"Ian B." <ian_bush@yahoo.com> wrote...

First bit of advice is to take somebody with you who knows about drysuits

Ask the seller questions - how long have you had it, when did you last use
it, why are you selling it, are there any leaks or problems that you know
about. A seller isn't obliged to offer information about faults and defects
in an item, but they should not lie to you (even private ones). If it turns
out to be a tea bag the seller can quite rightly say "well, you didn't ask",
but if you ask and are lied to then you have some comeback.

Seals and zips on drysuits are consumables, they do need replacing and they
do wear out. If the ones on the suit you're looking at need replacing then
the price should reflect that. Wrist about ?30? Neck about ?60? A new zip
over ?100!

For the wrist and neck seals (assuming latex) they should be smooth to the
feel, if they feel "sticky" at all then they've had it. Gently stretch the
seal, look for cracking or crazing in the latex, if they aren't sticky but
are "cracked" then you should get a season out of them. Look at the zip very
carefully (expensive!), it should be smooth to operate, all the teeth should
be there and not bent or broken. Look at the inner rubber seal on the
underside, if that is flaky or perished then the zip may need replacing. Try
the valves if you can, take a cylinder with you? Is the hose included in the
deal, one of them will cost you around ?20.

For fit the main consideration is height, you should be able to wear it and
hold your hands up in the air without speaking in a high voice ;-) Are the
boots OK? If they're too small then you'll have to get them changed (???), a
little big is OK, HUGE will cause you problems. Neoprene suits should
actually fit reasonably well, membrane suits don't need to, especially with
a good undersuit. Unless there's room for somebody else in there as well you
can get away with some bagginess.

Good luck, HTH

Keith L