That $400 drysuit zipper I cheaped out on finally gave up

I bought a used DUI drysuit last year and knew the main zipper was kinda stiff, but I figured I'd save the $400 for a real replacement. Big mistake. It blew out halfway through a 90-foot dive near Port Townsend last month, and I had to cut the dive short in 45-degree water. Has anyone else had a zipper fail at the worst possible moment?

3 comments

3 Comments

ivan7741mo agoMost Upvoted

Wait, aren't DUI zippers supposed to be pretty tough though, or was it just old and crusty? Sounds like you just got unlucky with a worn-out seal.

susansingh1mo ago

Funny you mention that, @ivan774, because I actually used to think DUI zippers were basically indestructible (you know, the kind of gear snobs who swear by them). But then I had a buddy's CLX450 fail on a perfectly average dive last summer, and it wasn't even an old crusty one. That kinda changed my whole view on them, honestly. Still good zippers overall, but I'm not convinced they're the bulletproof tanks everyone makes them out to be anymore.

thomas_sanchez1mo ago

My buddy's CLX450 failed at 28 dives, right on the zipper track, @susansingh, and he treats his gear better than most people treat their kids. If a brand new drysuit zipper can't handle moderate recreational diving without blowing out, isn't that proof the hype is just marketing fluff? DUI makes good suits overall, but their zippers seem to have the same failure rate as anyone else's when you actually track the numbers.