Considering either 3mm or 5mm Merino Elastiprene. Thoughts?

[zebrax0r]

Hi all,

Well. The time has come for me to grow up and buy my first wetsuit. I'm local around Northern NSW/QLD Australia, so temps all year around are between 20ŽºC and ~26ŽºC. It can get cold in thermoclines, of course.

Here is the dilemma, and a place I need some experience from others. Although I dive regularly(ish) locally, and think a 5mm Pinnacle Merino Elastiprene would be great for this area, I am about to head off to Indonesia (Bunakan) for a week or so. Everyone is telling me I'll be too warm in a 5mm and I am better off grabbing a 3mm.

I percieve the 5mm being a more flexible/versatile choice, and I am not so sure that a 5mm is "too warm" for Indonesian waters, but I'm going to defer to the experience of others.

Thoughts? Comments? I'd love to be able to say I could just grab a 3mm AND a 5mm so I could have the best of both worlds, but, I need to be realistic. Should I just go the 5mm and have a better all-rounder? Or is this flawed logic?

Thanks.

z

 

[driftwood]

If the 5 gets too warm, just break the neck seal and let some water in. That being said, I dive with a 3mm elastiprene in 72 degree water and am good for a hour.

Another option, is to buy the 3mm and get a vest/core warmer to wear under it. It would also help to buy a beanie to conserve heat

 

[meesier42]

I have been diving the Pinnacle Seal for about 4 years now and found that I can dive it in water from 68-82F and stay comfortable for a a couple of dives a day so long as the air temps on the surface are warm. To adjust for cold, I add a beanie and gloves and I am good to go.

 

[zebrax0r]

Hrrrrm. This seems like good advice all around.

I am thinking, at this stage, I might nab the 5mm, and "Water as needed" if I get too warm. Given the kind of water around these parts, which is the most common diving I will do, I am likely to be fine, for the majority of the time.

I guess it's a question of, has anybody even been "Too warm" ?

 

[peterjmaerz]

Hi ZebraxOr,

I LOVE my Pinnacle 5mm Elastiprene (see my post from last year: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/exposure-suits/223776-pinnacle-praise.html )

However, I have found that, like fingerprints, no two people share the same exact level of susceptibility to cold. I, as I wrote before, am an unabashed "coldie". On my recent liveaboard trip to Triton Bay/Fak Fak/Raja Ampat, I wore the 5mm PLUS the elastiprene 3/5 hooded vest in 84-degree water and felt just perfect. I will say that there was an immediately noticeable increase in warmth when I switched from my Henderson 5mm gold core to the Pinnacle. But, as someone mentioned, the neck seal is a crucial element of the Pinnacle suit. If one were to leave it open, the flow of water into the suit would negate some of the heating properties of the wool lining, I'm sure.

Hope you enjoy your suit, whichever you end up with.

Best,

 

[zebrax0r]

Hi folks.

Well, thanks for all the replies. It helped to make the task of buying my first suit much easier/more informed!

I ended up grabbing the 5mm. Went diving in 24C water last weekend with it, and to be honest, it's the nicest suit I've ever jumped in. It really is a beautiful bit of gear!

Taking it to Indonesia with me next week! We'll see how it goes in all other conditions .

Cheers.

z

 

[ToPpS]

I did my training on the island of Koh Tao in Thailand. It's pretty much considered very warm water 27C compared to other places. There were quite a few people out there who didn't even wear a wetsuit. Some just wore a t-shirt or a rash vest and board shorts.

I'm planning on getting a custom wetsuit made here is SA 20C. I was thinking 5mm for the torso section and a mixture of 3/5mm on the legs and arms. That will work for me. If i need more then a 2mm under-vest should sort out any problems.