Is a Trident Drysuit better than a Wetsuit?

A drysuit is easy to put on, is light to wear and non restrictive.Top of page

What guarantee does a Drysuit have?

Trident Drysuits materials and workmanship are guaranteed for the life of the suits.Top of page

What Fabrics are the Drysuits made from?

MX2 Breathable Coated textured 4oz nylon with it's

- hard wearing characteristics
- high tear and abrasion resistance

and it looks good while feeling great to wear.
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Trident's Fabric Facts

Breathable Fabrics by their nature of how they have to work tend not to be as hardwearing as non breathable fabrics, they tend to "wear through" and start going porous, and/or delaminate.
Repairing all brands of Drysuits allows us to see the durability of a wide range of suits.

The result is that we, at Trident, have been slow to manufacture a Fully Breathable Drysuit, wanting to feel confident that the fabric we would choose would stand the test of time

We have now had manufactured for us our MX2 which we have tested and are confident is the most durable breathable fabric we have seen.
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Are braces important?

Yes, they hold the trouser section of the Drysuit up for easy bending and crouching.
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Latex Seals or Neoprene Seals?

Latex seals - provide a more efficient seal than neoprene. They are easy to put on and wear, especially if you cut them down so they feel comfortable - they might feel rather tight to begin with due to their conical shape so you just trim it down following the imprinted guides. Neck thermal needs to be worn to provide insulation (see our snug base layer)

Neoprene seals - are comfortable to wear and provide thermal protection but do not provide as good a seal. This is because they are not as stretchy, and might not fit as well - and they do not having the bellow in their design which means when your head is bending forward, as when you hike or trapeze, you might find a gap between the seal and the nape of you neck.

We do not recommend neoprene seals for Juniors since their heads are larger, by proportion to their necks and a neoprene seal would probably be quite loose on their necks.
We have already had to replace a number of neoprene neck seals for latex seals for this reason
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Fabric Testing

Fabric manufacturers provide many test results to prove their fabrics breathabilty,
waterproofness, resistance to tear etc. However they do not take into
consideration "in the field" factors, eg.wind driven rain or spray, hitting
the water in a fast capsise fall, etc. We test all the fabrics "on the water"
over one or two years of sailing by various crews before introducing a new fabric into our drysuits.
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Should I have a front zip or back zip?

Personal preference -
Team Trident tend to wear back zips, easy to put on, especially for people with stiffness, in shoulder or neck area, it’s out of the way, gives a "tidy" front, particularly helpful if you wear a harness, but you will probably have to ask for help to open or close the zip.

Front zip are- designed to sit neatly across the front, can usually be opened and closed by the wearer - and can be useful for male wearers for going to the loo (being a female editor I can only comment from feedback I have had !!).

We do not however recommend front zips for small sailors because the zip does tend to get in their way - and not offer front zip in the medium child suit.
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Why do Trident Drysuits not have a neck seal collar?

There are a number of reasons -

"Bellows" seal with a conical, ringed neck. The bellows portion of a neck seal allows the user freedom of movement than a traditional tapered seal - if a collar is sown on to the drysuit to cover the seal it will immediately restrict the movement the wearer has.

Also collars for most wearers can get in the way or rub/catch the chin.
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Which is best Ankle or Sock Seals?

Depends on your intended use.

In most cases we suggest the Sock (Unless your a kitesurfer, wake boarder, jet skier or similar) - since for most people the whole concept of wearing a drysuit is to stay warm and dry.

Your feet tend to be the first part of your body that feels cold and would therefore seem sensible to keep your feet dry since they will have a much better chance of staying warm.

Since most of us have to launch our craft our feet invariably get wet and potentially cold before we even start!

Ankle seals also reduce the blood flow to your feet due to the nature of the way they work, which will also cause a cooling effect.

Also socks are easier to put on, and last longer because they do not stretch every time they are put on.

All Trident drysuits are fitted with 3D socks.

If you would specifically like ankle seals on your drysuit then this can be easily arranged.Top of page

How long do Latex Seals last?

The expectant life for a well looked after seal is about 2-3 years, however this is all dependent on how often you use the seals and how you look after them! You will be given full instructions on how to care for your seals when you buy your suit.

303 Protectant is an excellent protector against UV light and many other substances that deteriorate the seals It needs to be applied regularly during the season and every 4-6 weeks when in storage.

When they do eventually need replacing - either send the suit back to us and we will replace them for you or we can send you a DIY replacement seal kit with full instructions.
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What happens if the Socks fill up with air or water?

Some people are concerned about socks filling up, and whether they would be dragged down when they are in the water - and whether their feet will try to float up because of the air in the socks.

Comments to appreciate are:
water in your socks hardly ever happens, but if you do get a rip in your suit and you fill up while you are in the water you get wet which isn't very nice, and your legs will feel heavier to move, but because the suit has very little air in you will not "fill up" with water.

Similarly, air in your socks do not happen because you have your sailing boots over the top which tend to be tight fitting leaving no room for air.
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