Question Drysuits for short women?

[paige92]

Hello everyone~ Trying to get advice for purchasing a drysuit.

I'm particularly short (5'2) but have a curvy figure (40in hips and 39in bust) and was wondering if there were brands out there that the community knows about for being particularly good fitting for women's bodies.

I'm not fond of the idea of getting anything custom since it will be my first time purchasing a drysuit.
I don't have a variety of brands to try on here in warm-watered Florida either, but I'm moving to England in the fall and will need an appropriate exposure suit.

Just trying to get some research before I'm there and have no idea what to look for! Thanks!

 

[Marie13]

I’m short and round. You need custom. If you want it to fit, you have no choice.

Check out Seaskin. This is especially good since you’ll be in the UK. They’re UK based and manufactured and the cost is quite reasonable compared with others. There is a big thread on Seaskin suits under the exposure protection subforum.

 

[paige92]

I’m short and round. You need custom. If you want it to fit, you have no choice.

Check out Seaskin. This is especially good since you’ll be in the UK. They’re UK based and manufactured and the cost is quite reasonable compared with others. There is a big thread on Seaskin suits under the exposure protection subforum.

This seems like an affordable option- I've poked around a bit but I'll be honest, selecting all of those seals and flaps and valves and zippers is very intimidating for a new diver. Do you think I should consult with my local dive club when I get to the UK and get some opinions on what all of the differences are between components?

I've only ever been on dives with a standard 3mm or 5mm wetsuit, I'm not really sure what all of these options are even for

 

[Marie13]

Just post in the Seaskin thread and the guys will help walk you through it.

I highly recommend the Kubi dry glove system, plus silicone wrist seals. If you are narrow shouldered, you will not want the user replaceable neck seal system. It will great limit shoulder movement. I have personal experience with the neck rings. This means a glued on latex seal.

 

[Gareth J]

Be aware that your University might have a tie in with a particular manufacturer, which might give you additional discount.

The UK has a number of good manufactures.

O-Three (Portland - just down the coast)
Seaskin
Otter (North West)
Hammond (East London)

Some of the manufactures will modify and 'off the shelf' suit to fit, at less cost than a fully made to measure.

To name four.

Normally there is an Autumn Dive show, and a Spring dive show each year, which tends to have all the manufacturers in one place.

 

[undrwater]

I've only ever been on dives with a standard 3mm or 5mm wetsuit, I'm not really sure what all of these options are even for

You should consult with your club. Then you can see and touch which gives you a better appreciation and understanding.

It's a lot of info.

 

[formernuke]

Go custom. VERY IMPORTANT MAKE SURE THE PERSON MEASURING YOU KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING.

 

[RobPNW]

I'm curious how the effective SeaSkin prices are with the dollar having trended up for the last 6 months.

 

[Brett Hatch]

As a guy, I can't comment on drysuit brands that specifically address your body type. But SeaSkin suits are made from scratch for each customer, so I would not expect that to be a problem (and same goes for any other made-to-measure suit). But I totally understand the hesitance to go custom for your first suit, I felt exactly the same way, since it sounds expensive and risky. Reading through Stuart V's excellent thread put my mind at ease, and I did end up going with a custom SeaSkin suit after all, at about half the cost vs a different brand at a local dive shop.

SeaSkin prices look pretty comparable to 2019. My suit was £997, which came to about $1268 in November '19. Plugging in the same options today, the website quotes £1119 which is about $1370, so a modest increase. If you are interested in these suits, that thread is a great resource. As a starting place, personally I'd say:

* Both trilaminate ("Nova") and compressed neoprene ("Ultra") are high quality suits at a good price. People have strong opinions about which one is better and why -- ultimately I went with a trilam, but neoprene suits are good as well
* If you go for a trilam, I consider these options to be indispensable: telescopic torso, main body zip cover flap, move dump (DIR), compressed neoprene socks
* These options I chose and would choose again, but others will have a different preference: YKK plastic main zip, Light Monkey Tinkle P-Valve, quick neck system with Siflex seal, Kubi fitted dryglove system, one large zippered pocket on each leg, change mat bag, name badge on both the suit and the bag
* These options I went with, but would not necessarily pick again: kevlar knee pads, polyurethane bum pad, braces pocket
* Lastly, I intended to put the warm neck option on, but forgot to -- whoops

I think you'll definitely want some dryglove system or another. I went with Kubi and am very happy with it, as far as I can tell their competitor brands are good as well. P-valve systems I consider essential for divers with male parts. For divers with female parts, there are a couple extra components and prep steps during setup (search for "she-p"). I can't speak to whether this is worthwhile or not, I'm sure others on the board who have tried it can chime in. But the alternatives to a P-valve aren't great, so it's at least worth looking into. In any case, if you opt out of a P-valve initially, it is easy and cheap to add one at later date.

 

[formernuke]

P valve is essential for some sites.

Do is the adhesive dissolver.