Is my drysuit too big?

[diverdamsel]

I have the possibility to buy a used drysuit for a very cheap price. How ever... the suit leaves a giant "bag" (I could fit my 30cm / 1 foot tall dog in there) behind my back, near my shoulders. The suit it a bit too long for me - I guess that's the reason for the "bag", but I'm such a short person that I don't think I'll never find a perfectly fitting one. Will that bag cause problems to me while diving? Is there anyway to fix it? The suit is made of neoprene.

Someone said to me that it's normal to have a "bag" with neoprene suits but somehow I have a feeling that my "bag" is too big. Would you happen to have images of normal suits from the side withouth other gear so that I could compare?:shakehead

 

[GDI]

Just go to various website to get a idea of what you should look like

whites, bare, DUI, zeagle there are many companies out there

 

[RobbieTheHun]

While at first it may seem that you are getting a bargain, I think you will find that purchasing any ill fitting dry suit will turn out to be a false economy.

If the suit is too big then as you have mentioned you will have a large "bag". In order for suit squeeze (the pressure of the water squeezes the suit against your skin) to be all but eliminated you have to add air or argon (whatever your using), to the suit. However in a suit that is too big you are going to have to add a lot more gas, this will wreak havoc with you buoyancy and trim as the gas bubble will have a lot more room to move around inside of the suit. At worst this is downright dangerous and potentially life threatening, at best your going to be constantly adjusting your trim and buoyancy and not enjoying the dive. Varying thicknesses of undergarments are not going to solve this problem,

Do some research here and on other internet sites on dry suits then find a dive shop in your area that stocks them, visit with them, ask questions, try a few on, get a feel for what you really need based on the type of diving you are or will be doing.

A quality dry suit can be a large investment and IMHO it is one that should not be undertaken without the supervision of a professional. You are going to have this suit for a long time and it is a critical component of your safety and survival gear. You should be commended for proceeding as you are and seeking information here, keep it up.

Good luck,

RTH

 

[diverdamsel]

I've been trying to find pictures from the internet but the pictures are mostly from front or back - no side views to see the possible "bag". A friend of mine told me that there would always be a small bag with neoprene drysuits because bending would not otherwise be possible. I'll reconsider buying the suit though and try to find someone who really knows about drysuits to help me with this.

 

[k4man]

I'm with Robbie above. It's best to research the item and be sure that you are getting what you really want. Nothing worse than getting a "great deal" that hangs in a closet until YOU can unload it on someone else.

 

[Gary D.]

If you fart and take off like a hot air balloon I'd say it's a bit too big.

Gary D.

 

[Bob3]

I'm with Gary on this one; a baggy neoprene suit will actually draw the gasses outta you, making for profuse gas passing.
Seriously though, a neoprene suit needs no bag. It's the shell suits that are more correctly referred to as "bag suits", as a properly fitting shell needs to have enough slack material to allow for a full range of motion.
Neoprene suits should look like they're almost as trim as wetsuit. Unless you're into commercial diving, where everything is 3 sizes too big.