3mm full suit which packs for travel well

[Hatul]

A dealer told me today that a 3mm Thermaxx has just as thick neoprene as any other 3mm (3mm is 3mm). What do you say to that?

That was my thinking as well that the Thermaxx with a lining will be slightly bulkier than other 3mm suit.

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

Take a look at the MAKO Yamamoto wetsuits. These suits are extremely warm and flexible with far less bulk of a standard suit. Very lightweight even when wet. These are open cell suits, so they require lubricant when donning, but they conform to your body like a second skin.

Review: Mako Yamamoto Two Piece Open Cell Wetsuits (3mm and 5mm) MAKO Spearguns

Thanks for the positive feedback!

I might also add that if the diver is looking for a suit to function similar to a 3 mm shorty suit, then they might consider a 2 mm one piece reversible suit. This suit is made of very flexible and comfortable Yamamoto Neoprene and provides full body coverage from the sun and stingers and also provides some thermal protection. This type of suit would probably be best at 80 degrees and above. A diver might add a lycra hood for complete protection and we also carry 2 mm hoods for a little more warmth.


Don't under-estimate the benefit of being fully protected from the sun and from tropical stingers.

Thanks

Dano

https://www.makospearguns.com/Camo-Spearfishing-Wetsuit-1-piece-Yamamoto-2mm-p/m1ybg.htm

 

[Damselfish]

Wearing a wetsuit in the car while moving from one site to another sounds really uncomfortable. And too hot if it's hot.. If one of your criteria is easy on/off, maybe you won't feel the need to do that.

I have Lavacore and Sharkskin. They pack well. I like them a lot, though they dry more slowly than I expected. I have a fullsuit (which I rarely use) and also separate pants and jacket, which I find more comfortable. You can mix sizes and this setup is more forgiving of lengths. You can leave the jacket unzipped or put it on last minute, I find this works better with the separates than the fullsuit. My jacket is long and overlaps the pants a lot, so it's not really letting in water there.

Thickness and need for warmth is very personal and hard for anyone to jusge though.

 

[purbeast]

I have a Henderson Thermaxx 3mm which packs very well. Being fleece lined, it is not as thick as traditional 3mm neoprene yet is as warm or warmer. I've had mine for 5 years now and it is holding up well.

BTW, whether this is correct or not, I don't know. But my LDS told me to never fold a wetsuit other than from side to side, then roll it up. This is suppose to keep the neoprene from creasing and weakening it at said creases.

That is exactly what I have as well. I have a men's large size and I roll it up and pack it in my carry on.

I did A LOT of research when I was looking for carry on luggage to fit all of my gear in other than my fins, because those are too big for carry on. I have a full thread on it on these boards.

Here is a post where I discuss the one I ended up buying and keeping with pics of how it packs in my carry on. In the 2nd pictures there, the wetsuit is visible on the left side of the left side. It is rolled up and takes almost half of the space on that one side. I fit my booties, regulators, and weight belt in that side with it. The rest fit in the other side as you will see in the pics.

Newbie looking for carry-on luggage suggestions to put gear in.

Here is a link to the actual carry on I got so you can see the dimensions of it just to get an idea of how it packs up. I just roll it up instead of folding so there are less creases in it, and it just packs good that way.

https://www.gregorypacks.com/packs-...ers/quadro-hardcase-roller-22"-87005XXXX.html

 

[outofofficebrb]

Thanks everyone, for all the feedback thus far - I've been thinking about and it seems one really needs to decide what your needs and applications are. There are so many options to choose from, offering great features that address a variety of needs and wants, but not necessarily our needs and wants -

I like the idea in quote above, which I didn't previously know existed, of a quick dry suit. So, I'm going to focus on those - the one mentioned here and I see that Henderson AquaLock has Quik-Dri technology (anyone with experience with those?) If you know of any more too, please chime in. I also see that Henderson is going to announce suits that are "beyond neoprene" on Nov. 1. I'll probably want to see what that is all about out.

Here is the video of just how quick dry the Probe iDry is in about 10 minutes. I can confirm it dries this quickly as I have the same material inside my Frogskins and I just did 84 dives with it in Oct. I layered it under my wetsuit as we were hit with some cold temperatures. It was a lot of don and doffing over 26 days.

 

[KathyV]

I have some general questions for any of you on this thread who care to reply (please do) -

1. I live in an area (West Michigan) underserved by dive shops so trying wetsuits on is problematic (but not impossible, if we want to drive a ways; one shop about 2 hour distance carries both Bare and Henderson, but two others closer by carry Henderson).
2. Our one very local PADI shop sells nothing but Lavacore and touts it as the ultimate solution to exposure wear.
3. We intend to dive nothing in future but 80 F. and above water.
4. When we vacation we want to both, on same trip, snorkel privately from shore sites and SCUBA off dive boats with dive operators.
5. This latter point has several implications: A.) When snorkeling from shore site to shore site by automobile we likely don't want to take off our exposure gear every time we get in car, and I'm wondering about whether Lavacore-type fleece lining dries quickly enough to sit in a car seat. I find wetsuits dry quickly enough to sit on towel. B.) One gets good buoyancy from neoprene so don't have to wear life vest for snorkel, but not sure about Lavacore-type suit. Of course one could argue for multiple suits but that is not going to happen. Looking for best all-purpose snorkel and SCUBA suit for 80 F. and above water, that provide buoyancy, gets damp-dry quickly.
6. Ladies, my wife is not slim like fashion model - she is short and a bit overweight (desk job) and needs suit that conforms to not-perfect body proportions. Best company for that; best model?
7. Age old question - we wore shorties for 84 F. water in June in Carribbean but going back soon for 80 F. water. Will we need full, or will shorties work for us (we always dive above 80 F.)? I tolerate cold very well, my wife can't stand being cold.

We've just returned from 2 weeks in Cayman and the water was usually around 85 or 86 F and I saw a wide variation of wetsuits and diving apparel being used, including one woman who was wearing a 7 mm full wetsuit on every dive.

Water temperature comfort is a very personal thing. A lot of folks wore 3 mm full suits and some wore 3 mm shorties and many folks (like us) just wore seaskins. We also saw divers wearing just regular shorts and rash guards. Most of the divemasters were wearing rash guards and swimsuits or skins.

My husband and I both wore rash guards and full body skins and we were comfortable. My Henderson skin is a little heavier weight then some that I've seen but it isn't lavacore or neoprene or fleece and I was fine. If we were doing a lot of diving - like on a liveaboard - then we would probably need something heavier.

I think that you will have to do some trial and error testing to find out what works for you and your wife. You can start out by buying seaskins and rashguards and booties and try them while snorkeling and diving in warm water - and if that doesn't provide enough warmth then rent a full 3 mm wetsuit or a shorty and see how that works before buying a wet suit.

Personally I don't care for shorty wetsuits because I like the skin protection provided by a full suit or a skin, but that's just me.

They don't allow diving gloves in the Caymans and that's usually not a problem except if I want to grab onto the mooring line during my safety stop when conditions are a bit rough. In those instances I pull the sleeve of my skin down to cover most of my hand for protection against the stinging creatures growing on the line.

Good luck with your decision!