Updated August 4, 2024
Below is a review of 10 different scuba diving drysuits. To help you choose the best one for your diving adventures, each is described with key features, pros & cons, photos, videos, and a comparison table.
If you have any questions or concerns, please use the comments section at the bottom. I’d love to know your thoughts.
For an earlier post with a description and comparison of the features of dry suits to consider when purchasing one, please click here:
For my reviews of related cold water equipment, please click on the titles below:
- Best Women’s Scuba Diving Drysuits
- Best Cold Water Diving Equipment
- Best Drysuit Undergarments
- Best Scuba Dive Boots
- Best Scuba Diving Gloves
- Best 8 Scuba Diving Hoods
Best Scuba Diving Drysuit Review
- Bare X-Mission
- Hollis DX 300X
- Waterproof D9X Breathable
- Hollis BTR-500
- Fourth Element Argonaut Flex
- ScubaPro Everdry 4
- Waterproof D1 Hybrid
- Viking Pro Surveyor
- Waterproof D7X Nylotech
- Bare D6 HD Pro
- Material: Nylon rip-top trilaminate
- Boots/socks: Boots (tech)
- Features: Elastic groin strap, neoprene collar/ neck seal with water drain, latex wrist seals, telescopic torso, internal braces, front TIZIP Master-Seal Zipper, knee pads, large thigh pockets with internal bungees and drainage holes
- Price: $$$$
- Rating: 4.9
Pros: Low weight
Cons: A bit bulky and expensive
- Material: Cordura ripstop trilaminate outer layer
- Boots/socks: 5 mm neoprene socks (will require rock boots)
- Features: Velcro pockets, double-thick knee pads, Si-Tech quick-replacement silicone neck and wrist seals, telescopic torso, diagonal front entry, internal braces, and expandable pockets with internal D-ring, Velcro flaps, and drainage holes
- Price: $$$
- Rating: 4.8
Pros: Easy to put on and take off, replaceable seals, lightweight
Cons: Potentially restricted movement due to no stretch material, fragile seals
- Material: Cordura nylon quadlaminate
- Boots/socks: Extra light flex boots
- Features: Flexible dry zipper (TIZIP MasterSeal 10), adjustable integrated suspenders, reinforced knees, seam-free crotch for durability and comfort, reinforced seat, swiveling inlet valve and adjustable automatic outlet valve, telescopic torso, zip-off warm cuffs (put the glove underneath the cuff), latex seals
- Price: $$$
- Rating: 4.7
Pros: ultralight yet durable
Cons: slightly heavier than the earlier D9 version
- Material: Butyl ripstop trilaminate outer layer,
- Boots/socks: 5 mm neoprene socks (will require rock boots)
- Features: Si-tech inflator and auto shoulder dump, composite front entry zip, latex neck and wrist seals, neoprene warm neck collar with adjustable velcro fastening, internal braces, two front-mounted zippered pockets
- Price: $$
- Rating: 4.7
Pros: Durable, flexible, easy to put on and take off
Cons: Hard to see a downside
Fourth Element Argonaut Flex 2.0
- Material: Flex trilaminate, kevlar reinforced
- Boots/socks: Neoprene socks with available dry sock option
- Features: Fabric resists tears, telescopic torso, Duratex panels reinforce shoulders, elbows, knees, and every seam in the suit, 2 thigh pockets, TiZip Masterseal Composite Zip, customizable with Biomap sizing system, elasticated crotch seals, neoprene or silicone seals are available as options, SiTech Antares system allows for several dry glove options in conjunction with silicone seals
- Price: $$$$
- Rating: 4.8
Pros: Versatile, rugged, good for extreme and milder conditions
Cons: Expensive (but expected with these features)
Material: 4 mm high-density neoprene
- Boots/socks: Socks
- Features: Reinforced, coated seams, leg pocket with zipper, hood, rear zipper, heavy-duty large kneepads, removable suspender system
- Price: $
- Rating: 4.6
Pros: Extra soft neoprene allows you to wear thinner undergarments because of its good insulation level, men’s and women’s sizing, low priced
Cons: Overly large through the upper back and shoulders
- Material: Trilaminate
- Boots/socks: Boots with improved rubber quality
- Features: Warm and comfortable mesh lining, silicone seals, soft and flexible neck ring with silicone, latex, and neoprene neck seals, extremely durable to abrasion, new easily adjusted suspenders, improved leg pockets
- Price: $$$$$
- Rating: 5
Pros: Superior mesh lining insulation provides excellent cold climate insulation
Cons: Very expensive
Material: Vulcanized rubber, two-way stretch knit polyester lining
- Boots/socks:Boots
