is a henderson microprene .5mm too thick?

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Rti1000

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Ok.. here's one for you guys and girls.. does anyone think a .5mm microprene is too thick to wear under a 7mm wetsuit? My instructor says i shouldnt wear it with another wetsuit but it's advertised as an extra layer to keep you warmer.. does anyone have any thoughts on this??

Andy:(
 
I can't see a 0.5mm layer making any significant positive difference in your warmth under a 7 mm suit -- less than 10% more insulation. Only issue I can immediately think of would be if your 7mm fit so poorly that it was pumping water all over you.

Adding another layer means twice as much Nylon to dry, as well as the possibility of trapped water. You may end up very chilled between dives unless you strip out of the suit and dry off completely. No need to start your second dive already cold!

Remember that wetsuit manufacturers routinely claim that 2.5mm is warmer than 3mm, and that spraying titanuim magically keeps you warmer like a space blanket. Considering that a space blanket deals with reflecting radiant energy and the overwhelmingly dominant heat loss in the water is conduction, would you trust all the advertising? (Though there is good reason to believe that the smooth-inside suits may help in reducing the amount of water that sloshes through you, old "Nylon one" suits were always warmer than "Nylon two" -- funny how it all comes around again.)

IMHO, take the $150 that the skin would cost you and buy a custom 7mm that fits you right instead of an off-the-rack one that you need to fill with a skin...

...or a drysuit!
 
It's a dumb idea.

You would be much better off gluing latex or neoprene seals on the wrist and ankle area. I don't know why thick wet suits don't have these.
 
Hi,

If you find microprene just a bit too cool you can order a corewarmer from henderson in goldcore/hyperstretch/premium neoprene so that it gve you "full core" protection or wear the corewarmer or shortie over your 7mm. Concievably you can wear the microprene under another wetsuit if it doesn't fit too tightly but more of in a bind as far as I can see.... yeah I've worn my microprene full suit with my gold core john or jacket to suit the conditions and it worked ok(before days of the corewarmer)... good thing the gold core lets it slide easier, I'm not sure of regular or fleece neoprene. However as the posting above says - if the wetsuit is too large, the microprene could stop pumping heat loss. Getting off topic more people wear skins to make sliding into their wetsuits easier...

So to sum it up, yes it can be done, but is it the best way to go??

PS The microprene also has foot stirups to make it easier to pull thru...
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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