Is there an easy way to put on a 7mm wet suit?

[JoeTPhilly]

Soapy water in a spray bottle works well too. Use baby shampoo and you can use it to defog your mask too.

 

[Jersey1971]

I have a custom freedive suit with open cell neoprene that will not slide over skin without lube. The easiest is to do it in the shower. Lacking that, I use a spray bottle with soapy water and it slides right on. I assume the same trick would work with a 7mm

 

[IrishLoaf]

Did the weight and difficulty put you off that much for the extra warmth you get from it?

 

[rick00001967]

Awwww the struggle with wet suits when cold water diving. I dont miss those days. Now you know one of the main benefits of a drysuit. Lol

Lots of good advise here.

Be sure both you and the inside of the suit are as dry as possible.

The rash guards really help. If you can get on with thumb holes in the sleeves it is even better.

The soapy water works really well for a suit and gloves, but not a very good option for pool work.

Remember, a wet suit is of no use if it is loose. It needs to be form fitting to keep as much water out as possible to do its job. So that = tough to get on. Especially at an indoor pool where you and the air are both hot and moist. Lol

 

[TMHeimer]

If you own your suit, why take it off to pee?

I don't. But I run a tubing (unattached) down one of my legs to allow for a bit of "outflow". Then I rinse with baby shampoo inside & out. That's what I meant by a "pee routine". In my formative dive years I would take the suit off far enough to pee in between dives, so I figure someone else may also be doing that and then have to struggle getting a wet wet suit back all the way on.

 

[Kimela]

In addition to the great suggestions here I have something that helps me with my 5mil. First I essentially have the legs inside out and put a foot through one side and 'roll' each leg on. When you get to the hips it helps to jump around a lot (joking - but it happens!) - you can also mostly roll your suit over the hips too. With the arms I also have them turned inside out and 'roll' them on. This helps a lot. I've never seen anyone else do it, but it makes the whole process so much easier than tugging and tugging and tugging. Maybe it'll work for you too? The hardest part now is getting my hands through the teeny hole (I wish my 5mil had zippers on the wrists).

 

[Doctorfish]

I find baby powder to work well if both you and the suit are dry; +/- grocery bags.

 

[Chavodel8en]

Taking off a heavy wetsuit is like 5X harder than putting it on. I have to tske a couple rest breaks before I finish

 

[Nick_Radov]

I know this isn't what you were asking, but 7mm wetsuits are really too thick for scuba diving. They are (as you noticed) difficult to don, limit range of motion, undergo huge buoyancy changes, and lose most of their insulation value at depth. If the water is cold enough that a 5mm full wetsuit doesn't suffice, then instructors really ought to put their students in drysuits. They will be much more comfortable and it only takes a little more pool practice time to learn how to use a drysuit.

 

[inquis]

The first suit I tried on was 3 or 5 mm (I think it was 5 mm). That was a struggle.

Stop right there. Get a larger suit. Seriously. The sock/bag/Lycra tricks can help, but that should make it a 20 second job instead of a 30 second job.