WATERPROOF D7PRO ISS CORDURA

SPECS
• Price: $2,899
• Style: Front Entry, Diagonal-Zip
• Suited For: Heavy-duty, Technical/Scientific Diving
• Available Sizes: 7
• waterproof-usa.com

**FEATURES
**• The trilaminate body is covered with an outer shell made entirely of Cordura for both durability and abrasion resistance.
• Huge military-grade kevlar overlays protect entire lower leg areas.
• ISS (Integrated Silicone Seals) on neck and wrists deliver comfort at depth and are quickly replaceable in the field.
• Neoprene wrist overcuffs and a neoprene neck warmer protect seals and provide some warmth.
• Package comes with a limited lifetime warranty, and includes two large thigh pockets, a 7/5 mm hood, a dry bag and spare wrist and neck seals.

**PERFORMANCE
**Designed with tech divers in mind, virtually everything about the D7Pro ISS Cordura shouts “heavy-duty.” Nine divers were able to take this suit on test dives, with 67 percent of them achieving a “Good Fit” in the supplied sizes. As it turns out, however, this suit runs large and it’s generally full-cut, which presented some problems for our smaller test divers. In fact, a size small, which generally fit our female test divers spot-on in other brands, was way too big in this model. This included not just the suit but also the seals, which were so big divers couldn’t get a watertight fit, even when using BioSeals. On the other end of the size spectrum, male test divers found the suit not so much too big as too bulky when compared to similarly sized suits. Much of this bulk was found in the mid-section, which made the front-diagonal dual zipper system a bit hard to self-zip. These hiccups aside, once in the water the D7Pro behaved pretty well. Hydrodrag wasn’t bad for such a big suit, the positioning of both valves was deemed good, and divers found the two expandable cargo pockets right-sized and well-positioned—although the Velcro was pretty sticky on those big overflaps. Like on other suits featuring a ring seal system, some divers weren’t crazy about getting their heads and hands through the rather constricted rings. But the big issue was the silicone seals themselves. During the course of the tests one wrist seal tore and another ended up with pinhole leaks. Granted, a dozen divers of different sizes climbing in and out can be hard on seals, but of all the suits tested, these were the only seals that failed. Luckily, they were easy to replace.

**BOTTOM LINE
**During the course of two days of in-water testing the D7Pro ISS Cordura had a run of bad luck with seals that failed, a non-critical exhaust valve malfunction, and a size-small suit that was too big for all of our female test divers. But get beyond size issues and minor malfunctions and this is a rugged, virtually indestructible suit. While not for everybody, divers engaged in serious underwater activities may find the D7Pro ISS Cordura just what the doctored ordered.

Want more? See the entire ScubaLab 2013 Drysuit Review!