7mm Wetsuit In A Indoor Pool?

[Fogest]

The farmer john comprises 2 parts:
1) A shorty/ long sleeve top (sometimes hooded)
2) Dungaree type legs/torso.

If you need the legs for warmth, you need to 2 parts but if you go for warmer waters, you might be able to just use the shorty/top.

Personally I went for a 7mm wetsuit with an over jacket. Normally I will only need the 7mm but if conditions get cold I can ramp up the insulation with the jacket making it a 13m body with 7mm legs and arms. For details see these links - wetsuit and jacket

Okay so since the farmer john is separate from the normal 7mm wetsuit I could just buy the 7mm and then if I find I am too cold in the water with just that, then I could also buy a farmer john and wear that too? I'm assuming when buying for the 7mm I don't need to buy bigger or anything to account for the farmer john since I'm assuming it wouldn't make much of a size difference to my body?

 

[FinnMom]

During pool training you spend a huge amount of time just hanging there do this & that and not moving much. It can be amazingly cold and a 7mm isn't likely to be too warm. Nicer to have it and take it off than leave it home & wish you had it.

The sad thing about wetsuit students in drysuit locations is that they invest a lot of money in a good wetsuit, then never get to dive as much or as comfortably as they might have. The drysuit investment is so much bigger and seems so unreasonable once you already have a wetsuit, so you just regret and daydream but never actually shell out the cash for the more expensive suit. Meanwhile you dive shorter dives, have a vastly shortened dive season and maybe lose interest altogether long before you have a chance to experience the dives that would have made you an enthusiast for life.

If you live in a drysuit climate and suspect you are going to enjoy local diving, get a drysuit. It doesn't have to be new BTW, although it does need to be genuinely dry (meaning even after submersion) and a reasonably good fit (trailored-excellent not required). If you end up not diving that much you can always sell the drysuit and make some other new diver happy.

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If you insist on buyng a wetsuit, you might note that a hooded shorty over a normal (no-hood) wetsuit is also an option, 5mm shorty over a 7mm fullsuit for example.

 

[TMHeimer]

Or, you spend 3 winter months on the N. Gulf of Mexico and never buy that drysuit.

 

[Fogest]

During pool training you spend a huge amount of time just hanging there do this & that and not moving much. It can be amazingly cold and a 7mm isn't likely to be too warm. Nicer to have it and take it off than leave it home & wish you had it.

The sad thing about wetsuit students in drysuit locations is that they invest a lot of money in a good wetsuit, then never get to dive as much or as comfortably as they might have. The drysuit investment is so much bigger and seems so unreasonable once you already have a wetsuit, so you just regret and daydream but never actually shell out the cash for the more expensive suit. Meanwhile you dive shorter dives, have a vastly shortened dive season and maybe lose interest altogether long before you have a chance to experience the dives that would have made you an enthusiast for life.

If you live in a drysuit climate and suspect you are going to enjoy local diving, get a drysuit. It doesn't have to be new BTW, although it does need to be genuinely dry (meaning even after submersion) and a reasonably good fit (trailored-excellent not required). If you end up not diving that much you can always sell the drysuit and make some other new diver happy.

____________

If you insist on buyng a wetsuit, you might note that a hooded shorty over a normal (no-hood) wetsuit is also an option, 5mm shorty over a 7mm fullsuit for example.

With my budget I don't think I'll have enough this year to justify spending likely over twice the cost to get a drysuit, not to mention I'd also need get training for the drysuit. With the wetsuit I can spend less this year so that I have money to buy the whole set of gear too. Then next year when it is summer again and I work again I'll have enough money for upgrading things such as getting a drysuit. I can see why many people would not get a drysuit once they have a wetsuit, however I would be getting the drysuit not just as a comfort upgrade, but so that I could continue my training for other areas such as doing dives in colder areas or areas with ice. I would not be getting it just to improve comfort so I feel like I won't have the problem justifying the upgrade later on.

I can see the problem of potentially losing interest because of the cold, but I think I will be able to keep interested. I don't mind if I sometimes have issues with being cold and having to cut a dive shorter, however I feel like if I get the normal 7mm wetsuit and add a farmer john if needed I'll be fine diving in Ontario for most of the months. Most of my diving will be done during the summer months anyway as I get pretty busy with school work during the other seasons.

I definitely appreciate this advice and think it makes a lot of sense. If I can potentially find a good deal on a used drysuit or some sale at a local diveshop then maybe I will consider getting a drysuit. It would definitely be nice to have that extra comfort.

 

[Chavodel8en]

Just another 2 cents from a NorCal diver that shares your budget issues - Id like a drysuit, but cant really afford it.

