Looking for 5mm warmth in a 3mm suit
- Thread starter JTemple
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CAPT HOOK
Contributor
You could try adding a 2mm hooded vest.?
My buddy uses 3mm farmer pants with a 3mm jacket on top. The jacket has "shorty" legs. It works for him. That's more insulation where it is the most helpful.
Experts say that standard neoprene suit material has more insulation than the extra stretchy kind, so you may wish to look into that, too.
Experts say that standard neoprene suit material has more insulation than the extra stretchy kind, so you may wish to look into that, too.
Try something with a titanium lining. I dive a 6/5/4 in the winter, with a hooded vest, both titanium lined. I have never been so toasty.
giles45shop
Contributor
Try a Bare Velocity 5/4. Great suit, has hyperstretch material, extra seals in wrist and ankles and leg zippers. I got mine from www.divetank.com for ~$150 a couple years ago. I think they are a little more now, but still a good deal.
John
John
*Floater*
Contributor
JTemple:
A snug, custom cut, Rubatex farmer john and jacket with an attached hood and no zippers is probably the warmest you can get in a 3mm wetsuit, but it would be expensive.
Here's one company that makes Rubatex suits, though I don't know if the company is any good: http://www.wetwear.com/cavedivers.htm
Liquid Fit
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The warmest material on the market is the "Gold Core" type of material. This type of materiial will form a seal with the skin. This material can only be stitched on one side hence making it more prone to seam separation. However, everything considered, if warmth is your main goal, this material just may fit the bill. Just about every suit company carries their version of this type of material.
thomjinx
Contributor
I just bought a 3 mil "WaterProof" brand wetsuit. It is a Swedish company that has been in the European market for some time but is new to the US. It has wrist seals and neck seals like you would find on a semi-dry suit and it seems warmer than some 5 mil suits I have used. Good anatomical fit and lots of reinforced areas too.
I don't work for them, just a happy customer. Best 3 mil I have seen.
http://www.waterproof.se/main.php
Their US website seems to be down. I googled "Waterproof wetsuits" and found dealers in California.
I don't work for them, just a happy customer. Best 3 mil I have seen.
http://www.waterproof.se/main.php
Their US website seems to be down. I googled "Waterproof wetsuits" and found dealers in California.
CrazyScuba
Contributor
Hey JTemple
Below is some info on exactly what you are looking for, after you read it check out our . “Total Liquidation Blowout” before we move to our new location. For our Best Prices Ever! Type in the word “blowout1” for equipment and the word “camera1” for cameras in to the “Discount Coupon” box located at the bottom of your shopping cart Here's the suit http://www.crazyscuba.com/pd_3mm.cfm
Stephen Frink Photo Tour, Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea, Australia - August 11-18, 2005
Henderson Insta Dry
In anticipation of cooler water in Australia this time of year, I made a call to my friend Joe Polak at Henderson Aquatics. I knew I needed something a little warmer than my tropical wetsuits, and I was very eager to try out their new Insta Dry technology. I had tried the Insta Dry gloves previously in Indonesia, and found they were ultra warm and flexible. I thought at the time an Insta Dry wetsuit had terrific appeal.
The week before leaving I received both 5mm and 3mm Insta Dry suits from Henderson. These suits are just now getting out into their dealer network, and I was thrilled to have an early production suit to try.
First impression ... Holy Cow, Nice Presentation! They come in a really cool storage box, with a special towel to wipe the suit down after the dive, thereby expediting the quick-dry aspect of the suit. The suit itself is very stylish, in a black-on-black kind of way. Nice graphics, quite elegant actually. Guaranteed to put me into "stealth mode" for all those sneaky little macro critters on the Great Barrier Reef.
When I tried the suit on, it felt different than their Hyperstretch, for example. Where the Hyperstretch is very forgiving in terms of sizing, covering a wide range of somatotype with a single suit, the Insta dry really should be properly fitted. They are a little harder to slip into, but more form fitting. The inside is like their familiar Gold Core material, but with Insta Dry on the outside it will not stretch like a conventional suit.
With the baggage restrictions we all face for international travel, I made a leap of faith. I didn't want to take both 3mm and 5mm suits, so I trusted I could get by with a 3mm and a hooded vest in the 74-degree water. Actually, I based this on how warm their gloves kept my hands compared to similar neoprene gloves. But, it was a bit risky. A normal 3mm suit in this environment would be way too cold for me.
Fast forward to the Great Barrier Reef on our first dive of the trip. I leap in with my new 3mm Insta Dry and a hooded vest. Expecting that first blast of cold water down my spine, I am pleasantly reassured. So far so good. I only had to wear 8 pounds of weight, whereas those with 5mm and hooded vests were wearing 20 pounds of lead, and more. After a 50-minute dive I dried off and went to the shipa€™s satellite e-mail service to report in to Joe. Here below are my first impressions of the Henderson Insta Dry:
Joe - I'm writing this from Spirit of Freedom live-aboard, first day out on the Great Barrier Reef.
