Front Zip vs Back Zip

[hongrace]

Is there any advantage of front zip over back zip on a wet suit? I have had a look on Wetwear's website and their Cave and Tech wetsuits are made with front zip. Is it what cave and tech divers prefer?

Thanks.

 

[stakanak]

A few years ago, back zip wetsuits would flush, i.e allow water in through the neck seal and run down your back(very frigid. Today, they all have some type of anti flushing seal. Many ideas for this have come from surfing(duck diving waves/getting pounded by the surf)and they work great.
(Please correct me if I am wrong techies) But I would not want a zipper and pull string on my back in an overhead environment.
That being said all of my surfing wetsuits are back zip and my diving suits are front zip.
Get Wet!

 

[Doc Harry]

Is there any advantage of front zip over back zip on a wet suit? I have had a look on Wetwear's website and their Cave and Tech wetsuits are made with front zip. Is it what cave and tech divers prefer?

Thanks.

Dry suits are generally easier to don and doff by yourself if they have a front zip.

WET SUITS, on the other hand, are a lot easier to don and doff if they have a back zip. The front-zip suits can be difficult to get over your shoulders when you are trying to get out of them. A lot of people need a hand to pull the wet suit back off their shoulders.

Go with a back-zip wet suit.

The position of the zipper is not relevant to your diving environment, unless you are a solo diver and need to get your suit on and off without assistance. In that case, go with a front zip for a dry suit and a back zip for a wet suit.

FYI, I dive solo and I dive in caves.

 

[Zendiveman]

Hi,

For what its worth, I prefer a front zip. I have not experienced the problems that Doc Harry has alluded to. Indeed for me it is more comfortable and easier to doff than a back zip.

 

[Rainer]

EDIT: Nevermind, I was answering for dry suits only. For wetsuits, all mine have been back zip. I have no real opinion having never tried a front zip.

I currently own a back zip (Bare XCD2), a front zip (DUI TLS350), and a weird zip (Whites Fusion).

The zipper position just doesn't concern me. I don't solo dive, so the back zip isn't an issue.

My preferred suit is the Bare (back zip).

 

[Dracunos]

One very small factor that might be worth considering.. At least it was for me.. They both work. I'm a big guy and even with a size too small I can get a front zip wetsuit off while wet or dry relatively easily (not as easily as a back zip, but no biggie). But the thing is, during surface intervals it's much easier to just zip it up and down, and if it's a slant style front zip it'll go down to your hip and you can pee without removing your suit. That's a big plus for me, I dunno about you guys, hehe.

I've even heard someone in this forum mention they have unsnapped the bcd and unzipped in the middle of a dive and went pee.. Doesn't seem too common, though, heh. but some people prefer the warmth it brings :worried:

 

[Connorc]

I like front zip better. Mine is a Henderson 3 mm and I love it.

 

[scubamarketing]

My wet suit is back zip, but honestly that's mostly because that's all my old shop carried at the time. It's super easy to deal with. My mom, however, requires a front zip because she has mild claustrophobia when things constrict her neck and the front zip when partially unzipped relieves that pressure on her neck better than any back zip does. Try 'em on, see what's comfortable, that's what matters most.

 

[redacted]

I have had both front and back zip wet suits. My experience is the front zip suits often have a poor neck seal and tend to flush water through them. I use the front zip suit (now cut down to a shorty) under a back zip full suit or alone if I don't need much thermal protection.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I also have front and back zip.

The combination of front zip, integrated hood and stretching material can be nice at times. It is easier to self don when diving solo than the back zip with a separate hood to tuck in and mine at least does not flush. It is a little harder to slip out of as you have to be a wiggle worm. Mine is very warm until you dive deep, then the stretchy material crushes and it cools off fast.