hood orientation

[tbone1004]

so really odd question that has irked me for a while now.
I get a lot of pain in the back of my neck every time I dive with a hood. It is less prevalent without a hood, but with a 5mm drysuit hood it sucks, really bad. I think a lot of it is from pushing back against the neoprene. Why don't the guys make hoods that have the head angled back at a natural angle for diving?I know this is probably moot to the rec guys, and the cavers clearly don't care about hoods, but for those of us that dive cold, I find it to be a pain having to push against the hood all the time. I don't leave my hood on when I'm running around and usually end up putting it on once I'm in the water or right before I hop in, but pulling down would be a lot easier than pushing back...

 

[Sea Lioness]

I get a lot of pain in the back of my neck every time I dive with a hood. It is less prevalent without a hood, but with a 5mm drysuit hood it sucks, really bad....

Are you saying that you are getting pain on the skin/surface of your neck from rubbing against the hood each time you angle your head "up" or "back" (depending on your orientation) or are you saying that you are getting pain in the muscles/joints in your neck from having to push against resistance created by the neoprene in order to hold your head in your preferred position while diving?

If you are still getting pain even without a hood, then the seal of your suit rather than the hood could be the problem. Or it could be related to issues with trim or tank location, causing you to hold your head at an awkward angle while diving.

If you're sure it's the hood, there are several things you could try:

I have found that there is a lot of variability in the shape (and sizing) of neoprene drysuit hoods between different manufacturers. You may be able to find one that contours better to the shape of your head/neck and doesn't "resist" so much as you move your head.

Another option might be to go with a hood made of a type of neoprene that has more stretch/flexibility to it than the one you're using.

A third option might be to try a thinner (3mm?) neoprene hood (although as a cold-water, drysuit diver myself, I can say that if the water is cold enough to require a drysuit, a 3mm hood probably won't cut it for most people. - However, I do know a few divers who "run hot," who wear a 3mm neoprene hood with a drysuit and like it just fine.)

A fourth option is to find one of the lycra/fleece hoods. I can't remember who makes them, but I used to have a wetsuit hood made of some kind of lycra or spandex on the outside and fleece (soft, thick, warm, fuzzy fleece!) on the inside. It was incredibly flexible and comfortable, even when wet. If they make a drysuit hood version, it might work really well for you.

My other suggestion would be to consider switching to an attached, latex dry-hood (as opposed to a dry-suit hood) but that's more because I love diving and having my head dry...it's probably overkill just to deal with what you're describing.

 

[tbone1004]

ya a lot of my stuff is 40-50 degree drysuit stuff, so less than 5mm isn't really all that pleasant... I'll scout around, I got the DiveRite hood because it was $15 and works fine, but I get it sometimes diving without a hood or exposure suit, I think it may be a jaw issue but it's more pronounced with the hood on

 

[Sea Lioness]

...I used to have a wetsuit hood made of some kind of lycra or spandex on the outside and fleece (soft, thick, warm, fuzzy fleece!) on the inside. It was incredibly flexible and comfortable, even when wet. If they make a drysuit hood version, it might work really well for you.

Upon further reflection, I think I only wore that fleece/lycra hood when I was diving in water that was warmer (maybe 60 deg F or more), so it might not be as good for cooler temps. It was really comfortable to wear, though.

There are some fleece-lined drysuit hoods out there, but I think they are made of neoprene externally, so I don't know if they are any more or less flexible than other neoprene hoods. Since I've never had one, I don't know if the fleece lining allows them to use a thinner neoprene or not.

I still think that you can probably find a hood that you like better than what you have now, even if it's a regular neoprene hood. There are probably hoods that will fit you in such a way that they don't put as much pressure on your jaw, either.

 

[j yaeger]

possibly a bit of t.m.j.?
the chin on the hood makes the jaw awork a bit harder?
i get it a little with my drysuit 7mm hood
nothing with my 7/5 wetsuit hood
have fun
yaeg

 

[knowone]

Dear Mr Clinton.

This is 5.5mm neoprene.

The seal around the face and chin is 4mm of the grippy bare neoprene.

The 40mm strip around the neck is 5.5mm of the slippery titanium stuff
that seals over the suit neck but allows movement.

It is cut so the head is in a neutral position half way between looking down
and looking ahead, because you can't have everything.

The chin thing whilst being restrictive, causes me no grief because it was
built to fit, my, head.

Almost a metre of neoprene.

With kind regards.


Very good.