Drysuit Options For A Short Woman

[ljpm]

Hi,

My wife, who is 4'10", is looking to purchase a drysuit but is having difficulty finding her size. So far the closest we have come to her height is 60" . The problem is that for that height they expect her to be under 80 lbs (exaggeration, but you get the point).

How important is the height in terms of fit? Would she be ok with a drysuit that that is a couple of inches to large? She currently has a Henderson wetsuit with aqualock and although the body fit is adequate, there is a couple inches extra on the legs and arms. She doesn't want to have the same issue with a drysuit.

Jim

 

[rivers]

Made to measure may be her best option. Or made to fit if there are any manufacturers/shops in your area offer that (ie, an off the peg suit that mostly fits, but might be a couple of inches too long so they adjust only the areas that need to be altered).

 

[fmerkel]

If you are serious about diving, go custom. Since she's small I recommend a decent compressed neoprene (not crushed, those are just an expensive shell). Small people lose heat faster than large people, so the neoprene provides extra insulation. Seems shell suits have become popular (GUE/DIR influence? Don't know why if you are a recreational diver). They have some advantages but most of them are above water.

A poorly fitting 'bag' suit is bubble trapping, drag producing, pain underwater. We have a friend that manufactures drysuits. His opinion is about 80% of men can be stock fitted, but only about 20% of women, if they want a decent fit. Both my wife and I are small, but otherwise fairly average. We both go custom. We've both had bag suits and the compressed neoprene is just a whole lot better, especially for my wife.

Now, if you are going to take it on an airplane on a routine basis the weight and bulk difference could be an issue.

 

[KevinNM]

You pretty much need a modified or custom suit. The difference (with some manufacturers) is how many measurements need to be changed. With Santi (for example) there is a an adjustment for a modified suit and a different adjustment for a fully custom suit.. You should find someone who sells a lot of drysuits and have them measure her and see what needs to altered to make it fit.

If it's really just shortening the legs and arms there are lots of people who can do this with a used suit.

 

[ljpm]

Thanks all.