide which drysuit to buy. Adding them to an existing drysuit can be an expensive installation process. There are some alternatives to using a P-valve, one is to use adult diapers. Now, that might sound weird, but it definitely works — as many tech divers will attest. Not everybody wants to battle with diapers though. Option three is to hold it in for dear life. But this is not an ideal solution, after all, hydration is key when diving and purposefully not drinking water might mean you don’t have to pee but deliberately dehydrating yourself can be dangerous. Holding it in is only really an option if you’re planning shorter dives.

Front Zip or Back Zip?

The location of the zip is something that depends on your own personal preference and what is easiest for you. A front-situated zip is easier to close yourself whereas, with a back zip, you’ll need help to close it. On the other hand, a back zip creates a more streamlined look.

Drysuit Fit: Tips and Tricks

Dry suits have an unfair reputation for being notoriously hard to size correctly. In an ideal world, all divers would have a handy scuba store just down the road (and the budget to buy made-to-measure) but for most of us, that’s not the case. With that in mind, how do you make sure the drysuit you buy is the right size for you? Buying online can be just as successful as trying the suit on in a store if you do a bit of homework. Here are a few handy hints and tips:

• First up, measure yourself with your clothes on. Remember that you’re going to be wearing the drysuit over undergarments.
• It’s super important to not increase the measurements you take, thinking that if the suit is a bit bigger, it’ll at least fit. Take exact measurements with clothes on. If not, this results in a dry suit that’s too big. If the suit’s too big, you’re prone to have your feet slip out of the boot area and as a result, out of the fins.
• Measure your: Height, weight, chest, waist, hips, inside leg, neck, and wrist.
• Match up your measurements with the manufacturer’s size guide. Use the size guide they provide on their website.
• If you’re an interesting or a particularly unusual shape, you might need to consider a made-to-measure option.
• Size up your boot properly. Again, remember that you’ll have socks on. Your standard shoe size is usually correct unless you intend to wear multiple pairs of socks.
• Don’t hesitate to contact the manufacturer or retailer and provide them with your measurements. More often than not, they can then suggest the correct size for you.

One final word of advice: If your new drysuit seems way too big when it first arrives, don’t panic. It’s almost kind of magical how a drysuit seems HUGE before you put it on, but once it’s on your body, it fits perfectly. If you find that the drysuit sizing is incorrect after you receive it, send it back to the retailer or manufacturer. Because these are expensive bits of kit, most sellers and manufacturers are happy to change the size for you within a reasonable period of time.

What Should I Wear Under My Drysuit?

It’s entirely up to you and the temperature of the water you’re in. Some divers who spend a lot of time in very cold waters wear something akin to a sleeping bag with arms and legs. Other divers just wear tracksuit pants and a sweatshirt under their drysuit. What you wear will also come down to which type of suit you’re wearing. Neoprene suits are warmer than membrane suits. If your drysuit has in-built gloves, you’ll also want to wear gloves under the suit’s outer layer. If you have attached boots, you’ll want to wear a warm sock.

How Do Drysuits Affect Buoyancy While Diving?

Drysuits create an artificial air space, much like the one created by your mask and your BCD. And just like those airspaces, the air inside your drysuit is subject to the same rules: as you descent, the unequalized air inside your suit will compress in line with the surrounding pressure. As you ascent, any air inside your drysuit will expand as the surrounding pressure drops. You can think of your drysuit as somewhat like a secondary BCD, to keep your buoyancy in check, you will need to add air to your suit as you descend. The amount of air needed is dependent on factors such as the amount of weight your using, the type of drysuit you’re wearing, and the salinity of the water. On descents, you will always need to add air to your suit to avoid squeezes, unless you’re making very shallow dives. When you ascend, you need to release air from the suit to make sure that you do not ascent too fast. Some divers will prioritize their drysuit over their BCD as their primary means of buoyancy control. Other divers prefer to use their BCD more. There are two schools of thought on this but we’d say that your drysuit is primarily there for thermal protection, not for use as a buoyancy device. If you’re new to the world of drysuit diving, it’s best to take a drysuit specialty course or a few lessons with a professional diver who can teach you how to use the suit in a controlled environment.

Valves on a Drysuit

To add air to your drysuit, a hose is attached to the valve on the suit’s chest and to the first stage on your regulator. This hose allows you to add air from the tank to your suit by pushing the inflate button on the valve. To remove air, drysuits generally have a dump or release valve on the left arm or shoulder. To get the air out, divers either have this valve set to closed or open. In the closed position, the diver has to manually remove air from the suit using the button. In the open position, the valve will automatically release air when the diver tilts to one side or raises their arm.