Was skeptical about drysuit valves until I actually needed them

Always thought those quick-dump valves were just an expensive extra, but after a 90-minute dive in Puget Sound last month where I couldn't dial in my buoyancy, I finally see the point. Anyone else hold out on gear upgrades they thought were gimmicks?

3 comments

3 Comments

noaht156d ago

Hold on, are we really calling that a gimmick though? I mean, I get that the stick-on weights were probably a mess, but with the drysuit valves I'm not totally convinced it's a must-have for everyone. Like, how many dives did you do without them before you suddenly "needed" them? I've been diving dry for five years in cold water and I just use the standard inflator and a little practice, never felt like I was missing some magic button. Seems like another piece of gear to break or leak to me.

emery_white5d ago

Oh man, I feel you. It's like every other season there's some new doodad that's supposed to change your life underwater. I've got a drysuit valve setup and honestly, half the time I still just use the old inflator because that's what my muscle memory knows.

jenny_hall6d ago

Did you ever try those little stick-on trim weights before they became mainstream? I slapped some on my tank bands back in 2018 and spent the whole dive trying to figure out why I kept tilting to one side.

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