Extra warmth options under 3mm suit

[Deanoooooo]

Hi all,

First post, my fiancé and I have a few dozen dives under our belt mainly in the Caribbean. We are diving in French Polynesia in a couple of months and the water temp is a few degrees colder, still warm but we wear full 3mm suits in the caymans and still can get a little cold by the end of our second dive (yes we get laughed at). Anyway, we want to pack light and 3mm full suits are provided but we want a little extra warmth. Does it help to have something under the suit and what? I see options for .5mm neoprene vests, Lycra skins, etc.

Appreciate any advice

 

[Hank49]

A 2mm hood would make a big difference.
Or go a step further and use a 2 mm hooded vest. It's warmer and I used to use a hooded vest but have found that using two piece hooded wetsuits with farmer john pants accomplishes the same thing and you get better quality wetsuits. (Spetton, Yazbeck, Pursuit)
Scuba Gear and Dive Equipment with reviews on sale

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Hooded Vest Wet Suit, 3mm Neoprene Hooded Vest - JoeDiverAmerica.com

something like this. I've found that i prefer to wear something like this over the outside of the 3 mm one-piece suit. If you buy it too tight you can wear it under too. Cheapest, easiest solution and will be a lot warmer.

 

[j2s]

Some times just a rash guard under your wet suit gives you that little xrta warmth and it's light to pack...Or you can bring a 3mm shorty and wear it over your 3mm suit....Or just go to a 5mm full which would be less to pack than the other options and and very little additional weight......Since you mentioned you get cold on your second dive in the Caribbean, the 5mm may be the most practical and cost effective for both.....

 

[t-mac]

I agree with DD. When I want to step up a notch from a 3mm jumpsuit I add a hooded vest and reef gloves. Though, I wear the vest beneath the jumpsuit.

 

[drl]

The lava core hooded vest is great for extra warmth under a wetsuit, and it doesn't add extra buoyancy, so your weighting isn't affected if you add it on later dives. Another company also makes a similar product but I can't remember the name of it offhand.

 

[Deanoooooo]

Thanks for the quick responses all, much appreciated, didn't think about wearing a hooded vest over the suit, and the 5mm full suit purchase generally makes a lot of sense too. Looking forward to some awesome drift dives and getting our nitrox cert

---------- Post added at 03:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:32 PM ----------

Hey Hank49, I did some quick browsing for Stettin, yazbeck, pursuit wetsuits. They look solid! They seem to be marketed as free dive suits, pursuit more iron man/triathlon. You would recommend a two piece hooded 5mm (or still 3mm) suit with one of these brands as the optimal solution?

 

[Hank49]

The Yazbeck and Spetton pants fit tight and cover your midsection. Essentially you're getting 6 mm coverage over your core, which, along with your head, is the most important to keep warm. Keep in mind that the hood is a huge factor. Keep your head warm and your body stays much warmer.
And remember, when using a closed cell suit, you should use a lubricant to put it on. Otherwise you'll tear it apart pretty quickly. But the closed cell is warmer.

I was using a full 3 mm with a 2 mm vest here for cold season diving. I switched to the Spetton 1.5 mm in late Feb and it's kept me plenty warm.

They are a bit more expensive but I've bought some cheap one piece suits and that's what I got.....a cheap suit that falls apart after 120 hours or so in the water.

I haven't tried all brands of suits and I"m sure there are other good ones. But this has been my experience.

 

[danvolker]

Hi all,

First post, my fiancé and I have a few dozen dives under our belt mainly in the Caribbean. We are diving in French Polynesia in a couple of months and the water temp is a few degrees colder, still warm but we wear full 3mm suits in the caymans and still can get a little cold by the end of our second dive (yes we get laughed at). Anyway, we want to pack light and 3mm full suits are provided but we want a little extra warmth. Does it help to have something under the suit and what? I see options for .5mm neoprene vests, Lycra skins, etc.

Appreciate any advice

The most intriguing option I have seen in years is at :: THERMALUTION.COM :: Thermalution Heated Undersuit Is Your Only Solution TO Keep Warm! ...This is an electrically heated under-garment for wetsuits.....it would work for 2.5 mil, 3 mil, 5 mill or 7 mil.
It is supposed to run for 3.5 hours, which is plenty.....
I have not seen one, and have only been on the website....
If any SB people have seen or used one, we need to hear more about it....
I intend to get my hands on one and have Sandra test it on 3.5 hour dives at the Blue Heron Bridge Marine Park with a 3 mil wet suit, and also with a Sharkskin suit ( 2.5 mill equivalent insulation high tech non-bouyant material suit) ....

Best case scenario is an exposure suit that keeps you warms with zero buoyancy effect...meaning you need very little weight on your belt or BC, meaning it is much easier to have optimal Bouyancy and trim....and you will be more streamlined with less air in your wing or BC...less effort gliding and moving around/swimming.

---------- Post added at 11:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:24 AM ----------

Hi all,

First post, my fiancé and I have a few dozen dives under our belt mainly in the Caribbean. We are diving in French Polynesia in a couple of months and the water temp is a few degrees colder, still warm but we wear full 3mm suits in the caymans and still can get a little cold by the end of our second dive (yes we get laughed at). Anyway, we want to pack light and 3mm full suits are provided but we want a little extra warmth. Does it help to have something under the suit and what? I see options for .5mm neoprene vests, Lycra skins, etc.

Appreciate any advice

The most intriguing option I have seen in years is at :: THERMALUTION.COM :: Thermalution Heated Undersuit Is Your Only Solution TO Keep Warm! ...This is an electrically heated under-garment for wetsuits.....it would work for 2.5 mil, 3 mil, 5 mill or 7 mil.
It is supposed to run for 3.5 hours, which is plenty.....
I have not seen one, and have only been on the website....
If any SB people have seen or used one, we need to hear more about it....
I intend to get my hands on one and have Sandra test it on 3.5 hour dives at the Blue Heron Bridge Marine Park with a 3 mil wet suit, and also with a Sharkskin suit ( 2.5 mill equivalent insulation high tech non-bouyant material suit) ....

Best case scenario is an exposure suit that keeps you warms with zero buoyancy effect...meaning you need very little weight on your belt or BC, meaning it is much easier to have optimal Bouyancy and trim....and you will be more streamlined with less air in your wing or BC...less effort gliding and moving around/swimming.

 

[Leejnd]

The most intriguing option I have seen in years is at :: THERMALUTION.COM :: Thermalution Heated Undersuit Is Your Only Solution TO Keep Warm! ...This is an electrically heated under-garment for wetsuits.....it would work for 2.5 mil, 3 mil, 5 mill or 7 mil.
It is supposed to run for 3.5 hours, which is plenty.....

I just bought one of these at the Long Beach Scuba Show. I'll be putting it to the test in two weeks, on a weekend boat trip out to the Channel Islands where the water temps should be mid-50's. I'll be wearing it under my 7mm wetsuit. I'll report back here once I see how it works.