The Gear Shed - IR 7 Figure Drysuit Review
3-layer waterproof/breathable shell with 100% PCW recycled polyester face fabric treated with C6 DWR (durable water repellent) finish
One piece super sticky neoprene tunnel
HD double front pants and heavy duty seat
Fabric Weight: 215g/m²
Waterproofness (mm h₂o): 30,000
Breathability (g/m²/24h): 4000
Rear YKK® AquaSeal® entry and front relief zipper
Booties and ankle cuffs reinforced with abrasion resistant Devil's Club 3-layer 240g/m² nylon taslan face fabric
Latex neck and wrist gaskets with neoprene over cuffs to aid in dryness and gasket preservation
Adjustable webbing belt to keep your suit snuggly on your hips
Weight: 3.9lbs (62.4oz)
Review
IR did an amazing job with the 7 Figure Drysuit. For what I do and my body type, this suit is great. The cut of the suit is great for us tall athletic guys. I was concerned that there were elements that I didn’t need on this suit like the skirt tunnel, and I am not normally used to the lack of Velcro cinch points at the ankles and gaskets. The neoprene gaskets are great because when you turn the suit inside out to get it off the neoprene helps to side the gaskets off your wrist. The color selection is great and the fit is awesome. It is roomy where you want and stays in place where you need it to. All in all, this suit is probably the top of my list.
Ideal Uses:
This suit is great for all around winter and spring boating especially on multiday trips because of the material’s hydrophobic properties. Long brushy portages and scouts are not where this suit wants to go since the material is not as tough as a nylon or Gore-Tex suit would be.
How is it in the water?
In the water the suit paddles and swims well plus it holds out water fantastically. The suit has an aggressive cut and trims out a lot of material compared to other suits on the market. The best way to describe it is more of a slim fit type cut. That’s not to say the arms are tight, they are actually well built with enough fabric to allow plenty of freedom of movement. I feel like I have a wider range of motion from this suit in general compared to other suits on the market. The cut is aggressive enough to actually keep the suit more streamlined. It is not as easy as swimming in say a full wetsuit, but this suit probably offers the least amount of drag compared to other suits on the market. The suit’s ability to keep out water is another great feature. The polyester face fabric is hydrophobic so it doesn’t soak up water or wet out. This makes the material feel light all day and you don’t constantly have a layer of cold water on the outside of your suit sucking heat away
How tough is it?
In the world of drysuits this isn’t the toughest one out there. IR did a lot to try to make this suit as tough as possible without sacrificing the theme of the suit. The Devil’s Club nylon reinforcement does help the high wear areas, but that being said it is still a drysuit and you need to be careful when bushwhacking. I did a ton of bushwhacking this year on expedition trips through heavy brush, blackberries, and barbed wire. I did manage to rip the suit on the ankle cuff. It did not penetrate the suit itself, but I did rip through both the reinforcement panel and the face fabric on some blackberries. The bush did shred the polyester more than the Nylon, but given that it tore through 6 layers of fabric I doubt any suit would hold up to that. I had some pinholes after all the abuse as well, but I did put probably 60 days of class IV or harder boating on this suit. Another thing I feel is important is the gaskets are in great shape after so many days on this suit. If you are looking for a hardcore, bomb proof, beat it up, expedition kind of suit this is probably not your go to. If you are looking for a great every day / Multi day or winter suit that will keep you super dry and warm this is your go to suit.
Important considerations:
Avoid the bushes if possible. It is not that the suit is brittle, just not designed for that kind of abuse.
The suit swims well, but it is still a drysuit so there will be much more drag than a wetsuit.
Pay close attention to the cut of the suit. Bigger guys don’t often prefer this suit because it is not cut for that body type. I’m 6’2” and 185 lbs if you are built like me, tall and athletic, this will fit your body type very well.
The skirt tunnel does effectively make 2 chambers you will need to burp so don’t forget about using the relief zipper to burp your pants or when you swim all the air will flush into your top.
This is a back zip design so it is easier to have a friend help you get zipped up.
The crotch is not as bulky as other designs on the market so thick pants on your base layers gets…uncomfortable. Try switching to multiple less bulky layers.
Is it worth the cost?
The price point beats out a ton of other competitors and IR offers a 1 year free repairs on their products. Pin holes, latex, suit rips these guys will fix it for you for 1 year from the date of purchase. That alone makes the suit worthwhile. IR charges $75 for a neck and $40 per wrist so if you blow out one of those in the first year then you just saved that much more over another suit. IR recently got hit by a manufacturer defect from a bad batch of material. It can happen to any company, but rarely do we get to see the company’s reaction to the manufacturer’s defect part of their warranty. The effected my suit and they reached out to me as soon as they heard as well as totally stood by their product with no questions, they just wanted to make it right. That right there is where the value is for me. Event’s out my control and the company’s control happen all the time, it’s nice to see a company that steps up and owns that honestly instead of blowing me off like most companies would. The $1299.00 price is well worth it when you factor in IR’s service and support.