Many have made comments regarding the Hyperstretchs ability to keep as warm as other suits. Dove my 7/5 yesterday with a Microprene under it in 57 temp waters and was never cold. Made 2 dives but did not have deco obligation so I can't make that comparison. Several guys in dry suits were very cold which surprised me.
Best quality tropical wetsuit - which brand?
- Thread starter bertschb
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Bob3
Contributor
The main issue with Hyperstretch & similar material comes from its tendency to compress more at depth, a tradeoff that needs to be addressed when selecting any suit.
OP
bertschb
Contributor
Bob3:
Does it make that much difference with a 3mm suit?
Bob3
Contributor
Depth is going to play a big role, as is water temps.
I'd even question the need to have that type of material in a suit that thin in the first place. 3mm material is going to be way stretchy compared to a 7mm in the first place, where the Hyperstretch makes the most difference.
OP
bertschb
Contributor
I guess what I'm asking is how much can this 3mm material compress? There isn't much there to begin with.
I used a 3mm for years then got Bares 4/5 5mm body and 4mm arms and legs (recommened by a friend who runs a dive lodge in Indonesia) and found the added warmth increased my comfort when shooting photos. Some times I dont move much through out the dive and get cold after 60-70 minutes even in tropical water.
Generally I like Bare products but have not used their 3mm suit.
Generally I like Bare products but have not used their 3mm suit.
Bob3
Contributor
I never checked/compared that type & thickness before, but it wouldn't surprise me to see it reduced by at least half to 2/3rds around 100'.
I had a 3/8" that used to smush down to 1/8" past 200, & that was Rubatex, a lot stiffer material.
OP
bertschb
Contributor
3mm isn't much to begin with. I've only used dry suits so I don't know anything about wet suits but will compression on a 3mm suit make that much difference in bouyancy?
mmcdds
Contributor
5615mike:
As has been said numerous times already, tolerance to cold is an individual matter. Over Thanksgiving my family and I were diving in 80-82 degree water. We all were wearing 3mm wetsuits, my 15 year old daughter and 16 year old son were warm, but both my wife and I were both cold after only the second dive. Bottom time for each dive was about 45 minutes. I just bought some 5mm henderson hyperstretch full suits for my wife and I for an upcoming trip to Roatan this March. I'll bring both the 3mm and 5mm suits but I suspect that I'll be wearing the 5mm.
mardigrastexan
Guest
bertschb:
Fantastic choice Bert. Both my g/f and I own the same wetsuit and it's great. My g/f probably wouldn't like scuba diving if it weren't for the Henderson Hyperstretch. The older style neoprene(heavy,no stretch) were VERY restricting on her upper area...I would imagine the Hyperstretch would be a good choice for many women. As far as weighting goes, 16-18lbs works for me in salt water...I'm 6' 190lbs.....the variance in weight depends on the items I'm carrying with me at the time. Also,the DM's on the boats can usually look at you and give a really close educated guess as to the amount of weight you need. They see it everyday(must be nice.) Anyway,enjoy your new suit.
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