Bare Wetsuit

[Devonled]

Hello all!

I am buying my first 5mm wetsuit soon, and I am torn on what to buy. I am an owner of the Bare Evoke 3mm, and love it. I also saw the Bare Nixie, and I am torn on which to buy. Anyone tried these and noticed a difference?

 

[NorCalDM]

I use a Bare 5mm Reactive and my wife uses a Bare 5mm Evoke both are very good wetsuits. I have about 50 dives on mine and my wife about 60 on hers with no issues. The other brand I use is Xcel which is a nice suit as well. Both these brands fit me well which is way I use them so just make sure they fit your body type as not all suits fit the same.

 

[Johnoly]

I love the Bare wetsuit line and it's all I dive. BUT there is a BIG difference between the 3mm and the 5mm for ease of getting your legs on. 3mm 's are easy without ankle zipper because they are so thin. Just my opinion but on the 5mm, you must have ankle zippers or it's just going to be a massive struggle (even with plastic bag slip TRICKS). Since you like the Evoke and the 5mm Evoke comes with ankle zippers that is well worth the extra few dollars since you will have the suit for many years to come. Remember the 3 rules of wetsuit sizing,,Fit,,,,Fit,,,& Fit.

 

[inquis]

Since you have a 3mm, consider the Reactive as it's supposed to be warmer than other models. I have dives in my 3mm Reactive + 6mm hood when others have switched to 7mm. A 5mm Reactive should cover quite a range.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

No clue on modern Bare suits, but 20 years ago I had a 7 mm Bare suit. It was my favorite wetsuit ever.

Bare was sold a few years ago, though, and just last weekend I had a student really inconvenienced by a failed zipper on a just about brand-new rental Bare suit. Looks like cheap construction to me. The Zipper seemed destined to fail as soon as any stress was put on it.

 

[broncobowsher]

Have a Henderson Aqualock (older 5mm). Picked up a good deal on a Bare from a shop that was closing and happen to be my size. It was a 7mm. The Bare was OK, but not great. Better than a lot of older 7mm I had before. Went with a drysuit for anything that would need a 7mm and sold the suit. The 5mm gets used every once in a while.

I would rank Bare wetsuits as better than average, but not the best there is.

 

[DBPacific]

The Nixie is currently on clearance sale on Bare Outlet (select sizes, check if yours is there). I've only tried the Bare Evoke 7mm and it's one of my most treasured pieces of gear. From the descriptions, the main obvious difference is the Bare Evoke 5mm has wrist, ankle, and neck zippers but I don't see any of those zippers on the Nixie. For me personally, the extra zippers have only made a big difference with a 7mm suit because of the extra bulk.

I'm also seeing a new Nixie Ultra line, which mentions the updated wetsuit tech that I think is the same as in the Evoke and the pics have ankle, wrist, and neck zippers.

I'm not sure what the difference is between the Evoke and the Nixie Ultra, but between the Evoke and the Nixie, it seems to be new warming tech + easier doffing/donning vs cheaper price. Or, get the blend with the Nixie Ultra which has a price smack dab in the middle

 

[Devonled]

The Nixie is currently on clearance sale on Bare Outlet (select sizes, check if yours is there). I've only tried the Bare Evoke 7mm and it's one of my most treasured pieces of gear. From the descriptions, the main obvious difference is the Bare Evoke 5mm has wrist, ankle, and neck zippers but I don't see any of those zippers on the Nixie. For me personally, the extra zippers have only made a big difference with a 7mm suit because of the extra bulk.

I'm also seeing a new Nixie Ultra line, which mentions the updated wetsuit tech that I think is the same as in the Evoke and the pics have ankle, wrist, and neck zippers.

I'm not sure what the difference is between the Evoke and the Nixie Ultra, but between the Evoke and the Nixie, it seems to be new warming tech + easier doffing/donning vs cheaper price. Or, get the blend with the Nixie Ultra which has a price smack dab in the middle

Thank you! This was incredibly helpful. I am trying on the Nixie at my dive shop today, hoping they have the "ultra" in stock. I have never worn anything other than a 3mm, so thank you for the tip about ankle and wrist zippers. I will keep all this in mind when I go to my dive shop today, thank you so much!

 

[Devonled]

Thank you! This was incredibly helpful. I am trying on the Nixie at my dive shop today, hoping they have the "ultra" in stock. I have never worn anything other than a 3mm, so thank you for the tip about ankle and wrist zippers. I will keep all this in mind when I go to my dive shop today, thank you so m

The Nixie is currently on clearance sale on Bare Outlet (select sizes, check if yours is there). I've only tried the Bare Evoke 7mm and it's one of my most treasured pieces of gear. From the descriptions, the main obvious difference is the Bare Evoke 5mm has wrist, ankle, and neck zippers but I don't see any of those zippers on the Nixie. For me personally, the extra zippers have only made a big difference with a 7mm suit because of the extra bulk.

I'm also seeing a new Nixie Ultra line, which mentions the updated wetsuit tech that I think is the same as in the Evoke and the pics have ankle, wrist, and neck zippers.

I'm not sure what the difference is between the Evoke and the Nixie Ultra, but between the Evoke and the Nixie, it seems to be new warming tech + easier doffing/donning vs cheaper price. Or, get the blend with the Nixie Ultra which has a price smack dab in the middle

Ended up getting the Nixie Ultra today! Thanks for the tips! Made sure it does have zippers at ankles and wrists. Thanks again!

 

[DBPacific]

Glad it worked out for you! Let us know how it is diving