The outer plastic zip
Apeks swivel inflate and auto-dump valves
Sturdy incorporated boots
The latex wrist seals fitted a treat, tight enough to prevent water ingress but without any uncomfortable pressure. Ditto the neoprene neck which, once turned in on itself, provided an excellent seal.
While I can occasionally suffer from a stiffness in the shoulder, I had little problem reaching the waterproof metal inner zip and pulling it shut( or so I thought) by my right hip. An outer plastic zipper cover is provided for added protection. With the telescopic upper pulled down and kept nicely in place via a crotch strap, the suit had a smart, professionally finished look. I’ ll always submerge myself in a new suit prior to properly kitting-up, as a final check. I was glad I did as I felt a sliver of cold water enter where I’ d not quite closed the zip. Brrr.
Disaster averted, I loaded up with my usual wing, twin sevens and utilised the concertina twin thigh pockets for a reel and DSMB in one plus a spare mask and torch in the other. Substantial hook and loop fastenings made sure all remained safe and sound.
As you’ d expect, the suit features extra reinforcement at potential wear points. At the knees for obvious reasons and also at the shoulders to prevent BCD shoulder straps or webbing from taking its toll over
time. Apeks swivel inflation( offset to the left of the chest) and auto-dump( left shoulder) valves are provided.
SOLAS-type reflective strips are also positioned just above the elbow region and these proved effective in both sunlight and the beam of a torch.
Weighty matters
The Lite really was an excellent fit. Crouching low, stretching out and reaching was all pretty effortless and the polyester / spandex CoreTek Undersuit felt very comfortable and flexible too. The allblack, with white and red highlights colour scheme make the top particularly suitable to wear après-dive too.
If I could ask for just one very small amendment to the Lite, it would be the addition of a small loop-type handle located at the hip closure point of the zippers. This would act as an anchor point to hold while pulling open the zips to make it just a tad easier.
One advantage of a trilaminate suit is the need for less lead around the waist, or in the form of integrated BCD weights. This is a positive whether on dry land, during descent or for trim beneath the surface.
In the water, a short blast via the chestmounted inflator rapidly equalised any suit squeeze, allowing the air to migrate to where I needed it to be for ideal trim.
The CoreTek Undersuit, worn directly against the skin, proved adept in its purpose as exposure protection. On subsequent, deeper dives I took the opportunity to pair it with the 100 % polyester Base Layer option to very good effect.
Apart from my initial user-error‘ oops moment’ with the zip, I had no water ingress at all during an intensive period of boat diving over several days. Entering and exiting the self-donning suit became second nature with each use. It was just as comfortable wearing it complete or stripped to the waist during my surface interval as it was to use in the water. Neil Hope
SCUBA SAYS
Hammond’ s Pro-Elite Lite SD drysuit may be Lite by name and nature, but there’ s nothing lightweight about its build quality and performance. Combined with the company’ s CoreTek Undersuit, plus Base Layer in colder conditions, this made-to-measure suit oozes quality from top to toe.
Concertina thigh pocket
The metal inner zip pulls shut by the right hip
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