Lavacore Hood, considering it

[Quaglinoman]

I am considering this specifically but I have some questions, does it really keep you warm? I dive in south east of Florida, so it isnt THAT cold but over a long dive I do get colder.

Neoprene allergy alternative??? I wear a neoprene hood, I break out on my face real bad in like a couple hours. With the wetsuit and reg in mouth, I am fine, so it is the hood. I am primarily looking at this hood as it is not neoprene.

I was told they run small, I would LOVE to try one on but all dive stores are consistently sold out so I need to order online. I am an average size of 6'1" 195lbs. I usually wear a large. The dive store said I would probably want to try an XL. This true???

 

[acteg]

I have the vest with built in hood. It definitely help with trying to stay warm. Sizing seems normal to me.

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[Quaglinoman]

I was also considering that version to as my core seems to get colder first. But then again due to the neoprene issue I don't wear the hood much. My suit is a 5mm

 

[acteg]

I wear a 7/5 here in Florida where water temps are in the low 70s during the winter. Without the hood/vest combo I was pretty cold for most of the dive. With the hood/vest I wouldn't get cold until the end of my dive. Hood lone was $30. Hood/vest combo was $80 I think so I opted for that instead.

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[Scubadude_LA]

Any hood is better than no hood. I use an old hood that is built similar to the Lavacore (brand name is worn off, can't remember what brand) and it works surprisingly well when compared to my 5mm neo hood. Just keeping some warmer water around your head and neck is a big help. The Lavacore hoods are inexpensive, try one. I don't see how you can go wrong. I love having a light hood even though I use thicker ones when needed.
I found the sizing on them funny too. Trying to find one myself and having issues finding the correct size in stock to try on. There are always a bunch of smalls in stock so they must run that way.

 

[soonerwink]

I have the hood, and the fit seems normal. It is more stretchy than my neoprene, so I don't think you will need a size larger.

 

[MrChen]

I have both the hood and the vest/hood. They fit nice and snug and definitely help with the cold. They are easier to remove when wet.

---------- Post added May 20th, 2014 at 09:11 PM ----------

I'm 5'11 250lbs and I have the XL. Whether being 250lbs means I have a bigger head or not, I couldn't tell you .

 

[Ryan Nelson]

I have the shirt. Once while diving for bugs at night, I inadvertently forgot to zip my 7 mil suit. Didn't even notice until I went to unzip my suit after the dive. I dive mostly cold water and wish I got the pants too.

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[TSandM]

We bought the hoods for our Socorros trip. They work well -- they don't dry super fast, but fast enough if the weather is good and warm. They definitely add some insulation.

 

[r4mbo]

I have both the lavacore hood and shirt. I love them both Especially as it gets cooler I absolutely pack them in my bag. As thin as the material is, it is very insulating without much added bouyancy, and I tend to chill easily. I find they do run a little small, and are hard to wrestle on, but peel off more easily wet. I was suspicious these items would not live up to the steep price, but I often say they are the best investments I ever made for comfort. In warmer weather I dive with just the shirt, no wetsuit (great for other aqueous sports too), and even in warmer weather I usually use the hood. It keeps my long hair from coming loose as an added benefit. I like the hood separate because I get to layer the shirt or not, and if I become too warm on a dive, I just drop the hood down and keep swimming. How's that for versatility? Also lavacore products are sort of fuzzy inside which I enjoy, not as sticky as neoprene. Can't wait to buy the pants. I should be a spokesperson for these items haha but seriously you lose a lot of heat from your head, go for the hood, it makes a big difference.