Charles Hood gets hot under the collar with this effective but pricey drysuit 
Heavy Light FZ Drysuit, £1,200The Finnish company Ursuit has been making drysuits since the early 1960s, but its products have only recently been imported into the UK. This might be because of the suits’ relatively high price when compared with other established UK brands such as Otter and Northern Diver. The question is whether Ursuit’s gear is worth the additional spend. Distributor Silent Planet certainly thinks so and sent us a suit to test.
There are four models in the Ursuit range that are being sold in the UK, of which two are manufactured from Cordura and two from trilaminate. Silent Planet recommended the Heavy Light FZ Cordura as the most appropriate for the typical UK diver, as it has been designed specifically to be hard-wearing and heavy duty, while being relatively light in weight. The outer fabric has been made to withstand sharp surfaces such as those found on a typical wreck.
Putting on the Ursuit was straightforward and can be done on your own thanks to the excellent cross-chest zip, which appeared to be longer and better positioned than on some of its competitors. Two generous pockets on each thigh, which are fitted with D-rings inside, are just far enough forward so that they can be accessed with gloved hands. There is a longer flap of material on the pockets after the Velcro, which also helps access – it’s this sort of attention to detail that illustrates how well thought out the design is.
I would prefer the neck seal to be made from neoprene rather than latex – but to be fair, after a day on the RIB, I didn’t suffer too badly from the tightness around the neck that’s often associated with latex seals. The bottleneck latex wrist seals worked very well, with not a hint of water ingress despite some vigorous use.
Areas prone to particular wear, such as the knees, seat and elbows, are impregnated with a heat-pressed polymer, giving extra strength without piling on extra layers. This helps to keep the suit flexible and lightweight while making it durable.
The valves are the standard Apeks variety, which are reliable and easy to get spares for in the UK if required. In the water, the FZ works well – perhaps it’s not as warm as my usual crushed neoprene drysuit, but it’s certainly as flexible – and the boots are noticeably more comfortable. The warm collar is a bit of a double-edged sword, though. Yes, perhaps it improves the seal with the hood, but I have an excellent sealing hood to start off with. The downside was that during the surface interval, it tended to get in the way and I was tempted to cut it off!
A storage bag, low-pressure hose, cap, zip wax, talcum bottle and repair patches are all included. Extra goodies available include a pee valve or zip, more pockets, attached dry gloves and different boots if required. It is undoubtedly a high-quality suit and probably has the edge on some of its cheaper competitors, but I think its price is too high and could do with being more around the £1,000 mark.
DIVE SAYS...
Quality hard-wearing suit – at a price
Value 6 Performance 9
Contact
Silent Planet • 01305 826666 •
www.silentplanet.info