Hooded Vest vs. Normal Hood

[ththooft]

Hello-

My wife and I just started diving in cold water in MN. We are about to take our AOW course, and want to get our wetsuits before then. (Sorry...it's wetsuits for now...dry suits once the budget goes back up after the other equipment....!!!).
Here are the questions that I have:

1. We are pretty set on the one-piece suit versus the farmer john/jane. However, my wife used the farmer Jane for her other dives and stayed warm. She did have some problems with water getting in, and we've been told a 7mm one-piece should prevent that. Thoughts on this?

2. We are debating between a normal hood and a hooded vest. Does the hooded vest go on under the wetsuit? Are these worth buying? The hooded vests that I've seen (Scubapro, Akona) all have 5mm hoods versus the traditional 7mm hood. We dove with normal hooods and were fine, but I'm wondering if the extra layer would be beneficial for her?

We have spotted some great deals on www.scuba-equipment-usa.com, so I'm looking forward to getting some more gear!

Thanks in advance for everyone's help!

 

[alcina]

Hi! Welcome to ScubaBoard from another mid Westerner (orginally anyway - NW IA - where are you?!)

The two piece suit will be warmer than a one piece as you will have double the protection on the torso. Water getting in is a sign of an ill fitting suit, no matter what type. You might want to have a look at a semi-dry suit in various mm thicknesses...they have seals on the wrists, neck and ankles to help minimize water trickling in.

The hooded vests do go under the suit in most cases. They are much warmer than a hood alone as you are also covering your torso. It's also easy to take the hood off and not have to worry about it floating away underwater!

Have a great time shopping and on your course - I look forward to seeing you around the board!

 

[EricJ]

I just purchased a hooded vest. I felt I just needed a little extra neoprene on colder dives.

I actually found the hooded vest easier to put on than a regular hood...there's no tucking flaps under the neck of the wetsuit. I no longer feel sudden rushes of cold water come in through my neck because the hooded vest more efficiently covers my neck-line opening.

I've been wearing mine over my one piece. I felt that it would cover my zipper and be easier to take on and off.

Is there a big difference between putting on over the one piece or under?

 

[ChrisA]

Hello-

My wife and I just started diving in cold water in MN. We are about to take our AOW course, and want to get our wetsuits before then. (Sorry...it's wetsuits for now...dry suits once the budget goes back up after the other equipment....!!!).
Here are the questions that I have:

1. We are pretty set on the one-piece suit versus the farmer john/jane. However, my wife used the farmer Jane for her other dives and stayed warm. She did have some problems with water getting in, and we've been told a 7mm one-piece should prevent that. Thoughts on this?

2. We are debating between a normal hood and a hooded vest. Does the hooded vest go on under the wetsuit? Are these worth buying? The hooded vests that I've seen (Scubapro, Akona) all have 5mm hoods versus the traditional 7mm hood. We dove with normal hooods and were fine, but I'm wondering if the extra layer would be beneficial for her?

We have spotted some great deals on www.scuba-equipment-usa.com, so I'm looking forward to getting some more gear!

Thanks in advance for everyone's help!

First off, what is the water temp? Around hare it gets down to low 50s If it gets much colder you will need a drysuit.

The advantage of a hooded vest is that I think they are easier to put on, no stuffing the hood's color onder the wetsuit. Also there is one more layer over the torso. Yes you put the hooded vest on first About the only reason not to get the hooded vest is that you are hard to fit. Maybe you have a big head and smal body?

 

[TeddyDiver]

Hello-
1. We are pretty set on the one-piece suit versus the farmer john/jane. However, my wife used the farmer Jane for her other dives and stayed warm. She did have some problems with water getting in, and we've been told a 7mm one-piece should prevent that. Thoughts on this?
2. We are debating between a normal hood and a hooded vest. Does the hooded vest go on under the wetsuit? Are these worth buying? The hooded vests that I've seen (Scubapro, Akona) all have 5mm hoods versus the traditional 7mm hood. We dove with normal hooods and were fine, but I'm wondering if the extra layer would be beneficial for her?

It's very personal matter. My buddy still uses wetsuit even in winter (7mm onepiece with 5mm hooded shorty) and gets along well. I used samekind of set up, and chilled right away. With thick neoprene it's allso relevant how deep you dive (in 10m/33' it's 1/2, 30m/100' it's 1/4 of the orig thickness) If you have a possibility to loan/rent different kind of wetsuits and to try them you 'd knew better. Remember also with thick neoprene it's dangerous to be overweighted (Neoprene boyancy up to 15kg/32lbs in surface, in 30m/100' 3,7kg/7,5lbs) and BC got to have enough volume to compensate the boyancy lost!

