Custom wetsuit - Boggled by neoprene types sold by different custom wetsuit companies

[Thalassamania]

Hi Thalassamania, and thanks for your input. I agree that the Rubatex sounds fabulous, and although I am typically more than willing to spend some extra money for better quality, there are two reasons I have (probably) ruled out the Rubatex.

1) A friend is buying the suit for me for a Christmas present, so I don't want to buy one that is double the cost of the typical one;

2) What really caused me to re-think the Rubatex (as I was sold on it from reading your endorsement of it in posts I had searched) was a post by Kristi from Wetwear, when she was responding to another board member's question. Here's the question and her response:

You advertise Wetwear Nitrogen Neoprene in your Sport Diver section, and the Rubatex G-231N Neoprene in your Commercial/Cave/Technical section. Do you not recommend the G-231N for Sport Divers? Does it weigh so much more and/or is stiffer?

The Nitrogen neoprene we offer in the sport diving section is rated to 80 feet before it receives compression and is a little more affordable than the G231. The G231 is rated to 500 feet before it receives compression. The G231 material is not much stiffer in a 3mm, but it is almost double the price.

They say this on their website:

Wetwear NCN (nitrogen composed neoprene)
Excellent for sport diving to depths of 130 feet
Nylon two

Rubatex G-231N nitrogen blown neoprene (the very finest neoprene made)
Excellent for extremely deep diving to depths in excess of 400 feet
Nylon two

So between that and the cost being double, I had figured that if I bought from Wetwear, I would get the Wetwear NCN (which is nitrogen but not Rubatex). I think that no compression to 80 feet and suitability to 130 feet would work well for me for the foreseeable future (probably won't be going to depths in excess of 400' very soon!)

So then it becomes a question of how do the other custom makers' neoprenes compare to Wetwear's "NCN." That is what I'm trying to figure out, and so I thought I'd see if the membership here had any input or information

B.

PS: Thalassamania, I'm curious about your location. Sounds interesting!

I have no idea what they are talking about, it sounds to me like gobbledygook aimed at praising the wetwear product by comparing it favorably to GN-231 and then saying that you don't need GN-231. Even GN-231 is pretty compressed at 190, and substantially compressed at 130, so I suspect that they are talking about how much pressure the material can take before it fails to fully recover.

Location is: Hawaii.

 

[Brian Sharpe]

I was in similar situation a a year ago. Had no idea what custom suit to go for. I was gravitating towards Rubatex but there was one major drawback. Being a weight-lifting athlete, my body measurements and weight fluctuates. Two months ago I weighed 180 lbs and now I weigh 200 lbs. In the summers, I will once again be down to my summer weight of 180 lbs. Rubatex has no stretchability! it becomes useless if you gain 20 lbs. I gave up the idea of buying a custom suit and got myself a 3mm bare wetsuit with maximum stretch. I have done 20 dives on it and it has not lost its stretch so far. At 130 dollars, even if it does loose its stretch, I would be happy to throw it and get a new one. By the end of the day, I feel that if you are a recreational diver, unless you have exaggerated measurements, a rubatex suit is not fundamental to your diving needs. Furthermore after gaining or loosing a few pounds the custom suit will not be as "custom" as your paid for. Thats just my thoughts

Cheers -

My thoughts too (not that I'm a body builder unless you consider a "Molson muscle" ...I digress)

Just to add to that - check out Bare's website (BARE Sports), you can get a made-to measure Bare wetsuit for not too much more than an "off-the-rack". I was tempted to do so myself but found they're variety of standard sizes got close enough for now.

This past October I was diving a 2mil shorty in 84F water and locally dive a 7mil suit (I was quite comfortable doing 2 40 minute dives in Sept @ 64F) and for colder water dive dry. (But I'm also pretty cold tolerant eh!)

 

[Blue Sparkle]

Thanks for the info so far Let me just clarify a couple of things:

1) I do need a custom wetsuit. I have tried on many, many off-the-rack suits, and they just don't fit. It's not so much that they don't stretch as that when they fit me in one area they are huge and gaping in another. So if it's okay, I'd like to discuss just the custom manufacturers.

2) I realize that to some folks it may seem like I've over-thinking it. But I know myself, and not only am I a detail person, but I tend to keep my gear for a loooong time. Even if I don't dive 100 times a year, I tend to snorkel quite a bit (can't show that in the profile though). Also, I just like to know what I'm getting, on principle - and the moreso if I'm going custom. I'm the type who reads ingredients at the grocery store

3) Although I will probably be getting a 3mm jumpsuit (maybe with some 5mm sections), I plan to wear it with a 3mm shortie much of the time (75º water), so it won't always be "just" a 3mm suit.

