7mm suit w/ or w/out attached hood?

[CompuDude]

l8ike i said, i have th e pinnacle polar and it is a semi dry. i love it so far. you can prime it with warm water that will stay with you (though i haven't even needed to do that) so far i've used it in 54 degree water and have been very comfortable so far. as for the peeing, i go before the dive and if i have to hold it, i do.

there is another method for going in a semi dry: go vertical (with head down) and purge your reg through your neck to send the water out your ankles.

That sounds like an accident (no pun intended) waiting to happen. What it you don't purge [your reg!] fast enough? Gravity would then bring the warm rush up towards your head.

I'll pass. Wetsuit 7mm, or drysuit, for me.

 

[ThatsSomeBadHatHarry]

That sounds like an accident (no pun intended) waiting to happen. What it you don't purge [your reg!] fast enough? Gravity would then bring the warm rush up towards your head.

I'll pass. Wetsuit 7mm, or drysuit, for me.

hahaha. thats a risk i m willing to take

 

[Thalassamania]

Attached hoods are much warmer. If you need a 7mm suit, or a dry suit, you need a dry head. That said, I too hate hoods. My solution is to use the SiTech hood system, latex neck seal, yoke, and hood with a plastic "dog collar" and metal retainer. Hood comes on and off in a flash, a torn neck seal can be replaced in seconds and my head stays completely dry.

 

[dnanni]

I'm very new to scuba diving, so I will not claim to have an ounce of knowledge when compared to the others that have responded.

With that said, I would highly recommend you try on the hooded wetsuit before purchasing it. It sounds like a great idea, and I was set on purchasing a Pinncale Polar... until I tried it on. I had a bout of claustrophobia like I've never experienced before in my life while trying to take it off. I'm not a claustrophobic person either (minor irritabilities, but nothing that has ever made me feel "claustrophobic"). Taking it off just wasn't easy for me to do, and it wound up restricting my ability to breathe, which triggered my reaction. I wound up needing two people to help me take the hood off.

Hoods don't bother me one bit, by the way, so it isn't the fact that it's a hood that triggered it. They remind me of the winters I grew up in, and I'm pretty used to the feel of them.

I wound up going with the non-hooded version, and purchased a separate hood to go alongside it. Maybe it's just something with the Polar, but I've heard others having the same experience with hooded 7mm suits.

On the bright side, a non-hooded suit means I have the option to wear a standard hood or a hood/vest combo should I need the added chest/back insulation.

 

[ThatsSomeBadHatHarry]

I'm very new to scuba diving, so I will not claim to have an ounce of knowledge when compared to the others that have responded.

With that said, I would highly recommend you try on the hooded wetsuit before purchasing it. It sounds like a great idea, and I was set on purchasing a Pinncale Polar... until I tried it on. I had a bout of claustrophia like I've never experienced before in my life while trying to take it off. I'm not a claustrophic person either (minor irritabilities, but nothing that has ever made me feel "claustrophic"). Taking it off just wasn't easy for me to do, and it wound up restricting my ability to breathe, which triggered my reaction. I wound up needing two people to help me take the hood off.

Hoods don't bother me one bit, by the way, so it isn't the fact that it's a hood that triggered it. They remind me of the winters I grew up in, and I'm pretty used to the feel of them.

I wound up going with the non-hooded version, and purchased a separate hood to go alongside it. Maybe it's just something with the Polar, but I've heard others having the same experience with hooded 7mm suits.

On the bright side, a non-hooded suit means I have the option to wear a standard hood or a hood/vest combo should I need the added chest/back insulation.

i had a similar problem when i tried mine on in the store. then i took it home and practiced donning/doffing the suit. i have a pretty good technique now.

p.s. bon jovi was right when he said "slippery when wet". its easier to take off when it is wet.

 

[mrtremere]

I have a ONEILL 7MM 7000X J-TYPE, it is very warm in the 52 degree San Diego water. It will get colder below 60ft due to compression. I like it alot. I had to rent a suit when I busted the zipper on the Oneill. The rental was much colder. However, I hate putting the suit on. It takes me 5 to 10mins to get the ******* on.

 

[gregor1234]

I dive a Mares Isotherm 7mm semi-dry (with separate hood) and have been very warm with it. The coldest water I've used in in was 37 Deg F at the surface and colder down deep. I felt quite toasty while several dry-suiters packed it in.

Re. Hood attached vs. unattached: My semi dry comes with a detached hood that actually seals OVER the collar of the suit. You put the hood on last and this is very convenient. In normal use, the hood/neck seal never leaks so it feels (warmth-wise) just like having an attached hood but is much more convenient because on a hot summer day I can remove the hood completely to cool down at the surface or in the warmer upper layers. Then I can put it on as I descend and the water gets colder.

OTOH... my two older sons both dive semi-drys with attached hoods and love them. But... they don't have my spare tire and so aren't as prone to overheating (and the subsequent need to cool off) as I am.

BTW the water we typically dive in these suits is usually in the low 50's at depth.