DUI Rock Boots vs. Turbo Soles

If you have narrow feet the turbo soles are awful. They roll under your feet when you walk. The best money I ever spent was getting Gamble to make a pair of the Rock Boot style socks to fit my narrow size 12 feet and he recommend I wear regular scuba booties. Very happy with that combo. Many people wear tennis shoes if they wear XL fins and have size 10 or under feet.

My DUI CF200 has the "footie pajamas" socks and came with rock boots. I use Trident fin keepers and neoprene booties. Comfortable, warm, fit into my fins well, and I have more foot and ankle flexibility than with the rock boots.

I have been diving a variety of dry suits with the rock boot socks since the late 90's. Conditions have ranged from the 20's to the 70's, so lots of variety in undergarments and layers.
After all my attempts to find the perfect boot and fin combinations I have no definitive answer.


Settled on a combination of two sizes of rock boots and two sizes of neoprene booties with three different sizes of fins.


The new rock boots are not very good quality versus the old style.


I would also note that my TLS350 has started to develop leaks after 3 years of hard use, while my CF200 is going strong after 15 years. (zipper, seals and zip seal retrofit excluded)


Of all the features and accessories by far the best thing I have added to the dry suits is the pee valve!

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Originally Posted by LiteHedded

having to remember to bring them

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Yep, that would be spot-on true. That's why I had to try my buddy's suit with turbo soles. I left my boots hanging out to dry at Protec and didn't want to drive all the way back from Minotauro after having gear all set up.

Only negative was I had to keep the dive short as I'm sure he didn't want me trying out his pee valve.

FWIW, my first TLS had Turbo Soles, and I made it work, but had Gable replace them with Socks on my most recent suit rebuild. I need caving boots on my feet when I get out of the water. My new TLS came with socks, but the Rock Boots they sent with the suit are absolutely not size 10 like my older size 10 Rock Boots? Something's wrong with their sizing more recently, in that the new ones are much "larger". More positives than negatives to socks, IMO.

The older non-reinforced turbosoles develop leaks where the fin rubs the compressed neoprene. For me, its the instep and toe. DUI's recently came out with a kevlar reinforced option that holds up MUCH better. It covers the toe, instep, and the heel.

Imo, the addition of Fin Keepers over the turbo sole makes them much more stable for walking around steep slopes while not adding bulk around the ankle. If you forget them at home its on the end of the world, either.

I had problems with regular turbosoles developing leaks and the "right" size was still too floppy (wide). On one of, ahem, several trips back west, before the "tech" turbos, DUI reinforced them with additional neoprene and the fit and leaks improved. I'd definitely get the tech/Kevlar turbosoles over the standard, and personally prefer any built-in over socks/boots.

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Originally Posted by mwenner

FWIW, my first TLS had Turbo Soles, and I made it work, but had Gable replace them with Socks on my most recent suit rebuild. I need caving boots on my feet when I get out of the water. My new TLS came with socks, but the Rock Boots they sent with the suit are absolutely not size 10 like my older size 10 Rock Boots? Something's wrong with their sizing more recently, in that the new ones are much "larger". More positives than negatives to socks, IMO.

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I did the same thing as Mark. I got to laugh at him repeatedly falling down a slick mud slop on a sump trip with his turbo soles. But then I fell down the same slope with my turbo soles.

On my old TLS I stil have turbo soles. They are more aqua seal than neoprene now and still leak. Spring straps wear them out quick and they are expensive to replace.

I recently tore a huge hole in the boot of my CLX450 and had it replaced with socks. I can wear a real boot now when caving or normal dive booties when cave diving. I would rather buy a new pair of booties every 6 months than replace my turbo soles every few years.

I really like the zip seal on the neck. I have both silicone and latex. On the wrist I still like glued bottle neck seals.

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Originally Posted by cavermatt

I did the same thing as Mark. I got to laugh at him repeatedly falling down a slick mud slop on a sump trip with his turbo soles. But then I fell down the same slope with my turbo soles.

On my old TLS I stil have turbo soles. They are more aqua seal than neoprene now and still leak. Spring straps wear them out quick and they are expensive to replace.

I recently tore a huge hole in the boot of my CLX450 and had it replaced with socks. I can wear a real boot now when caving or normal dive booties when cave diving. I would rather buy a new pair of booties every 6 months than replace my turbo soles every few years.

I really like the zip seal on the neck. I have both silicone and latex. On the wrist I still like glued bottle neck seals.

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i've had my turbo soles for about five years now with zero leaks diving it pretty hard.

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Originally Posted by LiteHedded

i've had my turbo soles for about five years now with zero leaks diving it pretty hard.

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Sorry Brian, you are correct, I should not have attached a time frame. Individual milage may vary. I am hard on equipment. One set of Turbo Soles lasted a year, and the other is nearly 5. They were not brand new when I purchased them though.

I love my DUI suits and am even more satisfied with the sock option.

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