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Old 01-03-2005, 07:40 PM   #1
kitefisherman
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Dive Parka

I have received several inquiries about my truWest dive parka (which is also known by the name of one of its former? competitors "Warm Wind"). I know that several of you have purchased them, but I continue to get questions, so I thought that it would be a topic of general interest and timely.

The hooded parka is waterproof and will keep you warm when put on over a wet wetsuit even in the wind. I took mine on a JR2 trip last Spring, and it seemed that someone was always wearing it. I took it again on the JR2 in December and practically lived in it. Even Jim couldn't get mad at me if I came directly into the cabin after getting out of the water because it wicked all the water away from me but didn't let it get the bench wet. It seems to dry fairly quickly and not get waterlogged. I get a lot of use from it over here because I do a lot of diving out of center consoles, and even if the water is warm, you get cold real fast running at any speed when you are wet. I have seen other dive parkas, but this one is heavier, warmer and made to last. It also cleans up pretty well in the washer. The only weakness that I have seen is that the salt water is hard on the zipper, so that may have to be replaced at some point. I haven't had the problem myself, but I have seen others with the problem with older parkas.

The parka is made by truWest (http://www.truwest.com/). I bought the Standard Parka (Item #ST1) for $111 plus $10 for the plush Truarctic liner plus $10 for XXL sizing (I went up a size because I wanted it long and comfortable over other clothing) plus $3 for my embroidered name. You can buy them in a variety of inner and outer colors as swim teams are one of the largest consumers of the product.

TruWest sells these parkas to retailers at the same price as they sell to the public. Most dive shops do not stock them because they have to sell them for about $180 for the base parka to justify carrying them in inventory. You can get decent discounts for ordering in even minimal quantities. For example you can get a $15 per parka discount for ordering 2-6 parkas and a $20 per parka discount for ordering 7-24. Two guys can order together and save $30 and avoid extra shipping charges.

I suggest ordering by telephone so that you can ask questions (800-322-3669). TruWest gets back ordered a month or more in the winter, so you may want to order sooner than later.

After getting your dive parka, all you will need is one of Pat's bean bag chairs (http://www.e-searider.com/) and you will be both warm and comfortable on any boat!
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Last edited by kitefisherman; 01-05-2005 at 09:46 AM.
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Old 01-03-2005, 08:17 PM   #2
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I got one for Christmas, and I can't wait to try it out.

There is a swimming store called Swim Zone with locations in St Pete and Boynton Beach that carries them. I think the XL was $100.
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Old 01-03-2005, 08:33 PM   #3
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Thanks for the info Kite!

Let's get a group of us together and make a mass purchase. Anyone interested?
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Old 01-03-2005, 08:33 PM   #4
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3 of us would be interested
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Old 01-03-2005, 08:36 PM   #5
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I am interested. Let me know if anything comes of it.
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Old 01-03-2005, 08:40 PM   #6
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I bought one from Diver's Supply, even though I don't like them, it was $109.

I tried calling Rich @ Simply Scuba first, but they had the answering machine pick up, and I was in a hurry to get one, so I bought it from Divers supply. I checked Tackle Shack before I bought it from Divers supply, but they wanted $169.

I prefer to buy from the Spearboard Sponsor's, but $60 was quite a bit percentage wise, and in the past have paid more at Tackle Shack rather than supporting Divers Supply.

If you guy's aren't in a hurry, you might want to call Rich.
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Old 01-03-2005, 08:57 PM   #7
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Make that 4 of us
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Old 01-04-2005, 08:28 AM   #8
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I'd be interested.
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Old 01-04-2005, 08:50 AM   #9
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I dunno how this one compares in quality, as I haven't bought one. But so far this is the best deal on a dive parka I've found anywhere:

