Like asking I want a car and would like to know which one is best and
how much do I pay.

It depends on many things.  When or where you are going to dive.  What
features are you looking for.  You can pay a lot or pay a little
depending on what you want to spend for a good dry suit.  I don't like
cold water diving, never used a dry suit, don't particularly care for
wet suits - so as you can see I am of no help (as usual)  but there will
be plenty of help here - start researching the net - find what features
you need, what you don't want, what you won't pay for.

You will pay anywhere from $1000 to twice that much or more for a
dry suit of at least reasonably good quality.

In my opinion, you should take a dry suit course so that you will
learn all the options and have experience with at least one or two
suits.  At the very least, get a book or two and read.  You would
also benefit by renting before buying -- try to try out a couple
different desings and materials.

Now the following may be a bit controversial, but....
Some people think that FIT for a dry suit is NOT as important as fit
for a wet suit.  I strongly disagree.  If a dive suit does not fit
well, it will have loose areas.  This will lead you to tend to
over-inflate the suit.  More critically, it will allow the air
in the suit to shift as you change your position.  The resulting
change in your bouyancy trim can lead to serious control problems.

Most divers will benefit from a custom or "semi-custom" dry suit.

Isn't there a PADI course on how much to pay for a dry suit?

Adam

Samantha, I just got a new dry suit last week at a pretty good deal. I
bought on line at www.scubastore.com      they have a huge catalog
online!!!! Good luck, meet me in Florida for the best diving!!

There is no such thing as a "best" drysuit.  You need to
determine what is best for YOU.

If you number one priority in a drysuit is price, then an
inexpensive neoprene suit is "best".  If it is longevity,
then a heavy duty drysuit is "best". If weight and comfort
is your primary consideration, then a light weight shell
with the proper undergarments is "best". (oops ... I just
showed my bias!!)

And as to what you should pay ... well you shouldn't pay too
much!  "Drysuits" start at around $600 and go up from there.
 Of course, a cheap suit many times will not keep you dry
... only warmer than a wet suit.  However, a good drysuit
system that includes a suit and the proper undergarments
starts at around $1200 and goes to well over $3000.  The
$3000 package will not necessarily last longer or keep you
dryer than the $1200 one, but it will have more "buzzers and
bells".  Even within one "brand" of suit you will have
several different models to choose from that have various
features making them easier to don or more streamlined or
lighter weight or more durable, etc.  It can get very
confusing.  It is so confusing, that a lot of dive shops
handle a LOT of different brands and types of drysuit
because they can't make up their mind what THEY want in a
drysuit.

As was already suggested, if you have never used a drysuit
before, try taking a class from a shop that has different
types of suits in their rental inventory.  That will give
you a chance to try neoprene vs shell and how they differ in
operation.  Once you have tried a couple, then you can
decide on what it is that you are looking for.

Hope I helped.

Good hunting!

You can take Steve Barsky's Drysuit Diver course online at http://www.scuba-training.net to gain academic understanding into choosing, using and caring for a
drysuit.

Dan

I too am looking into "going dry". Check the September 2004 article in
Scubadiving magazine or on their website at
http://dive.scubadiving.com/gearfinder/main.php/results/view/Dry+Suits

I'm going to do a significant amount of research before committing the big
bux. I'd love to get a DUI suit but they are pricey.

Good luck to you

- Dave