Ebay bought neoprene dy suit, size question.

[Jacky Boy]

Hi, I recently bought a C-skins Neoprene dry suit with hood from ebay. The measurments all seemd to fit me perfectly with a little room to spare on the description. The fit when I got it however is what I'd expext from a well fitting wet suit.

I think the peron it was fitted for must have been a few inches shorter than me.

So is this ok? I wouldnt be able to fit into it with an under-suit, but as I understand it, neoprene dry suits are designed so you dont need an undersuit.

I'm tempted to stick it straight back up, but its in great condition and I really like it. So I wouldnt want to sell it, only to find out I could have kept it.

Any advice appreciated (except "dont buy dry suits off ebay". I knew the risks, and I probably wouldnt again. But Ive got loads of great deals from ebay, and only the odd dissapontment.)

--------------EDIT-------------------

I just double checked. The guys 5'11", same as me.

 

[SubMariner]

Hi, I recently bought a C-skins Neoprene dry suit with hood from ebay. The measurments all seemd to fit me perfectly with a little room to spare on the description. The fit when I got it however is what I'd expext from a well fitting wet suit.

I think the peron it was fitted for must have been a few inches shorter than me.

So is this ok? I wouldnt be able to fit into it with an under-suit, but as I understand it, neoprene dry suits are designed so you dont need an undersuit.

I'm tempted to stick it straight back up, but its in great condition and I really like it. So I wouldnt want to sell it, only to find out I could have kept it.

Any advice appreciated (except "dont buy dry suits off ebay". I knew the risks, and I probably wouldnt again. But Ive got loads of great deals from ebay, and only the odd dissapontment.)

--------------EDIT-------------------

I just double checked. The guys 5'11", same as me.

You WILL need to wear something under a neoprene drysuit. A couple of reasons:

1) You will need something to wick off the sweat & keep from getting "suit hickies" (pinched) at the crooks of your knees & elbows. Exactly how thick depends entirely on the temperature of the water at the depth you'll be diving. This can be anything from multiple layers of undies to fully fledged wooly-bears.

2) The neoprene will compress at depth, so you will need additional insulation. Again, refer to above regarding how much.

Ergo, if you cannot fit anything under the suit then it is not the correct size for you. Just because he was the same height doesn't mean that the rest of the dimensions are the same.

FWIW, I started diving in Canada in a 5mm neoprene drysuit many moons ago, so I'm telling it like it is.

Bonne chance,

 

[spectrum]

As mentioned you will want something under the suit.

What that something is will depend on you, the quality of the neoprene, the water temperature and the depth you dive to. At the minimum you will want a wicking top, like Underarmor or some other high performance shirt. It's not bulky but *** will keep the worst of the clamy condensation off your skin. With a top like that I'm good into the upper 50sF on 30 foot shore dives of 1 hour+.

As the water gets colder and the dives deeper you will want full body wicking coverage, then maybe a vest or even a light drysuit undergarment. You need not plan on a full blown 400g Thinsulate jumpsuit however.

A close fit may not be a bad thing as long as you have all of the length you need to allow freedom of movement. In any case it should not fit like a bag style laminate suit.

Pete

 

[Jacky Boy]

Cheers for your responses. You seem to be inline with what everone is saying, I need to be able to ware an unser suit. I contacted the last pwner who said they wore a t-shirt and jogging pants. I also went into one of my LDS to have a look at the thickness of an undersuit. They are actually thinner than I expected (although increadibly expensive) but I think I may be OK waring something of that thickness. Bottom line I suppose is that I need to go diving in it and find out.
Unfortunately Im haing dental work done so cant dive at the moment, apparently the dental hospital will be able to give me an appointment in November, at some point. So I'll hang onto it for now and as soon as I can get back into the water I'll find out properly whether or not I can use it.

The guy at the LDS said that as its 7mm I may be OK without an undersuit, but didnt seem to sure of that. Anybody have any experience of 7mm neoprene dry suits in the UK?

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I used to own a 7mm neoprene suit. They are much less prone to squeezing than a trilam. And as much of the insulation is in the suit itself, you can get by with very thin undergarments.

This would work really well - very thin, but wicking, stretchy and would be more than warm enoughfor dives in the 40-50 range with a neoprene dry suit. It's also inexpensive by undergarment standards.

Tilos dry suit underwear

The upside of a sug fitting neoprene suit is that they swim exceptionally well underwater and are very streamlined.

 

[spectrum]

The guy at the LDS said that as its 7mm I may be OK without an undersuit, but didnt seem to sure of that. Anybody have any experience of 7mm neoprene dry suits in the UK?

That may be true but without a wicking layer (thin and fairly inexpensive) you will be damp and miserable.

Mine is a 7mm in Maine if that helps.

Pete

 

[SubMariner]

Cheers for your responses. You seem to be inline with what everone is saying, I need to be able to ware an unser suit. I contacted the last pwner who said they wore a t-shirt and jogging pants. I also went into one of my LDS to have a look at the thickness of an undersuit. They are actually thinner than I expected (although increadibly expensive) but I think I may be OK waring something of that thickness. Bottom line I suppose is that I need to go diving in it and find out.
Unfortunately Im haing dental work done so cant dive at the moment, apparently the dental hospital will be able to give me an appointment in November, at some point. So I'll hang onto it for now and as soon as I can get back into the water I'll find out properly whether or not I can use it.

The guy at the LDS said that as its 7mm I may be OK without an undersuit, but didnt seem to sure of that. Anybody have any experience of 7mm neoprene dry suits in the UK?

Spectrum is right on in his assessment that you will need at least something to wick away the sweat. And it need not be expensive. We use the thin base layer long-sleeved shirts that you can get at any hiking or ski shop and cycling tights if the water is warm enough. And don't forget the pinch factor!

The guy at the LDS feeding you porkie pies. Best not to listen to him.

Cheers,

 

[DA Aquamaster]

In my experience, there is very little "pinch" with squeeze with a neoprene suit compared to a trilam - which can have a very sharp "pinch" when squeezed. You can consequently dive comfortably with a LOT less air in a neoprene drysuit even with very thin undergarments.

 

[Couv]

Superior Diving Repair, Inc.

...or perhaps someone in the UK could alter it if you like it enough to keep.

 

[kiknads]

I normally wear a sweatshirt and sweatpants under my drysuit for some extra warmth.