Camaro brand wetsuits? / hooded vest

[Lorenzoid]

Anyone familiar with Camaro brand wetsuits? It's an Austrian company. I've been searching for a hooded vest with a 2 mm body but thicker hood, and this is the only manufacturer I have been able to find. Camaro makes a product called Ice Vest Pro that has a 2 mm body and a 4 mm hood.

EVO makes an inexpensive 2 mm, but the hood is 2 mm as well. Stepping up to 3 mm body with 5 mm hood, there are more options, but that's too thick for my needs.

 

[KD8NPB]

+1mm will be the straw that breaks the camel's back, eh?

Never heard of them. Probably the same chinese garbage neoprene everybody else on the market is using these days...

I would probably just go for something by a reputable company stateside...someone with a nice product warranty?

I currently like Waterproof USA's stuff.

 

[Steve_C]

A few years ago I picked up a camaro 5mm hoodless semidry for colder NC water. My LDS at that time had some in stock. Wore a detached hood. It had the kind of neoprene that does not compress much. Was a good warm suit. Problem was that over a couple years I added a few pounds and it barely fit when I got it. Also it was not so stretchy and with my current shoulders it was a bit of work to take off so I passed it on and got a 7mm hyperstretch.

Overall it seemed very well made and a tough suit.

 

[Lorenzoid]

A few years ago I picked up a camaro 5mm hoodless semidry for colder NC water. My LDS at that time had some in stock. Wore a detached hood. It had the kind of neoprene that does not compress much. Was a good warm suit. Problem was that over a couple years I added a few pounds and it barely fit when I got it. Also it was not so stretchy and with my current shoulders it was a bit of work to take off so I passed it on and got a 7mm hyperstretch.

Overall it seemed very well made and a tough suit.

That's interesting because Camaro advertises the hooded vest as being made of something stretchier than normal neoprene, and that appeals to me. Hooded vests can be a pain to don and doff, and I was hoping for something like Hyperstretch. Unfortunately, Henderson doesn't make a hooded vest thinner than 3 mm body with 5 mm hood.

I'm not sure how much of a difference the extra millimeter might make. I am trying to replace a Lavacore hooded vest with something warmer, and it's been said that Lavacore is probably equivalent to about 1.5 mm of neoprene. So I figured I would look for a 2 mm neoprene vest. If I were to jump to 3 mm, that would make a total of 8 mm when worn under my 5 mm suit--that's a lot of neoprene.