Question I can't get a Dry suit help for cold weather

[Tracy]

There's 7mm suits, and 7mm farmer johns. Difference is a single layer all over vice a double layer over mid-thigh and torso. 1 hour dives in Lake Superior I accepted that my fore-arms and lower legs would essentially go numb, something I learned to accept riding snowmobile. Manual dexterity and helicopter turns become wistful memories, but at least the core stays warm. I've since bit the bullet and gone dry.

And then there are also modern semi dry suits that don't require 14mm of neoprene that limits your mobility. The farmer john was great when it came out. Neoprene was stiff and it was the only way to get into a 7mm. These days, materials have come a long way. If you are buying a new suit, don't even look at a farmer john style.

 

[VikingDives]

Everyone's different, and they can change. It used to be (at 136 kg) I could do 6 or 7 40 minute dives a weekend in just a 7mm no problem and do my last dive in a 3mm for 40 minutes (but I had to have an active safety stop).

Now that I'm about 90 kg, in Mexican cenotes, I can't stay still for more than about 15 minutes or I start shivering. And that's with a hood.

I'm not a fan of the drysuit, but it's the only way to go if you're cold. What's normal for someone else, or for most everyone else, doesn't mean it's normal for you.