BARE 2013 Elastek Wetsuit

[Howie411]

Does anyone own one of the new Bare 2013 Elastek Wetsuits? Just got mine the other day (3mm) and 2 things I noticed right away. 1. There is already a rip in the glideseal (on 1 of the legs) this doesn't give me much confidence on the quality. 2. On the back on my neck, the suit doesn't sit flat, there is almost like a little hill, and obviously this will be an issue once in the water as its an entry point for the water to keep coming in.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

Hey Howie,

I would get in touch with the retailer, they can get you a new suit. We haven't had any issues with their newer suits, so it sounds like just a seal or something.

As for the neck, the zipper is usually the culprit. Can you share a pic so we can see it? That is the usual spot water enters on any suit. It's hard to get a perfect seal back there unless you have a drysuit. This is why, here in the Midwest, people let out a little yelp when they hit the cold water and it goes down their back

 

[j2s]

Most of my suits are custom (6" 4") but I get gear to try out regularly and I have that suit, 7mm full....I've only dove it in caves (72 degrees, feels like 68 !!!) about 15 times and haven't had any problems....I like the rubberized seams and no wrist/ankle zippers....You're always going to get some water down your back, even in a custom suit, wear a rash guard underneath, until the pressure squeezes the suit against your skin.....Then the leak should stop, if not it's too big.....Suits should fit snug to tight.........Elastex is a thinner material (whole lot easier to get on/off) than the usual neoprene or Pinnacle/Marino (warm but stiff and a pain on/off).....So you have to be a little gentler w/it........The back zipper is the easiest to zip up of any 'off-the-rack' suit I've tried......

 

[geogator]

I have a 3mm Elastek full that I bought just over a year ago and today I had to send it back to Bare since it's still under warranty. It only has about 35 dives on it and the front part of the neck seal has started separating and even the neoprene itself has begun to tear in one spot. If you put your thumb under the seal and gently push up just enough to stretch it you can see several places where the outer layer has begun separating vertically. Also, the outside rubber seals over the seams are cracking in several places (seat, armpits, crotch) and in a couple of spots about a quarter inch of them have come completely off, particularly around the seat area. I'm pretty careful with my suit and take extra care to rinse it out after every dive and soak it in the tub with McNetts every so often but especially after diving in salt water.

I'm anxious to see how they handle this but I've heard that they stand by their products so I'm hopeful. They were very nice when I contacted them by phone about it and emailed me a repair authorization within a half hour after I hung up. I'm bummed though because other than these issues, I REALLY like the suit. It fits like a glove, the seals are excellent, especially around the wrists/ankles and it's much warmer than my first suit I bought. (A full 3mm Pinnacle Elastiprine which turned out to be a POS (see my other thread) & prompted me to buy the Bare to replace it.)

 

[diveprof]

Personally I think many of the recent lines of wetsuits are of lesser quality. Flexible yes, but as durable and warm - no. I've had Henderson, Bare, and Pinnacle in recent years (yeah I dive a lot). I wish Bare would go back to the Bare Artic suit of several years ago- now THAT WAS A GREAT WETSUIT!

 

[spc751]

I have the old model and get water down the back of my neck as well. I am thinking about a light hooded vest to wear under the wetsuit.