Details:
74-degree water
3mm Henderson Insta Dry suit with additional hooded vest
Results:
Truly amazing. By far the warmest 3mm suit I've ever worn. People in 5/3mm suits, and even those in brand new 5mm suits purchased specifically for this trip were coming out of the water chilled. It did not even occur to me to think about the cold. I did not know it was cold, totally not an issue. I was truly surprised to see so many shivering on deck after the dive. I was 5mm warm in 3mm comfort. Less weight was required, greater flexibility allowed, and did I mention a€¦ it was warm!!!
Joe ... congratulations. The concept is brilliant. The facts that it dries quickly, doesna€™t hold odor or bacteria, and is stylish are pluses of course. But, the reality is that it does thermal protection very, very well.
My new Insta Dry fits great, looks great, and is clearly a significantly enhanced technological achievement.
Steve
Stephen Frink
www.stephenfrink.com
Britt :fish:
:fish:
Below is some info on exactly what you are looking for, after you read it check out our . “Total Liquidation Blowout” before we move to our new location. For our Best Prices Ever! Type in the word “blowout1” for equipment and the word “camera1” for cameras in to the “Discount Coupon” box located at the bottom of your shopping cart Here's the suit http://www.crazyscuba.com/pd_3mm.cfm
Stephen Frink Photo Tour, Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea, Australia - August 11-18, 2005
Henderson Insta Dry
In anticipation of cooler water in Australia this time of year, I made a call to my friend Joe Polak at Henderson Aquatics. I knew I needed something a little warmer than my tropical wetsuits, and I was very eager to try out their new Insta Dry technology. I had tried the Insta Dry gloves previously in Indonesia, and found they were ultra warm and flexible. I thought at the time an Insta Dry wetsuit had terrific appeal.
The week before leaving I received both 5mm and 3mm Insta Dry suits from Henderson. These suits are just now getting out into their dealer network, and I was thrilled to have an early production suit to try.
First impression ... Holy Cow, Nice Presentation! They come in a really cool storage box, with a special towel to wipe the suit down after the dive, thereby expediting the quick-dry aspect of the suit. The suit itself is very stylish, in a black-on-black kind of way. Nice graphics, quite elegant actually. Guaranteed to put me into "stealth mode" for all those sneaky little macro critters on the Great Barrier Reef.
When I tried the suit on, it felt different than their Hyperstretch, for example. Where the Hyperstretch is very forgiving in terms of sizing, covering a wide range of somatotype with a single suit, the Insta dry really should be properly fitted. They are a little harder to slip into, but more form fitting. The inside is like their familiar Gold Core material, but with Insta Dry on the outside it will not stretch like a conventional suit.
With the baggage restrictions we all face for international travel, I made a leap of faith. I didn't want to take both 3mm and 5mm suits, so I trusted I could get by with a 3mm and a hooded vest in the 74-degree water. Actually, I based this on how warm their gloves kept my hands compared to similar neoprene gloves. But, it was a bit risky. A normal 3mm suit in this environment would be way too cold for me.
Fast forward to the Great Barrier Reef on our first dive of the trip. I leap in with my new 3mm Insta Dry and a hooded vest. Expecting that first blast of cold water down my spine, I am pleasantly reassured. So far so good. I only had to wear 8 pounds of weight, whereas those with 5mm and hooded vests were wearing 20 pounds of lead, and more. After a 50-minute dive I dried off and went to the shipa€™s satellite e-mail service to report in to Joe. Here below are my first impressions of the Henderson Insta Dry:
Joe - I'm writing this from Spirit of Freedom live-aboard, first day out on the Great Barrier Reef.
Details:
74-degree water
3mm Henderson Insta Dry suit with additional hooded vest
Results:
Truly amazing. By far the warmest 3mm suit I've ever worn. People in 5/3mm suits, and even those in brand new 5mm suits purchased specifically for this trip were coming out of the water chilled. It did not even occur to me to think about the cold. I did not know it was cold, totally not an issue. I was truly surprised to see so many shivering on deck after the dive. I was 5mm warm in 3mm comfort. Less weight was required, greater flexibility allowed, and did I mention a€¦ it was warm!!!
Joe ... congratulations. The concept is brilliant. The facts that it dries quickly, doesna€™t hold odor or bacteria, and is stylish are pluses of course. But, the reality is that it does thermal protection very, very well.
My new Insta Dry fits great, looks great, and is clearly a significantly enhanced technological achievement.
Steve
Stephen Frink
www.stephenfrink.com
Britt :fish:
:fish:
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