Thick Wetsuit and Boots: How should they go together?

[anomalydesign]

Hello,

My girlfriend and I are completing our open water checkout dives this month, but will have only been diving in warm water. We hope to dive more locally (Jersey Shore, Dutch Springs etc), and have begun assembling some cool water gear accordingly. She found a good deal on a 7mm ScubaPro Steamer wetsuit, which seems to fit well once it's on (though it takes both of us to work the zipper-less ankle section past her heels when donning the suit). She also found SeaSoft zippered boots (6mm, I think) that fit perfectly.

The problem is that I don't really understand how the lower portion of the suit and the boots are supposed to fit together. The boot zippers barely close even on her bare ankles, so with 7mm of suit added, she can't even start the boot zippers. What's worse, all of the material between her ankle and the boot seems to be pushing her foot forward in the boot and making it a poor fit.

If this were an issue specific to this boot or suit, I'd be fine with going a different route, but it seems to me that this must be an issue with pretty much any thick wetsuit and boot combination. How is this supposed to work, when both items want a tight seal on the same portion of leg?

The ideas that have come to my mind are:

1. Leave the boot unzipped and either make a velcro extender, or use a different strap entirely to seal the unzipped top of the boot around the outside of the suit. Unfortunately this would not solve the fit issue caused by the extra material in the boot, though even unzipped the boot will not slip off her foot by mistake.
2. The 7mm ScubaPro suit is actually composed of two separate layers of thinner neoprene. I believe I could cut and remove the inner layer for the portion that would overlap the boot. The remaining inner neoprene above the boot top would still be plenty tight to prevent water flow, and the outer, un-cut neoprene layer should be large/stretchy enough to pull over the zipped-up boot to prevent any skin being exposed.

So am I missing something obvious? Do the above ideas seem good/stupid? I'd rather not ruin a suit for no reason. I'm asking also because I'm sure I'll have similar issues when I am purchasing my own thick suit and boots. How do people tend to wear boots with their full suits? Any advice or experience at all is appreciated.

 

[WreckDiver1321]

Drysuit!

Hmmm. I wouldn't cut anything. When stuff like that happens, you can have the problem of that cut spreading, especially if it's tight on the skin. And I've had some trouble with cutting at a seam before, don't know what other people's experiences are. My wet set up includes a 7/5mm Pinnacle with 7mm Akona boots. I put the ankles over my boots, but I don't know if that's an option for you. Hopefully you can. If not, finding some sort of strap arrangement might work. Just make sure it's not all floppy and all over the place.

 

[decidedlyodd]

When I still dove wet in a 7mm, I pulled the cuff of the suit over the boots but my suit had ankle zippers to help. To me, it sounds like her suit just isn't a very good fit.
Sent from my SGH-i917 using Board Express

 

[LowDrag]

I would say that if you have to cut something then something is mismatched. Where did you get the Steamer? Online or local? If local, I would take it back and explain the issue and they should be able to help. If online, I would think there is a number you could call to talk to someone and hopefully accomplish the same result. Good luck.

I tried my OW in a 7mil Farmer John and decided that 38° water a wet suit was not a good match for me. I am going back dry this time. Just a thought for you to consider.

 

[g1138]

Generally this is the problem I have with zippers on the legs of wetsuits: They're not elastic so you pretty much have to have your legs as a stock size for them to really have any watertight effect. Usually I see a lot more water draining from divers out of these suits compared to divers wearing suits without zippered legs or arms for that matter.

On to your question, you should always have your booties tucked into your wetsuit rather than tucking your wetsuit into your booties. This will prevent water from flushing and parachuting your booties, making your feet colder.
You still may not be able to zip the wetsuit fully over the booties, but at least your feet will be relatively warm.

I would avoid altering the suit yourself. Or at least not take any advice on altering through the internet. We aren't able to see what you're seeing, so we could give misinformed advice by overlooking certain details about where you're cutting/gluing etc. You may be able to find a wetsuit custom tailoring shop around your area. They would probably give you better advice in altering your wetsuit, might even be able to take out those leg zippers if you find them to be a hassle down the road.

 

[cmburch]

I use a one piece Xcel SCS Polar 9/7/6mm wetsuit with 7mm booties. I have ankle zippers on my wetsuit. I use wetsuit lube (1 part hair conditioner/4 parts water in a spray bottle) on my arms to get it on easier. May want to try some lube in the legs to see if it helps. Wipe off excess lube from feet though or sand will stick and booties will slip when hiking to water.

I place the inside wetsuit ankle seal inside my booties, then zip up my booties, then place the wetsuit over my booties and zip the ankles. Do not pee or it will stay in booties. Try waxing the zipper if it is hard to zip. Also help hold the zipper together for the first few times until getting use to it. Also if you have a leaking wetsuit the water will get trapped like mentioned above. But the whole idea behind this type of wetsujit is minimal water flushing through the suit for better warmth.

Contact place of purchase for better information on specific wetsuit. I had to be instructed on how to put my wetsuit on initially.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Sounds like you GF has thick ankles (my wife as same, not taking a shot at her). Anyway some hair conditioner makes a wonderful lubricant to help with donning the suit. Bootes under the suit. Before doing any cutting, try stretching the suit for a few days over some type of form larger than her ankles. A large bottle or jar. This might be enough to make it work without doing anything drastic.

 

[anomalydesign]

Wow, Thanks for the quick responses!

It sounds like wetsuits should generally go on top of the boot, and that having zippered ankle sections (which her suit unfortunately does not) can make that easier. I will definitely work on stretching the boot/ankle areas of the suit around some soup cans etc, as I can't imagine she'll ever be wearing such a thick suit without boots. That stretching should also alleviate the problems getting the bottoms of the suit past her heels when donning.

I also like cmburch's idea of tucking one of the two layers of neoprene inside the boot, and the pulling the other outside the boot. I get the feeling that the neoprene will be much more stretchable in single layers, and that may be a good non-destructive way of separating the layers rather than cutting.

Thanks again for the input. It seems like for everything I learn about diving, I discover two more things I don't know, so all the experience is very much appreciated!

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Boots must zip up, no matter what. Ideally, the wetsuit goes over the boot, but if the boot will zip snugly, you can live with the boot over wetsuit.
DivemasterDennsi

 

[nimoh]

not trying to take a shot here, but this is why I recommend to people that they should find the best fit, rather than the best deal. Aside from a custom wetsuit, some manufacturers may have slightly different stock dimensions in the lower leg making a more comfortable fit.