I found that some sort of an attached hood is good - otherwise you get a trickle of cold water entering from the neck zipper area.

I have a 9/8/7 mm full suit (Excel) w an attached hood. The extra 2mm on the torso helps I think. I've found it pretty toasty, even compared to say a farmer john, with less lead needed.

Another option is a full suit, with a vest w attached hood on top. Provides double layer on the torso, no trickle down the back.

What I don't like about farmer johns = lots of lead.

 

[Fogest]

Just another 2 cents from a NorCal diver that shares your budget issues - Id like a drysuit, but cant really afford it.

I found that some sort of an attached hood is good - otherwise you get a trickle of cold water entering from the neck zipper area.

I have a 9/8/7 mm full suit (Excel) w an attached hood. The extra 2mm on the torso helps I think. I've found it pretty toasty, even compared to say a farmer john, with less lead needed.

Another option is a full suit, with a vest w attached hood on top. Provides double layer on the torso, no trickle down the back.

What I don't like about farmer johns = lots of lead.

How do the hood systems normally work? I assume they are usually a separate piece that you put over much like how the wetsuit goes over the boots? You're saying that the wetsuit you use has this attached so that nothing leaks at that connection then? That would mean the hood could not be taken off?

The only reason the farmer john sounds appealing is because it gives me more options, and if I was in a warmer area or just swimming in a pool it sounds like I could just go with the shorty part of the farmer john.

 

[SOFDiver]

I won't enter the fray re Wet Suit vs Dry suit, but do have something to add about maintaining a wet suit. After diving in either salt water or a clorinated pool I wash my suits (1mm-7mm) in my front load washer on delicate cycle with half the soap and extra rinse. I have a 7mm maintained this way that I have been using since 2007 and while having seams repaired it looks like new. I air dry my suits after they come out of the washer. Never had to use any stink removal products, and suits remain soft and comfortable. I know it gets cold up North, but with a hooded vest I have completed many dives in 50 degree water and been none the worse for wear. I've sold my one and only farmer John suit to a guy who cleans boat bottoms. Personally I found if there was any benefit of warmth it was much overcome by weight requirements bue to buoyancy requirements for such suits. Like every other post on SB, just one divers opinion.

 

[Chavodel8en]

How do the hood systems normally work? I assume they are usually a separate piece that you put over much like how the wetsuit goes over the boots? You're saying that the wetsuit you use has this attached so that nothing leaks at that connection then? That would mean the hood could not be taken off?

The only reason the farmer john sounds appealing is because it gives me more options, and if I was in a warmer area or just swimming in a pool it sounds like I could just go with the shorty part of the farmer john.

Correct - usually the hood is a separate piece tucked into the neck of your suit. Your suit will have a zipper somewhere, if its a 1-piece full suit, generally a the back that can let in a trickle of cold water.

The attached hood prevents the trickle of cold air. You are correct that the hood cannot be removed, and I guess it is a bother when out of the water. Note - a fullsuit w attached hood is a also bit harder to don/doff - the zipper is across the chest. If im out of the water and getting warm, I tend to either slide my head out of the face hole (a bit uncomfortable) or unzip and remove the hood so that my upper torso is free of the suit (also a bit uncomfortable)

I suppose that a farmer john has the zipper in the front, not the back. I don't recall the "trickle of cold" from a farmer john, so maybe that isn't an issue. However, I only wore a farmer john a few times long ago before I got my own suit.

My other issue with farmer johns is they generally mean more lead.

One note - I don't know how effective only wearing the farmer john jacket would be, as its designed to fit over the overalls and may be too loose to be used on its own.

That's one reason I suggest also suggest a fullsuit with a vest with attached hood over it -- for maximum cold protection. And if you are somewhere warmer, you can change components


Lots of suggestions from different folks. Ultimately you will choose what suits you best. It may be that what works for me in NorCal (down to 48 deg F, altho not lately) may not be warm enough for you in the Great North, so a farmer john is a better option.

Also, one other thing I haven't thought of, I cant tell from your post if you are male or female, and I could see a female having a different experience re fullsuits w/ attached hoods.

 

[gcarter]

So is the farmer john just like a shorty than or is it different in nature?

Did you not look at the pictures I took the time to post for you in #13?

 

[Fogest]

Did you not look at the pictures I took the time to post for you in #13?

So I did see those but I may have been slightly confused. So the farmer john is 2 pieces of clothing, and what you showed in the images is both of these pieces? Because when I first looked at it I believe I was interpreting it as being two different styles, and that is why I was thinking it was like a shorty.