Chest Size Problem Long John Jacket

[Blueringocto_73]

So the rental long john for my OW cert. in Monterey has a jacket that's XL. It compresses my chest to a painful degree. But a 2XL is probably going to be too large. Haven't tried a 2XL yet however because it's probably going to cause excessive flushing.

Tomorrow I'm going back to my LDS to try something, anything to get around this problem. 2 days wearing the jacket I have would just be unbearable.

 

[Rred]

It might be worth looking at other brands in other shops and renting one that fits better. Or, you may have to decide on making The Commitment to the hobby, and ordering a custom suit, or at least jacket. The cheaper ones tend to be cheaper neoprene and after 2-5 years they do shrink. The better ones are nitrogen blown neoprene (i.e., from Rubatex) and they will cost twice as much--but last four times longer, no shrinking.

Sometimes, if you beat the bushes, you can find a place that makes custom suits at reasonable prices.

 

[Akimbo]

Suits that are too tight across the chest are dangerous. It increases "work of breathing" which increases CO2 retention. That significantly reduces an individual's panic threshold... especially for new divers.

I have a similar problem due to body anthropometrics and have either used custom wetsuits or drysuits most of my life. I would give a lot of consideration to a drysuit for diving in Monterey. Currently available blended closed-cell foam Neoprenes compress so much that I can't stay comfortable much under 50'.

 

[Rred]

"foam Neoprenes compress so much that"
I don't think that is a neoprene problem. But rather, there are so many ways to put the bubbles in foam, that many of them simply allow too much compression because the rubber matrix around the bubbles is too thin. With nitrogen-blown neoprene the maker has more control over that, because as they release the pressure in the mold, they can control the amount of "fizzy-ness" that the expanding gas will have, and how far that will push the neoprene. (More gas, less neoprene, makes for higher profits.)
I asked a Big Name Wetsuit Company "How many pounds of buoyancy does this suit have?" when I was looking for a warm water skin, and they said "We don't know." That tells me they really don't know the business, they're just clerks selling dry goods. There's a lot of that--this was a BIG NAME company.

 

[Akimbo]

"foam Neoprenes compress so much that"
I don't think that is a neoprene problem...

It is definitely a Neoprene formulation issue. Most quality wetsuits were made of Nitrogen-blown Rubatex G231-n before about the 1990s. That material was less stretchy (bad) and compressible (good) than currently available Neoprene blends. The video illustrates relative compressive qualities:

 

[Rred]

I had the pleasure of speaking with Rubatex (back when you paid for phone call$ by the minute and computers were ARPA-net connected but not for general public use) back in the early 80's, after a long discussion with other divers about "wetsuits shrink" "No, divers get fat" and I still have some pieces of the samples that Rubatex generously sent me. (Some, not much, because most of it was made into other things.)

My second wetsuit was custom made, because I'm not a perfect size whatever, shortly after that. And I put a yardstick on the spine, measured off 36", marked it with a Magic Marker (did Sharpie's exist??) and re-measured it every year or two. Sure enough...35-1/2, 35, 34-1/2...While the nitrogen blown 12" samples stayed their original size.

Of course the case can be made that it makes more sense to buy a cheaper suit and replace it every 4-5 years, since the diver's size may be changing anyway. But unless the neoprene is bare (no fabric layer) and the diver has taken a close look at G-231N or one of the others to see the different surface texture, there's just no way to tell what you're getting.

Like all the "genuine Gore-Tex with labels" outerwear sold on eBay from China...labels are easily made. Even the reputable merchants who sell some things, have no real idea what is being shipped to them.

 

[Blueringocto_73]

Well the solution to my problem was to find a jacket at another LDS. The jacket that was too tight was an XL branded Atlan. This rental is an XL Neosport and has a little more stretch. It's still tight but with just enough to allow for chest expansion and it's reasonably comfortable.

I'll be trying out the wetsuit with snorkeling gear in a 58 degree swimming pool. Just to get an idea how long it will ward off the cold.