Wasted $200 on a cheap drysuit zipper repair kit and it failed on the first dive

I tried to save some cash last month by buying a $200 DIY drysuit zipper repair kit off an online surplus site. Figured I could fix a small leak on my old O'Neill suit myself, but the repair only held for about 15 minutes underwater during a harbor inspection job. The adhesive just peeled right off in 45 degree water, and I had to abort the dive and swim back up cold and frustrated. Ended up spending $350 at a shop in Norfolk to get it professionally resewn anyway, so the kit was a total loss. Anyone else had bad luck with those self-adhesive zipper patches for drysuits?

2 comments

2 Comments

spencer19925d ago

Whoa, $200 for a DIY kit that failed in 45 degree water? That's brutal.

tylerr2925d ago

Dude honestly I used to think cheap DIY gear was the way to go, but seeing that thing fall apart in 45 degree water totally changed my mind. I figured as long as you're careful with setup it'd hold up but nope, that's a hard no apparently. That's not even that cold for water temps, so if it can't handle that it's basically useless for real outings. Guess I'm saving up for something built better instead of gambling on budget stuff.