Fourth Element Argonaut Stealth 3.0

Fourth Element Argonaut Stealth 3.0

The Argonaut Stealth is the flexible one. Where the Hybrid trades some movement for abrasion resistance in the legs, the Stealth runs the lighter, softer Stealth trilaminate throughout, and you feel that every time you reach a valve or fold yourself into a small space.

It is made to measure. Fourth Element use BIOMAP 3D body mapping rather than a size chart, which is the difference between a drysuit that fits and a drysuit you tolerate. At this price that is not a luxury, it is the entire point.

Every suit in our drysuit collection gets fitted over the undersuit you actually dive in, because a suit measured over a t-shirt will be wrong in January.

• Stealth trilaminate construction, flexible and light
• AFT (Articulated For Trim) leg and knee shaping
• Updated telescopic torso for a cleaner fit
• Diagonal YKK Aquaseal composite zipper
• Made to measure using BIOMAP 3D body mapping
• Choice of seals, valves and boots

Why divers choose the Argonaut Stealth

Movement where you need it

Reaching valves, running a reel, deploying an SMB one-handed. All of it is easier in a suit that does not resist you. The Stealth trilaminate is the more flexible of the two Argonaut fabrics, and for divers doing skills-heavy diving that flexibility is worth more than extra abrasion resistance in the shins.

AFT articulation puts the shaping where you dive

The legs and knees are cut for a horizontal trim rather than for standing upright. That stops fabric bunching behind the knee, which is the thing that makes a badly cut drysuit uncomfortable an hour into a dive.

The diagonal zipper actually changes daily use

A diagonal front zip means you can get into the suit unaided. It also sits where it does not fight you when you vent from the shoulder valve. Anyone who has needed a buddy to zip them up on a windy shore will understand the value.

Serviced and repaired in-house

Seals perish, zips need waxing, and eventually something needs a patch. Like every drysuit we sell, the Argonaut can be serviced in-house at our UK dive centre, so a seal change does not cost you a month of the season.

Features that matter underwater

BIOMAP made to measure

3D body mapping produces a suit cut to your proportions rather than to a size band. For divers who are between sizes, long in the body, or simply have never found an off-the-peg suit that fits, this is the reason to buy an Argonaut over anything else.

Telescopic torso

Lets you stand up straight on the surface and still have the suit sit correctly when you are horizontal. The updated version is cleaner and less bulky under a harness than earlier Argonauts.

Choice of seals, valves and boots

Latex or silicone seals, your preference of valve, and boots or socks. These are decisions worth making deliberately: dry gloves, for instance, depend on which wrist seal system you specify at order.

YKK Aquaseal composite zip

Lighter and more flexible than a metal zip, and easier to live with. It still needs waxing and it still needs to be closed carefully every time. No drysuit zip is maintenance-free.

Stealth or Hybrid

The Argonaut Stealth Hybrid 3.0 uses a tougher Flex polyester trilaminate on the lower body, which is the right call if you do shore entries over rock, crawl about in wrecks, or spend time on your knees in a quarry.

The Stealth stays flexible throughout. If your diving is boat-based, or you value freedom of movement over shin armour, this is the one. Both share the same AFT cut, telescopic torso, zip and made-to-measure process, so the fabric is genuinely the decision.

Who the Argonaut Stealth is for

• Divers who want maximum flexibility in a trilaminate suit
• Anyone who has never found an off-the-peg drysuit that fits
• Technical divers doing valve drills and skills-heavy diving
• Boat divers who are not dragging the suit over rock every weekend
• Divers buying a suit they intend to keep for a decade

Who it may not be for: if most of your diving starts with a scramble across a rocky shore, buy the Hybrid and accept slightly less flex in the legs. And if you are new to drysuit diving and unsure you will stick with it, a stock-size suit is a cheaper way to find out.

Specifications

Ordering yours

An Argonaut is a decade-long purchase and the fit is what you are paying for. Come and be measured properly, decide the seals and boots deliberately, and it will be the most comfortable suit you have owned.

If you are torn between this and the Hybrid, tell us where you dive and how you get in the water. That answer usually settles it in about a minute.