favorite wetsuit features

[SteveFass]

For a 7 (or more) mil one-piece wetsuit, please share the features you feel important. Today I'm confused about:

Is a

• zipper better in the front or the back as far as ease of dressing yourself?
• Are zippers in the legs and / or arms also a good idea?
• Is a permanant pocket on the thigh desireable?
• Arms / legs pre-bent?

Other features I should get?

The only decision I made so far is to get an attached hood, based on so many scubaboarders advice.

I'm only looking at suits that got consistent thumbs up from scubaboarders and pro reviewers so i'm not worried about zippers leaking. But the price of a new suit varies hugely I assume due to features like these. Thanks in advance.

Steve

 

[spectrum]

A front zip is very hard to get out of, so back zip.

Ankle zips are very desirable on a 7mm. If the fit is good there is much less value on the arms. Besure they have pleated backside bellows so there is no direct water entry.

I suppose a pocket could be handy. Make it big enough (bellows) with a positive closure.

Prebent is no big deal. Even a non pre-bent custom suit will slowly assume your contours. Either way I think it's more marketing than function.

Add forearm and calf seals and a skin on skin zipper flap seal.

Personally I'd move the hood to a vest. Having the hood as part of the suit really elevates the criticality of the fit. If you go integrated on the hood be careful.

Pete

 

[annasea]

(I'm getting measured today for a custom 5mm full wetsuit and a 7mm tunic with attached hood.) I, too, asked about the front zip vs. back zip, and it was suggested by both the manufacturer and a friend of mine who is a very experienced diver to go with the front zip. Because the zipper is in the front, you have much more forward mobility. When was the last time you needed to bend backward in a wetsuit? If the zipper is placed in the back, the neoprene can't stretch much because it's being held in place by the zipper. Granted, 7mm won't stretch much to begin with, buy why make it even worse.

Pete, I had asked about the ease of getting into and out of a back vs. front zip, and was told that since the zipper is placed on a diagonal in the front, it's really not that difficult. Except for very heavy people. (Fortunately, I'm very slim so this wasn't even something to consider.) Also, with a front zip, you can have a proper spine pad in the back, rather than just an extra flap of neoprene separating you from the zipper as in a back zip.

Another thing the manufacturer pointed out is that in his opinion, most wetsuits are made for water sports in general, not specifically for diving. His thought is that wetsuits for diving should always have a front zip. (Except perhaps in the circumstance mentioned above.) But having said that, he does make plenty of back zip suits.

Good luck with your suit, Steve!

 

[SteveFass]

Okay, so things worth paying for are a front diagonal zipper that is skin on skin, leg zippers with pleated backside bellows, seals in the arms and calfs. Is that it? Anything else?

I've worn a farmer jon 7 mil and was surprised how easy it was to get into and out of. I hope a one-piece with a front zipper will be similar. Guess I'll find out when I hit the stores.

Hope your new suits work out Anna. I've never worn anything custom fit before - it sounds so upper crust.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

I don't like the zippers in the legs and wrists because water tends to exchange there. I don't even like zippers in my booties but the no-zipper ones are usually impossible to don however I recently bought a pair of XS Scuba slip on 7mm booties and they are really easy to don/doff, I'm sold on them!
My personal preference for a 7mm suit is a farmer john because it's more versatile if you don't have the desire to own more than one suit. When I dive warmer water I just wear the top, you can't do that with a one-piece.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[Scuba Jerm]

Good point Ber Rabbit.... the zippers tend to let water in and out... and your right the Famer John is more versatile if you just use 1 of the 2 parts. The only thing I don't like about a Farmer John is the double thickness though the torso... from what I experianced, the double layer through my torso didn't add much more warmth than a full suit, but it killed me with how much more weight was needed to keep me down....and I'm pretty lean! I'd stick with the 7mm backzip full suit for the colder stuff.

 

[spectrum]

Pete, I had asked about the ease of getting into and out of a back vs. front zip, and was told that since the zipper is placed on a diagonal in the front, it's really not that difficult.

This was the tread I recalled when I made my post:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=72561&highlight=front+zip

Based on that body of opinions I'd try one before buying.

Pete

 

[annasea]

This was the tread I recalled when I made my post:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=72561&highlight=front+zip

Based on that body of opinions I'd try one before buying.

Pete

Thx for the link, Pete! But based on my needs and the advice given by both a wetsuit manufacturer and wearer, I'm going with the front zip.

herman summed it up best from the above thread:

Guess I will buck the trend. I hate back zips. They are a pain to zip. I dislike the neck being so tight, a real problem if you add a hood. I also like the option of opening the neck some while diving if I get too hot. I have several including a 5mm and don't have any trouble getting out of any of them. Besides, what's your buddy for. I have one back zip and never use it.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

The only thing I don't like about a Farmer John is the double thickness though the torso... from what I experianced, the double layer through my torso didn't add much more warmth than a full suit, but it killed me with how much more weight was needed to keep me down....and I'm pretty lean! I'd stick with the 7mm backzip full suit for the colder stuff.

I'm always cold so I do notice a difference with more layers whether they are thick or thin. I froze in my 1/4" farmer john in the springs in Florida but it was better after I added the bottoms but the suit feels warmer in 60 degree water--I'm weird I know. We dove in 78 degree water in Indiana last weekend and I was cold in my full length 3mm so I put my 3mm shortie on over it--still got a little chilled in some spots but the extra layer over my core helped since I wasn't wearing hood or gloves. The velcro flap on the back of my back-zip 3mm suit ended up somehow getting caught in my hair during the dive so my hubby had the pleasure of ripping some of my hair out so I could move my head :11:
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[BKP]

Thx for the link, Pete! But based on my needs and the advice given by both a wetsuit manufacturer and wearer, I'm going with the front zip.

herman summed it up best from the above thread:

Anna, I'd be interested in how you like the front zip, once you've tried it a few times. I've always had back-zips ('cept for a pull-on core-warmer with a velcro shoulder), and always felt they were a snap to get in/out of, with the long pull tassle. Additionally, the necks on mine (all Henderson, except for a newly ordered Bare) are all adjustable, so a hood has never been an issue...

However, I like to keep an open mind... so, it would be great to see an updated post from you, after the fact... thanks...

-Barry