- Features: Gas/water-impermeable heavy-duty zippers, rotating valves, internal stitched and taped seams, external vulcanized seams, reinforced shoulders, rear and zipper (with anti-slip rubber), latex seals
- Price: $$$$$
- Rating: 5
Pros: Exceptionally sturdy in all conditions, specially designed for contaminated water, easy to clean and repair, flexible and comfortable
Cons: Extremely bulky and heavy-duty, recreational users may feel it is too heavy, expensive
Material: Nylotech Tri-lam material
- Boots/socks: Boots
- Features: SI TECH quick neck and QCS ring system, longer anatomic dry zipper, anatomical Kevlar-reinforced boots and knee pads, suspenders and adjustable torso system, and a spare set of WP silicone seals are included
- Price: $$$$
- Rating: 4.8
Pros: Warm cuffs and neck, extra sturdy, generous pockets, comfortable
Cons: Expensive
Material: 6 mm high-density neoprene, with nylon laminate on the surface
- Boots/socks: Boots
- Features: Low profile TIZIP MasterSeal, 2 mm nylon/smoothskin warm collar with vented neck drain, pre-installed suspender tabs – ready to accept optional suspenders, kevlar knee protection, your choice of HD vulcanized 4mm neoprene BARE boot, or soft boot, vented neck drain
- Price: $$
- Rating: 4.3
Pros: Very warm, choice of neoprene or latex neck seal, the low-profile exhaust valve is adjustable
Cons: Little bulky and heavy
Top 10 Best Scuba Drysuits Comparison Table
| Drysuit | Material | Seals | Boots/Socks | Price | Rating |
| Bare X-Mission | Trilaminate | Latex/Neoprene | Boots | $$$$ | 4.9 |
| Hollis DX 300X | Trilaminate | Silicone | Socks | $$$ | 4.8 |
| Waterproof D9X Breathable | Quadlaminate | Latex | Boots | $$$ | 4.7 |
| Hollis BTR-500 | Trilaminate | Latex | Socks | $$ | 4.7 |
| Fourth Element Argonaut Flex 2.0 | Trilaminate | Latex | Socks | $$$$ | 4.8 |
| ScubaPro Everdry 4 | Neoprene | Neoprene | Socks | $ | 4.6 |
| Waterproof D1 Hybrid | Trilaminate | Silicone | Boots | $$$$$ | 5 |
| Viking Pro Surveyor | Vulcanized Rubber | Latex | Boots | $$$$ | 5 |
| Waterproof D7X Nylotech | Trilaminate | Silicone | Boots | $$$$ | 4.8 |
| Bare D6 HD Pro | Neoprene | Latex/Neoprene | Boots | $$ | 4.3 |
For my reviews of related cold water equipment, please click on the titles below:
- Best Women’s Scuba Diving Drysuits
- Best Cold Water Diving Equipment
- Best Drysuit Undergarments
- Best Scuba Dive Boots
- Best Scuba Diving Gloves
- Best 8 Scuba Diving Hoods
Comments and Feedback
I hope you found this post on drysuits interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section. If there is no comments section directly below, click here: >>comments<<
Thanks a lot for your two posts on drysuits. The explanations were great and the videos really brought the information home.
Most of the models you highlight are really pretty expensive. The ScubaPro Everdry 4 is substantially cheaper. Is the quality that much less, as well?
I will probably only do any really cold water diving a couple of times in the next year or two. Should I rent or go ahead and buy the ScubaPro? I’m kind of just thinking out loud, really.
Can you help me with some advice?
Bob
I appreciate your questions and comments. Thanks a lot.
The ScubaPro Everdry 4 is a very good quality drysuit. Neoprene is the primary material and that is substantially less expensive than the trilaminate that most of the other more expensive models use. It is a durable and well tested model. In fact the basic design has been around for many years. Also, it is a comfortable, warm drysuit suitable for most applications outside of hardcore commercial, military or research uses.
Rental fees can add up pretty quickly. I would suggest to buy the ScubaPro and it will probably last you a lifetime if you only plan to dive infrequently (and maintain it properly). Also, it is suitable for milder water temperatures, as well.
Also, you can see from the videos that it can be a bit time consuming to put on many of the other models. This one is pretty quick and easy to put on and take off.
Good luck in your decision.
Joe
Hey Joe,
Based on our last communication I decided to buy the ScubaPro Everdry 4. It is on the way now. Next month I am going to use it up in Puget Sound and will let you know how it goes.
Thanks again,
Bob
Great, Bob. I’ll be really interested to know how it goes. Could you let me know about the conditions of the dive, particularly the water and air temps, and just how the suit performs? I’d appreciate it.
Good luck and happy diving!
Joe