I love that list of who uses what neoprene - if only the companies I'm considering were on it (besides Wetwear)! D_B, can you tell me where you found the list?

Thalassamania, I feel like I understand what Wetwear is saying. That is, that Rubatex is great stuff, but that their other neoprene is still very good stuff. If only I could compare it to what the other custom suit makers are supplying!

Thanks all,
B.

 

[Thalassamania]

Here's another approach. Buy a good quality rack suit that is a little too big (mens or womans, doesn't matter). Take it to someone who can cut it down for you (there are lots of such companies).

 

[Scott L]

I've said I am going to about the best choice Wetwear. My second option would be Pinnacle's Merino Wool lined suits which are very popular in S Florida. Most divers indicated they can do with a 3mm suit whereas in the past only a 5mm would have sufficed...

 

[spt29970]

I second the idea of getting an off-the-rack suit and having it tailored. I have always done this and have gotten essentially custom suits for bargain prices. The other advantage is that you can try the various neoprenes to get a good feeling about how easy it is to don and doff the suit. If you are ordering a suit from descriptions of the neoprene types or small samples, you might be surprised at how stiff some of the "durable" neoprenes are.

I made the mistake of ordering my wife a fully custom wetsuit when we first started diving with the idea that she would be much more likely to stick with it if she was comfortable. The suit was well made and fit like a glove, but she had the devil of a time getting it on and off. She had only a half a dozen dives on it and then she gained a few pounds; now she can't get it on at all. It has been hanging in the garage gathering dust for the last few years. We should get rid of it on ebay or craigslist, but it will be tricky to find someone that it will fit.

 

[Mr.X]

Quick note. I ordered a custom Wetwear suit. It was warm. However, the carpet kneepads blew out three times with nothing more than me kneeling on a sand bottom with students doing drills. The suit (for the short summer that I wore it) was rinsed everyday with freshwater and hung to dry in a shaded area. Within a month it had drastically shrunk to the point where donning / doffing it became a ridiculous struggle and a sheer waste of time. Nothing like taxing your muscles before going into the water!!!

No - I didn't gain weight. The suit actually shrank. Very expensive (450.00) for less than a month's worth of use. After the shrinking incident I used a Henderson stretch suit the duration of the season which worked well enough, but was not as warm. In short - I can't recommend Wetwear products.

X

 

[Blue Sparkle]

I appreciate the suggestions for getting an off the rack suit and having it customized, but that won't work for my situation. I am out in the sticks, with no "racks" nearby, and I need to have a suit ready to use for my upcoming trip. So, if I wait until I go to Florida to look at rack suits, it will be too late to have any tailoring done.

And, although I'm not trying to make it cost more, I have been given a custom suit as a gift, and so to have my generous friend buy me a rack suit and then later have it customized does take away slightly from the "Please find a custom suit you like and let me know the details so that I can take care of it for you" gift like feel. Again, I don't want to go crazy, but I also don't want to say "Okay, please buy me this rack suit and I'll wear it on our dive trip but it won't fit, and then later I'll take it to get it customized and then be sending you another bill." I think part of the intention of the gift is that we are able to dive together later this month, and I'm in a suit that I like and that (for once!) fits me. (Yes, I have a pretty sweet friend here )

So, for this, among other reasons, I have decided to go with a custom suit. My dilemma comes when trying to compare the custom products available from the various custom suit-makers. It's like I'm trying to buy a car and one maker tells me how many horsepower it has and what type of engine it is, but then others only tell about the suspension, and yet others about the paint colors. That makes it hard to make an informed decision.

So, I was hoping that perhaps a member or two here might have ordered from (or looked into) any of the makers I'm considering, or might otherwise have more information than I have been able to glean, from reading threads here and/or looking online.

Thanks again for your input - much appreciated!

B.

 

[hudson]

Even GN-231 is pretty compressed at 190, and substantially compressed at 130

Why do you have to ruin the party? I was about to phone in my order for a custom GN-231 drysuit! :lol:

Blue, good luck, but just as a sidenote: I'm a chilly guy and I recently had a dive trip at ~75-76F with an off the rack 3mm + 3mm hooded vest, and did not get even remotely cold after a full week of repeated dives (hooded vest was the key). So even if you end up with the second-best choice, you'll be fine, the choice is not as critical as it is with 7mm wetsuits and colder waters.

 

[friscuba]

Just for grins, take a look at Waterproof wetsuits' website and their sizing charts. They've got something like 23 women's sizes in 3 mil suits. They might have something that's closer to the fit you want, unfortunately you'd need to chance finding 'em where you're headed if you can't find them locally.