5mm or 7mm Suit?

[walke121]

7mm. I'm not a fan of 5mm suits. If its too cold for me to wear my 3mm I want my 7mm or a drysuit.

 

[SteveR1952]

Well I pulled the trigger on a deal at Diver-Supply for a warm weather outfit 3mm suit, gloves and boots for $69. I look at it as a disposible wetsuit. I can wear it in the local lake all Summer and in the tropics. If the suit breaks down in a year or so then I have at least bought some time to find a better suit.

I also picked up a 5mm Mares Trilastic 5-4-3 for $124. This gives me two suits to use during most of the year here except for Winter. I believe the Mares to be an OK suit and should carry me over into the cooler months and into deeper water for a while.

I am still looking for a full 7mm but I will do more research and see if I can rent a few to see what works best for me. I don't mind even going custom on a really warm winter suit.

 

[tylerinflorida]

I use a 7mm in florida springs (69 degrees). 5-4-3 above 70 degrees. Drysuit on longer dives. I get cold easy though. Why don't you attend a DUI Dog Rally where you can try out some different drysuits before you buy one.

 

[vondo]

I am still looking for a full 7mm but I will do more research and see if I can rent a few to see what works best for me. I don't mind even going custom on a really warm winter suit.

I'm guessing that if you went in for a really nice custom fit 7mm suit, you'd be spending about 1/2 or more of the price of a drysuit like a White's Fusion. But to each his own. I just don't like the loss of mobility of my 7mm. I bought a Bare Arctic + hooded vest basically to be able to dive locally just to see if I like it. Now, two seasons later, I've decided I do and that a drysuit is for me. That combo was only about $270 and fit me quite well. But I've had to limit what dives I'd do even with that suit to things around 50 degrees and no deeper than about 80 feet.

I like being wet when it's warm-ish, but when it gets below 70 I could do without it.

 

[I Dive]

I need a good semi-stretchy suit for water ranges from around 50-75.

Comments?

To give you an idea how broad that range you list is, I will do 75 in a 3 mil and be comfortable, I don't dive in 50...

 

[SteveR1952]

I have been reading up on Dry suits but have not gone too far with the concept yet. I still have lot of time to get ready for the cold stuff...it is still over 90 degrees here. Will be weighing the pros and cons of wet vs dry...price vs comfort...and how much cold water diving I may do. If I could find a really good deal on a used suit I might jump on it.

 

[srhein]

I use a 3 mm shorty in Florida Springs, a 5 mm Pinnacle in Michigan inland lakes in the summer, and a 7mm Henderson for the Great Lakes and quarries. In the 7 mm I am comfortable down to around 45 degrees F for around a half hour or so. Anything beyond that and I will dive dry. For me a lot depends on my gloves; my hands are usually the first thing that gets cold. I picked up some 5 mm lobster claw gloves and it has made a big difference below 50 degrees F.

 

[awdemeo]

you really need both your temp range is so large that you do need 2 suits for that i own both as well as a shorty and a drysuit with 3 diffrent undergarments for covering all dive temps well worth having the right tool for the job

 

[plumcrazy]

Greetings, One thing I absolutly would not do is buy ANY suit until you try it on. A well fitting 5mm will keep you lots warmer than a poorly fitting 7mm. The sizing between the manufacturers is NOT at all standardized. I tried on 6-7 7mm suits before I found the best fit. For me the Pinnacle was way too tight in the arms (I could feel my pulse) while it was perfect every where else. The "Down 130" medium was way too small while I was practically swimming in the large. (A real shame as it looked like a good suit, fair price, & excellent warranty). I ended up with a "Waterproof Aries" which fits me like a glove. An added bonus is that my four year old daughter thinks I look like a super hero!! I personally would go with a 7mm over a 5mm but I would rather be two hot than too cold. It is a lot easier to remove heat than gain it. YRMV Good luck

 

[SteveR1952]

Update:
Thanks for the responses. I do realize that I need more than one suit. I received the 5mm Mares and it was so tight in the arms (both forearm and upper arm and upper chest area that I decided to send it back. After reading and talking with many other folks around here I decided to skip the 5mm completely and go with just a 3mm and then find a very good 7mm wetsuit.

I am not interested in dry at this time. I fully understand the differences in wet vs dry but at this point in my life, I don't see me diving enough in cold water to justify the dry suit.

The search continues for an acceptable 7mm that is very warm yet is easy to don and doff. Two mutually exclusive requirements it seems.

I am now looking at Xcel, Bare, Pinnacle (if the wool does not irritate my skin), Waterproof, or maybe a Wetwear custom.

Being shapped like a pear with a motion restriced rt. shoulder limits me a bit too.