 

[spectrum]

I'm a proponent of a fullsuit as a base, I have 3,5 and 7mm suits. A full suit gives you a single membrane of coverage and if correctly fitted the best chance. What you give up in the 2 layer core that a john/jane combo provides, enter the vest....

As a second layer and for head protection a hooded vest IMO is the way to go, not a hood. The vest will give an integrated neck seal and squelch any back zipper seepage.

For the most protection short of going semidry or dry you can wear this over a 5 a 7 mm suit:
http://www.bare-wetsuits.com/bareshop/diveproduct.asp?dept_id=23010&pf_id=61426
The extra heat in the core really adds to the cold water tolerance of the arms and legs even when wearing a 5mm suit.

For a little less warmth I use this hooded vest under my suit:
http://www.bare-wetsuits.com/bareshop/diveproduct.asp?dept_id=28520&pf_id=61437

We dive fresh and salt, skin and scuba so we're seeing local water from 40F to near 80F and mix and match all of these items. It ends up being a wardrobe.

Pete

 

[lorien]

A hooded vest is a great option as mentioned by others here. The other thing to consider is also having a plain hood for dives when you do not need the added protection over your core but the water is still too chilly for diving without a hood. And a hood is not an expensive purchase so I opt to have both.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

In my experience a one piece suit is warmer than a two piece farner john as you have less water flow. of course this assumes a pretty good fitting suit. If you have too much room in the suit, especially in the arms and legs, you will just pump water through the suit, even with a semi dry.

I also use a hooded vest most of the time and prefer to wear it under the suit. Of the divers I know who use a hooded vest, they are split about 50-50 on the inside versus outside issue. I think I get less water flow with it inside, but then my hood as a neoprene surface on the enck that mates with the neoprene seal on my semi-dry.

We do a fair amount of deep diving here with water temps at the bottom in the low to mid 40's and this arrangement works well for the 20-25 minutes at depth as long as I can do the deco and or safety stops in warmer water (upper 50's to mid 60's). But I am probably a little more cold tolerant than many divers.

I'll also second Lorien's recommendation to get a regular hood for diving in warmer waters. I have an 1/8 hood that I will use in shallower and warmer water (mid 60's to low 70's) that along with no gloves will keep me from overheating.

If the ultimate goal is to go with a drysuit, you may want to consider a neoprene dry suit. I wasa trilaminiate snob for years until I was foreced to borrow my wife's 7mm neoprene drysuit. Now I will never go back as they are warmer, even at depth, and swim so much better as you can get a much closer fitting neoprene suit and still have a full range of mobility compared to a shell type dry suit. Squeeze is also less of an issue and unusal attitudes are no problem as you tend to have alot less air movig in the suit. The really good news is that you can find a new O'neil drysuit for about $500 retail and they go for around $275-$300 in lightly used condition.

 

[spectrum]

A hooded vest is a great option as mentioned by others here. The other thing to consider is also having a plain hood for dives when you do not need the added protection over your core but the water is still too chilly for diving without a hood. And a hood is not an expensive purchase so I opt to have both.

Good point on the stand alone hood, that's on my list to get.

Being new with the scuba aspect I'm trying to stay with 1 configuration until I master bouyancy and trim. Master may be an agressive word but you know what I mean.

I have been known to sneak a beanie under my 5mm hood to keep my skull cozy.

Pete

 

[Liquid Fit]

Good point on the stand alone hood, that's on my list to get.

Being new with the scuba aspect I'm trying to stay with 1 configuration until I master bouyancy and trim. Master may be an agressive word but you know what I mean.

I have been known to sneak a beanie under my 5mm hood to keep my skull cozy.

Pete

Here is what I would recommend for ultimate thermal protection
1. Go with a good 7mm full suit. it is very important that you get a suit that will fit you properly. You don't want any areas on the suit where you can grab a handfull of neoprene
2. I would get a sleeveless shorite with an integrated hood/ not a vest. The shortie would keep the suit anchored in your crotch: a vest could have the tendency to roll up. The shortie would be worn over not under your suit.
3. What kind of material you use in your suit should be a major factor. Don't buy into the titanium BS because that is just what it is. Consider a suit that has the material like that is in the Henderson Gold Core. Many manufacturers have this but call it by a different name. There is no material on the market that will keep you as warm.One word of caution. This type of material can only be single blind stitched, where other materials can be double blind stitched. You must handle these suits more delicately but they will give you years of diving pleasure.

Good luck in your search for a warm wetsuit.
Carolyn