Direct-sequence ultra-wideband(DS-UWB) system is being considered as one of promising transmission technologies for wireless personal area networks(WPANs). Due to relatively low spreading factors and huge bandwidth of transmit signal, a DS-UWB receiver needs to be equipped not only with a rake receiver but also with an equalizer, of which the equalizer is not required for traditional direct-sequence code division multiple access(DS-CDMA) systems. The number of rake fingers is limited in practice, influencing the performance of the subsequent equalizer. In this paper, we derive a decision feedback equalizer(DFE) for DS-UWB systems based on the minimum mean square error(MMSE) criterion, and investigate the impact of various parameters on the DFE performance in realistic scenarios. In particular, we propose an approach to improving the performance of the DFE using additional channel estimates for multipaths not combined in the rake receiver, and discuss how the accuracy of channel estimation affects desirable DFE configuration. Moreover, we present simulation results that show the impact of turbo equalization on the DFE performance.