http://shop.diversdirect.com/item/Di...0Parka_ID36614
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Old 01-04-2005, 09:08 AM   #10
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Kite is right about this parka being one of the best winter and sometimes even summer time pieces of dive equipment you could own.
I have two of them now. My original is neoprene wetsuit material on the outside and polar fleeece on the inside.
Unfortunately nobody makes the old style anymore. Now its made with a waterproof nylon on the outside. The good ones have a thick layer of polar fleece on the inside.
Dont be fooled by imitations like the one wayward posted. The real deal is very long and comes down to your knees. And definitely opt to pay the extra ten dollars for the polar fleece lining.
One thing I added to mine was stainless snaps that allow it to close all the way to the bottom as the manufacturers always put the zipper about a foot up from the bottom.
This company usually has them in stock and they are well built with very thick fleece.
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/swimx/fleeclinswim.html
You can also do a google search for "swim Parka".
The site that Kite mentioned appears to be a good one also.
Be sure to get the XXL or xxxl no matter how big or small you are.
Like Kite mentioned, whenever Im on a boat with mine and not using it. somebody else always has it on.
We were going to buy a bunch of them for our dive club last year but never got a round to it. I believe one guy CALLED the company mentioned above and they said they would make them for i think $65.00 each if we bought 15 of them.

Last edited by RichTaylor; 01-04-2005 at 10:17 AM.
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Old 01-04-2005, 09:21 AM   #11
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So an XXL for me as well Rich. I don't want the thing to be skin tight though. Yall let me know what type of decisions are made.
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Old 01-04-2005, 09:30 AM   #12
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Rich brought up some very good points. The truWest parka is heavy duty and waterproof - not water repellent or water resistant. I'm not sure exactly what difference that makes, but it is much sturdier and WARMER than many of the other dive parkas that I've seen. Diligaf has one like Rich's old one and it is very warm.

I'm not sponsored, repping or anything. I don't care which one you buy. I just want you to be as happy with yours as I am with mine. I wish that I had posted this thread a couple of months ago as I just bought another parka in mid December for my best friend as his Christmas present. I wish that I could have gotten a group discount with you guys.
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Old 01-04-2005, 09:32 AM   #13
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You guys get a big enough group going to get the price discounted & I'm interested. I need one, I've been making do with other stuff.
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Old 01-04-2005, 09:37 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally posted by snooker
So an XXL for me as well Rich. I don't want the thing to be skin tight though. Yall let me know what type of decisions are made.

Casey,
I made a mistake in my original post and didnt add enough x's
A xxxl fits me 6'1" 185 pounds as well as JBY 6'4" 285 pounds.
The same size will fit guys much smaller to. Its just going to be longer. Whatever you guys order be sure to order it a size or two bigger than you think you need. You want it to fit over a big bulky wetsuit and even if you dont wear it over a wetsuit it will not seem too big the way they are designed.
Think of the design like a parachute. If your real tall the coat doesnt come down as low to your feet. If your real short, the coat comes down closer to your feet. The arms have elastic so if you have stubby arms or gorrila arms they still fit. Ive seen guys of every size wear mine and never mention an improper fit.
I bought the second one so I can use one over my wetsuit and one that stays dry all day for the ride out and the ride in.

Last edited by RichTaylor; 01-04-2005 at 09:45 AM.
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Old 01-04-2005, 09:52 AM   #15
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Both pimpmassa and I have the truwest parka. We talked to Gil at truwest and it was a pleasure doing business with them. They were wiped out so close to Christmas, but we told him what we were looking for and he took my number down and said he would get back with me. About 20 minutes later we had worked out a deal for 2 of the parkas 1 XXL and one XXXL.

I am 5'9" about 200 and with my 6 mil wetsuit on the XXL is the perfect size. Pimpmassa is 6'6" about 270 and the XXXL fits him fine with his wetsuit on. The XXXL was way too big on me.

I will say that its probably my favorite thing behind my speargun that I have bought so far. I took mine and sprayed the inside down really well with Scotchguard and it doesn't hold water and will dry in about 10 minutes after I take it off. You can check out the Pressure Drop Maiden Charter thread and see the guy we rescued wearing it. It played a huge part in getting him warmed up.

You guys will enjoy them and never know what you did without them.
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