Question on 7mm wetsuit...vs dry suit

[calabash digger]

I dive year round here in the Low Country for artifacts. I have a Pinnacle Black Ice dry suit that I used all last winter. I just bought a Pinnacle Tempo 7mm because I was trying to extend my dive time before I had to switch to dry. Water temps hit 40 here for a very short window in the winter....I know we are all different I have a good tolerance for the cold..
Problem = dry suit is cumbersome and I am trying to make it more comfortable by diving a wetsuit longer but dont really know how the 7mm is going to compare. ???
What temps do you guys go dry?
What temps do you guys dive 7mm?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[BoltSnap]

If I need a 7mm wetsuit because it is cold, it means that I should just use a drysuit.

 

[Bigbella]

I have both wetsuits and drysuits -- though prefer the compressed neoprene versions -- far closer to a wetsuit experience -- than the trilaminate, "garbage bag" experience.

I typically use mine in the freezing (with an undergarment or sweats) to the mid to high-forties -- then use a 7 mm wetsuit, for versatility; less weight; and ease of maintenance . . .

 

[AfterDark]

I dive year round here in the Low Country for artifacts. I have a Pinnacle Black Ice dry suit that I used all last winter. I just bought a Pinnacle Tempo 7mm because I was trying to extend my dive time before I had to switch to dry. Water temps hit 40 here for a very short window in the winter....I know we are all different I have a good tolerance for the cold..
Problem = dry suit is cumbersome and I am trying to make it more comfortable by diving a wetsuit longer but dont really know how the 7mm is going to compare. ???
What temps do you guys go dry?
What temps do you guys dive 7mm?

Thanks in advance!!

I use a 7mm farmer style wet suit and have a black ice dry suit also. The wet suit with a 2mm hooded vest is good for me to about 55F less then that dry suit time.

 

[Boston Breakwater]

I dive year round here in the Low Country for artifacts. I have a Pinnacle Black Ice dry suit that I used all last winter. I just bought a Pinnacle Tempo 7mm because I was trying to extend my dive time before I had to switch to dry. Water temps hit 40 here for a very short window in the winter....I know we are all different I have a good tolerance for the cold..
Problem = dry suit is cumbersome and I am trying to make it more comfortable by diving a wetsuit longer but dont really know how the 7mm is going to compare. ???
What temps do you guys go dry?
What temps do you guys dive 7mm?

Thanks in advance!!

Hello. I dove off the coast of New England year round, and every winter for about 18 years. I used a 6.5mm Farmer John which gave me a little more than a half inch of insulation in the torso area. I dove that until early November until the water temp was down to approximately 42 degrees. Then, switched to my DUI TLS 350 Dryuit. With an insulation strategy of 1st layer polypropylene 2nd layer Thermal underwear 3rd layer Sweat shirt top, and bottoms. I dove commercially for sea urchins fours years, and my longest duration was 96 minutes in 30 degree water. The money was good, I stopped at 96 minutes because I could feel my core temperature dropping, and was losing manual dexterity in my hands. (With dry gloves.) Went back to the wetsuit probably around late May. Edit: I used my 7mm DUI Drysuit hood year round.
I suggest diving the wetsuit until the temperature indicates to you that you are approaching a safety margin. Like you said everyone is slightly different in regards to cold water.
Cheers.

 

[wnissen]

The water around here is 55F / 13C almost year round, within a few degrees, and I would say that almost all the high-volume divers (divemasters, enthusiasts) exclusively dive drysuits. The only reason people dive wet is because the upfront cost of drysuit is much higher than a wetsuit. I'm moderately cold-tolerant and only own a wetsuit, but I'd switch in a heartbeat if I could get one cheaply.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

I only have experience in a compressed neo suit, no bag suits, but I feel like I have more mobility in it then a 7mm farmer john wetsuit even with heavy undergarments.

I think a big game changer (for me) was getting high tech undergarments that are somewhat thin but super warm (Fourth Element Arctics, but I know there' are others) The use of dry gloves was a huge increase in mobility over wet gloves in cold water also.

I don't really see me wearing a 7mm wetsuit ever again unless something happens to my drysuit. The cutoff for me to get back in a wetsuit is probably 75f maybe? If I don't plan to go deep I just don't use undergarments and I still feel comfy.

Do you have a ton of dives in the drysuit? I feel like every dive gets a little more comfortable for me. I've lost a few pounds , but also I think the neo my have stretched some from being hung up wet....just my few cents.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I dived in wetsuits for more than a dozen years before buying my first drysuit in 2001. I gave away my wetsuit and have dived dry ever since. No regrets.

 

[Bowers]

I prefer drysuit even if the water isn’t cold. Properly fit and properly used, they are better than wetsuits in all but repairs imho. However to answer the question, i would be fine in a 7mm down to about 55 degrees as long as the dive wasn’t longer than about 30-45 minutes and wasn’t very deep (much depth and it’s to compressed to be warm).

 

[broncobowsher]

After the 7mm sat as a "just in case" solution for the drysuit, I sold it.
If I need more than a 3mm I go dry. I still have a 5mm but it is a little rough. There might be a time where 5mm will be good.